For what its worth, as an employer I'm equally put off by candidates who list a massive long list of things they are "expert" in. Nobody can be expert in all those things.

Especially "equivalent" technologies like PHP / Java / VB.net / ASP (yes I know they are different - but nobody can actually be expert in all of them!)

Edit: transferrable skills are important, and understanding the underlying principles is important and leads to it being much easier to learn other platforms/languages. Nevertheless they all have their own idiosyncracies and 'right' ways of doing things.

Southampton was #2 for CS in the late 90s when I was there. I understand its still good - but perhaps more so for Computer Engineering / Microelectronics than CS.

This.

both the OP and the GP.

The course itself means little (in any discipline I'm sure, let alone one as broad as CS). You have to demonstrate that you care and love the subject, and therefore understand it far more intimately than any course can teach.

Actually its not quite as straightforward as that....to have staff in India counts as having a commercial presence in India. That renders you liable to Corporation tax in India, as well as in the UK.

Ofc there are ways people get around that by having *contractors* in India through umbrella agencies, or by straight outsourcing, but its not quite as simple as "get the Indians in".

I don't necessarily have the best view of the overall market, but as an employer my view is different here...

I feel more people are taking CS, since it's become more mainstream. Having a CS degree, however, doesn't make you a good developer or a good techie. Employers want good people, nee great people!

There are many people who have a degree (even a masters!) and just aren't that good.

What I would say, is that the degree should teach principles; an underlying approach and a way to think. However, peoples' ability to absorb that part is - IMO - not necessarily reflected in their final grade.

For me, demonstration of practical experience (whether done commercially, at home for fun or part of a course) is far more valuable in ascertaining someone's skill set.

As an employer, of a tech team of nearly 20 who's actually hiring now as well I would very much like to agree with AmiMojo.

The single biggest contributor to whether we will hire someone or not is whether we are convinced that they are actually really good.

Qualifications and degrees to NOT say that. Having a shiny last job does not say that.

What says it is two things;
- code we can see that is good, whether from our aptitude test or code that you wrote and can show us (legally, without breaking NDAs)
- an obvious love for the subject, enough to do it in your spare time at home (not work, just tech things)

Personally I don't care whether a candidate has a degree or not. I care that they know what they are talking about, have good problem-solving skills, can communicate to some degree, and that they have a can-do attitude.

I don't know what unemployment is like in my region (Hampshire), but I do know there's lots of candidates...just most aren't particularly good.

This. I was wondering why nobody else was making this point.

It could even be accompanied by a law mandating that cookies are associated with descriptive information about what they are for.

A browser-based implementation would be impossible for sites to not comply with, more user friendly for the masses, better for sites, and better for privacy.

I really don't understand why the onus has been placed on sites :(

Not sure I'm completely understanding your point - but "using Steam in games" can be a whole lot more than just as a distribution channel.

Steamworks integration provides copy protection, social networking, cloud storage of settings/savegames, achievements, leaderboards, etc, etc, etc.

I for one (and I know I'm shallow) pretty much only buy games with Steamworks or GFWL integration (unless they are truly excellent).

Oh, and for PC, I can't even remember the last time I bought a physical disk/box. My PC is even arranged now so I can't even get to the DVD drive......hate them...