Don't learn to code. Do we really need more Software Developers and Software Engineers?

American Thinker ^ | 02/21/2019 | By Sam Younnokis

[SeekAndFind]

Enough with "learn to code."  As this article points out, that's terrible advice.  Coding isn't beanbag, and if you don't have a problem-solving mindset, you won't be good at it.  It's like telling people to buy power tools and become home-renovators.  Having a tool doesn't inform you about when and how to apply it.

What's the problem we are trying to solve here?  Is it to meet a need for more coders or to provide a way for unemployed people to earn a good wage?  I expect that it is the latter, so let's ask: do we need more software developers and software engineers?  We already have many of them who are unemployed for whatever reason.

Forecasting the expected needs for additional software developers arrives at a figure of roughly 300K between 2016 and 2026.  That's an average of 30K new jobs per year.  The BLS site offers a similar prediction for that time period.   This site indicates that 35K computer science degrees are awarded each year.  Sounds as though we have plenty of domestic candidates for those new jobs, right?  It should be noted that some percentage of the degrees awarded is for foreign students.

This article in Inc. also claims we need to train more software people.  This news release compares the total number of allegedly unfilled jobs, with the supposed annual rate of 43K degrees being awarded.  It adds that the Computer Science Education Coalition wants the federal government to pony up $250M to train K-12 students in coding to fill the Big Tech jobs need.  Nothing in the Constitution justifies spending tax dollars to train anyone for any job at all, whatsoever, but that's obviously no deterrent.  So how will that affect the interest in getting the actual degrees?  I'm thinking it will decrease, making the apparent crisis worse.  

[SeekAndFind]

Meanwhile, foreign applicants are getting hired for software jobs (instead of our domestic unemployed degreed software-computer-IT engineers), and supposedly this is justified by the alleged lack of domestic candidates.

[TexasGunLover]

Yes, we do. Try posting a job and see who applies. We’re talking 6 figure entry level jobs here in the DFW metroplex.

[TexasGunLover]

instead of our domestic unemployed degreed software-computer-IT engineer

Please send their names my way. I haven't known one in over a decade.

[central_va]

Oh BS. You can get Americans. We end the H-1B visa tomorrow will go a long way in repairing the damage.

[cuban leaf]

I remember when I was told about COBOL school by a guy in 1982 I said to him (and these are my exact words), “I thought I missed the computer revolution.”

It’s been my career ever since, bringing me a six figure income with no college, started by a ten month, four night a week, $2,300 class.

This is one reason I’m not a big fan of going to college.

[TexasGunLover]

Oh BS. You can get Americans. We end the H-1B visa tomorrow will go a long way in repairing the damage.

We don't get many H1B's... not near as many as roles we try to fill. Fortune 100 company here for 20 years, and we just don't have many applicants, and top 10 places to work, etc etc...

[bankwalker]

Free Code Camp - the best I've found ...

[mewzilla]

There are Americans who can code. But not every American who can code is willing to move where some of this jobs are. And it’s not just about money.

[TheTimeOfMan]

Corporations whine about having to pay a experienced coder $100k a year but think nothing of having layers of coffee drinking managers who do nothing but plan the next transfreak marketing campaign.

Let the bloody market determine pay rates. If they get high then more applicants will enter the field and the price will level. If they drop (because we import cheap and generally incompetent H-1B labor) then Americans will eschew the very arduous grind needed to become a professional software engineer and we will lose out on one of the few good paying job sectors left since we exported all of our manufacturing.

Six figures for entry level in DFW? That would be an aberration. Typically anything over $80k a year requires several years of experience.

[TheTimeOfMan]

Agree with mewzilla. I see ads all the time wanting a coder to MOVE to sh*thole Michigan (or NYC or LA or someplace nasty or completely unaffordable) for a 6 month contract.

And then when (shock!) no one applies they go to Uncle Stupid and ask for an H-1B visa.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

let's ask: do we need more software developers and software engineers?

Absa effin lutely.

I've spent a large portion of my career in user experience design, and one thing we definitely lack is tech guys who can jibe with the American way of doing front end design, which often involves a lot of creative problem solving on the fly and trial and error. A front end coder who can fly by the seat of his or her pants is the unicorn.

[SubVet72]

Back just before Y2K I was able to get into the IT department because at that time they were looking for anyone willing to learn programming. I’ve been programming in RPG ever since. There is no shortage of American programmers.

[central_va]

A Republican telling me it isn’t all about money! LOL! What a phony you are.

[wastoute]

I’m pretty sure our side was being just as sarcastic as their side was when they said it.

[laker_dad]

sh*thole Michigan

Yes, that describes parts of the larger cities in Michigan, but I'm guessing that you have never seen the rest of the state. (retired IT pro in West Michigan)

[VastRWCon]

Your COBOL remark.

*****************

Same here, but AS400/RPG. School was 9 months long, couple thousand. Got a job before I graduated. We learned Fortran, Cobol (3 month class), RPG (two week class), DOS, etc...

The owner of the first company I worked for told us all in a meeting that if you stick with this, you will all be retiring coding RPG. He said there is soo many lines of code out in the world today (1989) someone will need to be around to maintain it.

I now work from home, in FL(tax free state), 7 figures (MD salary), still coding and maintaining RPGLE. Yesterday the company was closed because of snow. I’m in FL so I had a snow day. Life is good.

[cuban leaf]

Hilarious!

I had to get out of COBOL because I was in the Seattle area and eventually it was over-run with companies going to servers and $17 an hour Indians.

I became a BA. The 21 years as a COBOL programmer has served me well in this role, however.

[bigbob]

Much more likely that large companies who can afford and manaage it will simply expand their existing software development operations in low-cost countries. India, China, Czech Republic...

Make crap cheap in Mexico and China, get the code written for it in Bangalore or Brno.

[TexasGunLover]

Much more likely that large companies who can afford and manaage it will simply expand their existing software development operations in low-cost countries. India, China, Czech Republic...

We do some offshore testing, but virtually no development.