Harsh Reality for Record Number of Computer Science Grads: Software Employment Has Peaked

The Average Joe ^ | 06/27/2024 | Noah Weidner

[flamberge]

I remember 30+ years ago...[]... It was about the same time that the first teasers of codeless programming were emerging.

Ahh! Good times.

COBOL was supposed to be "codeless programming" in English, no less. "Low Code Solutions" is the snake oil being sold today, along with "AI". Some things never change except for the terminology.

It still requires very smart people to develop computer software, and there are never a lot of them available. Those people require much more intelligence than the managers and executives who control them. There is a built-in organizational problem there.

One thing I recall, at a time when women were generally placed in clerical work for typical organizations, was that about 30% of the Software Engineering staff were women. These were not "diversity hires", they were simply good engineers, and absolutely needed in their jobs. I also remember that the women in clerical positions visibly disliked the women in engineering positions, and vice-versa.

That has not changed either.

[dfwgator]

Yes, CASE tools were going to remove the need for programmers.

[zeugma]

when will the H-1bs be going home?

hahhahahahahahahahahahaahaha
hahhahahahahahahahahahaahaha
hahhahahahahahahahahahaahaha
hahhahahahahahahahahahaahaha
hahhahahahahahahahahahaahaha
hahhahahahahahahahahahaahaha
hahhahahahahahahahahahaahaha

they'd rather have Americans unemployed and homeless than do that.

[zeugma]

Hopefully soon. I refuse to run software projects where we utilize H1B developers. Time and time again it is because of H1B developers which lead to project overruns.

One would think that companies would figure out that you get nothing but crap from India. I've been seeing it for years and years.

The company I primarily work for has outsourced almost all of it's IT to Cognizant. OMG, what a disaster. If it's something rote, yeah, they can do it. If it requires a brain and institutional knowledge, or just knowledge about interoperability, it is a crapfest just waiting to happen. I would not buy stock in the company I'm supporting.

[Albion Wilde]

It’s the Great Nerd Replacement for all the imported tech workers! At last, you’ll be able to speak to a customer service rep whose first language is English!

Of course, AI will make many of both native and alien techies redundant soon...

[jimfree]

One thing I recall, at a time when women were generally placed in clerical work for typical organizations, was that about 30% of the Software Engineering staff were women. These were not "diversity hires", they were simply good engineers, and absolutely needed in their jobs. I also remember that the women in clerical positions visibly disliked the women in engineering positions, and vice-versa.

I worked with those women. There will ALWAYS be a caste system.

[flamberge]

One would think that companies would figure out that you get nothing but crap from India. I've been seeing it for years and years.

The executives do not really care. What they want is a cheap, obedient, docile, and disposable workforce. And they get that from the Indian agencies. Technical competence is a minor factor if it is even considered.

The other factor is that the Indian agencies offer substantial bribes to executives who contract with them. This is common business practice in India and while it is unlawful in the United States, those laws can be easily evaded.