I've been working with Java since 1997, and the greatest part of my work since then has been in Java (was doing lots of Unix kernel work and 2-tier/client-server database style projects before that).

In that entire time, only immediately after the dot-com crash in 2001/2002 and for a year or so after that did I find it difficult to find a job where Java was the main skillset required. It might be highly locale-specific; I live in the San Francisco area, and there are piles of both startups and large multinationals that do Java work (although I *have* noticed startups using more Scala and Groovy lately).

But I haven't ever gotten the feeling from the job market that Java is dying.

- Tim

So you see, Mudhead, it's like the Pooper said - with counter subversive
educational priorities the way they are, well, it really helps our side to
re-enlist.

I thought Jobs is On The Way! So... take off your shoes... FOR INDUSTRY!

What do you find the pay difference is with contracting the way you're doing it, vs working full time?

In the late 90s, the difference was pretty large - I could get up to $80/hour W2 contracting with an agency (more average was $65/hour), whereas at that time salaries at my level were around $70K-$85K.

W2 hourlies (and 1099 hourlies, if going through an agency) have stayed about the same since then - here in San Francisco, it's hard to find anything more than $75/hour W2; salaries have topped out around $140K-$150K unless you work for a startup that REALLY needs you, or Google/Facebook/Twitter/etc. in which case you can go a bit higher.

This is if just sticking to software development; management and architecture, of course, is different.

But basically, the payoff for being a contractor has become a LOT smaller - mostly it's the independence(ish), and a tiny bit of more money, not the huge monetary difference that used to exist.

- Tim

Film lovers/buffs like me love the extras that often come with optical media - commentary tracks, "making of" videos, interviews, alternate versions, etc.

I haven't seen these available on streaming services yet (granted, I haven't checked all streaming services to see). That, plus lag time for HD video makes me far prefer optical media. Even if connection speeds could handle all of this, I think I'd still prefer to have a physical copy. Just old-fashioned I guess.

- Tim

As mentioned above, I applied with you folks a couple of years before the acquisition, and was rejected for lack of many years-long positions in my history (despite great reviews my whole, long career). I think your CEO said something along the lines of "How can you convince me that you might not leave after a year here?" I did my best to explain my situation (much contracting work, startups that failed), but to no avail.

I was much more interested in Demandforce before the acquisition, when stock options might have meant something. Now that they are owned by Intuit, the reasons for my rejection leave a bad taste in my mouth to work there. Also, Intuit has "done me wrong" many times in their Quicken division vis a vis horrible support - though I don't know how they treat their employees.

- Tim

Typo - "most of the shorter positions were at failed STARTUPS".

- Tim

Heh - I applied to Demandforce some years ago. Interviews went well, but CEO didn't like that I had many contracts and shorter positions on my record (unfortunately, most of the shorter positions were at failed starts). I was perfectly qualified for the position, but was rejected for my perceived job-wandering. So for all we know, they may still be rejecting good candidates for other reasons similar to that.

- Tim

Oh, location matters too, so the amounts I quote are for San Francisco proper, where I live.

I've heard that those amounts would make me able to Live Like A King(tm) in, say, Austin, TX.

- Tim

I'm a "Senior Java Developer" (happy developer, never want to be a manager, been programming for 35 years) - I'd hope for a minimum of $130/K + bennies for a perm position, but look for $150K + bennies. Minimum $75/hour W2 contract ($90/hour 1099 contract). This seems fair given my experience, dedication to quality, productivity, etc. (from what I can see, comparing my own work to that of others I've worked with). This seems like a standard range among other good, experienced engineers I know.

What range are you paying in? If it's less than what I quote, I think it'll be hard to find good people.

Most of the H1Bs I've worked with, I have to say, have been "productive" in that they churn out a lot of code and feature sets, but haven't been very smart engineers; their code quality has been shite, and they seem unaware of (or unwilling to adopt) standards of good design that I thought everyone knew after a couple of years of programming experience.

- Tim

I have always been bad at saving, lived for not exactly "the moment", but didn't think long term/retirement/etc. My bad - I'll likely be working until I'm at least 70, or longer, and it won't be a comfortable, carefree retirement. *sigh*

- Tim

So you got all that just through meticulous saving into savings accounts? Or did you do investment as well?

- Tim

I "insist" on living in the city of San Francisco, but because I grew up in the area (Santa Cruz) and really hate suburbs and commuting, and my job is here in the city.

So my commute, usually by bicycle, is around 20 mins, and I am surrounded by things to do everywhere I look. Also, a lot of my friends are here. This is why I stay here.

I am in a rent-controlled apartment, though it had been bumped up to "market rate" about 5 or 6 years ago when I moved into it, so I'm paying $1600/month for a small one-bedroom with no parking or storage. I know that would easily pay the mortgage for a decent sized house in a lot of other parts of the country. But I am not so sure I would trade living in San Francisco for that. Also, I don't have children and probably never will (almost 50), so that's not as much of an issue. I also live right by Golden Gate Park, so I have a "backyard" of sorts.

Of course, should the economy turn sour as it has 3 times in my Software Development career, I might have to stop "insisting" and do what I've done before - go mobile, go to wherever there is work. I'm ready and willing to do that, though I hope that my current job will remain stable; it's in an industry that is not as effected by the economy as some others (medical services/supplies), so I might not have to worry as much. Many of the people here are here, I believe, because of this stability (tho' most have kids and commute in to work). It doesn't attract the "best and the brightest", which makes me a bit sad because I would like to see better quality work being done, and I surely do regret the fact that I didn't apply for (or applied for and didn't get) jobs at the places that look like they're doing fantastically and their early employees are getting rich... but a job until retirement (hopefully not too old) that provides good bennies and is on a good product, working with nice people, at a decent, liveable salary for the area, is what I'm looking for mostly now. I've given up my dreams of vast bucks from elevated titles or stock options.

- Tim

Object-Oriented Basic! Wait... :-)

- Tim

When I was around 13 years old (around 1978), my brother took me up a room at his college (UC Santa Cruz) that you needed a special key for, because it held one of the computer terminals spread around campus, connected to the university's DEC PDP-11/45 running RSTS/E.

It was a dark, mysterious little room, with this mysterious Datamedia terminal wish mysterious glowing characters and flashing cursor on the screen. I was fascinated.

He showed me how to play some games on it (I think the first one was 'trek', text-based of course). It was amazing, and seemed terribly high-tech and complex to my young mind.

A year later, someone at my Jr High told me about playing games on the university's computers, and I remembered that time when I'd done that; they told me how to login to the games account:

HELLO 5,5

And off I went. The first game I played was "Animal" (you know, it guesses what animal you're thinking of). I played for awhile, but then got bored and wanted to look at other games. But... I couldn't figure out how to end the game! "end"? no. "stop"? no. "quit"? no.

Frustrated, I told my friends back in Jr High, and they told me of the Magic that was "Control-C".

I went back, played more games, and decided then and there that I wanted to learn how these things worked!

I bought a Wiley Self-Teaching Guide to Basic. I bought "Introduction to Computer Logic Circuits and Boolean Logic" (or something like that). I bought "Introduction to Pascal". Off I went. I still like programming, these 37 years later, amazingly enough.

- Tim