I completely agree. However, what if OP would be willing to learn "all/any of the above." For example, they could be hammering on Ruby for 4 months but ignoring Java. Doesn't mean they are lazy or stupid - could mean that they haven't gotten around to it yet - but they have shown an interest/track record in learning new things.

I think many companies should set fair, clear and objective metrics for employees - and then base pay off of it. That way, management could easily defuse any situation by sharing data with employees.

It sounds like you are doing things the right way.

I think a parallel to this discussion is companies need well known objective metrics to judge employees by. If someone feels they are being underpaid, management can "show their work" as to how they arrived at the salaries. Also, you can define goals for your employees.

Thank you for the clarification. I remember seeing something regarding the headers when flipping through one of the O'Reilly IPv6 books. I was planning on going back though the books to get a better handle.

Interesting takes. I don't think Iran wanted the software to begin with. But I think they would love to see the source code!

In theory, IPv6 will do away with NAT so some applications/protocols won't need any special workarounds. In the end, you'll still have 4 devices streaming your Netflix in either case. I don't know of any overhead penalty for moving to IPv6, so maybe someone smarter than me can speak to that. I'd assuming routing tables will be bigger because there are more/longer addresses but could be wrong.

Companies would rather bring in exactly want they want (i.e. skills, no training at low pay) then actually expend some effort.

Thanks :-)

Even then it is hard to find a job. I am passionate about IT but need some spit and polish.

Sorry if I wasn't clear.

Take me for example. I do work in some niche languages, some you probably never heard of. I took the job years ago, have to pay the bills. I want to get out. I have a masters degree in a related field. I am slowly trying to learn/keep up to date in my free time (you know when life doesn't get in the way). However, I run into a lot of resistence since I have taken a non-tradional path and I don't have all the keywords.

I remember seeing ads in 2000-2002 time frame of companies wanting 7+ years of Java. If you were lucky - at a company that was an early adopter - you'd probably have 5-6 years tops. Unless of course your name was Gossling...

So, you're telling me if someone has a degree in CS/MIS/SE/etc. and years of programming in language X, that they can't pick up language Y and become productive in a reasonable amount of time? Have the underlying concepts of programming changed all that much? Is this the Twilight Zone or something?

I'm not even talking $100K salaries. Why not hire people out of college at $42K (who have 3.0+ GPA in STEM degrees for example) and help tie off the loose ends?

If you provide necessary training, then you're the exception to the rule. The "issue" is that our educational system/corporations have fallen short in some regards - they want skill sets that are rare, but have been unwilling to develop employees. Now they are reaping what they have planted.

I agree. But I know people with STEM degrees who have difficulty finding meaningful work. It seems to me that if you have less than 5 years or so of professional work in very specific areas in addition to a relevant degree, that you're SOL

Here's a question..... Why not hire the glut of people already in the system? As I posted earlier, why do we need to import labor with the amount of unemployed/underemployed people we have now?