Comment It's all just numbers... (Score 1) 260
I think a few people have touched on one of the major issues in all this, and what I think is a failing in the article.
You hear all the time about the shortage of programmers in the industry, and how we are nowhere near saturation. Therefore it doesn't make sense that a part of the workforce is under-utilized.
But the difficulty with those numbers is this: They assess the quantity rather than the quantity of the available positions. I have yet to see any full analysis of exactly what kind of jobs are most in demand (and I don't think the article even tried to address that). Then we can understand who is going to be hired for those jobs.
There exist jobs out there, and many of them, which can be done as well by an 18-year-old as a 48-year-old. So people who are over 35 may find themselves over-qualified for many positions.
I am a co-op student in Canada (Americans read: intern) and I never have trouble finding positions with good companies. But I'm not exactly getting thrown into management level jobs here. But for what I'm doing, I can do it just as well as a far more experienced developer, and my salary is considerably lower. This is the premise that allows co-ops/interns to get jobs in the first place.
I would find the article much more informative if it could relate what jobs the older people are failing to get. Giving preference to younger, lower wage people for, say, basic software testing positions is hardly any surprise. Just like you wouldn't hire a veteran sales rep to stand in the street selling newspapers.
You hear all the time about the shortage of programmers in the industry, and how we are nowhere near saturation. Therefore it doesn't make sense that a part of the workforce is under-utilized.
But the difficulty with those numbers is this: They assess the quantity rather than the quantity of the available positions. I have yet to see any full analysis of exactly what kind of jobs are most in demand (and I don't think the article even tried to address that). Then we can understand who is going to be hired for those jobs.
There exist jobs out there, and many of them, which can be done as well by an 18-year-old as a 48-year-old. So people who are over 35 may find themselves over-qualified for many positions.
I am a co-op student in Canada (Americans read: intern) and I never have trouble finding positions with good companies. But I'm not exactly getting thrown into management level jobs here. But for what I'm doing, I can do it just as well as a far more experienced developer, and my salary is considerably lower. This is the premise that allows co-ops/interns to get jobs in the first place.
I would find the article much more informative if it could relate what jobs the older people are failing to get. Giving preference to younger, lower wage people for, say, basic software testing positions is hardly any surprise. Just like you wouldn't hire a veteran sales rep to stand in the street selling newspapers.
