Software firm has jobs it can't fill (Needs JAVA programmers in FL)

Orlando Sentinel ^ | 9/4/12 | Jim Stratton

[ruralvoter]

At a time when legions of people are looking for work, Richard McNeight has an unusual problem.

The president of Modus Operandi, a Melbourne-based software company, McNeight has eight job openings he can't fill. He has been looking for months, but hasn't found the right candidates.

"I have two full-time recruiters working for me," he said.

The problem is this: Programmers at Modus Operandi, which has about 60 employees, must meet two key qualifications. They must be fluent in the computer language Java and be eligible for a U.S. security clearance. The company works almost exclusively for the military and intelligence agencies designing software for communications, surveillance, intelligence gathering and reconnaissance.

[NonValueAdded]

Brevard County, Florida ping.

Let me know if you want on or off this ping list.
(not associated with the county government)

[LearnsFromMistakes]

I use POI all the time, greatest software package, ever.

I wrote some spreadsheet mining java about 10 years ago, used POI. It would occasionally not read the last row in the spreadsheet, and I never figured out why. I think my old team still uses the software, and I think the bug still persists. I wish I had written the software with JDBC access to the spreadsheets.

[jjw]

i thought 9500 engineers were laid off in that area since they weren’t needed by nasa’s muslim outreach program. maybe they should offer a competitive salary.

[jjotto]

I’m calling BS.

Mos likely this is a company that wants employees on H1B visas in order to pay them noncompetitive wages. And they can sell the visas, reducing their costs further.

[GingisK]

‘c’ rules!

[who_would_fardels_bear]

I'm also wondering about employers. If you try and get a job with the CIA they might give you a break if they can give you some non-clearance work to do while they work you through the system.

However, a private contractor to the CIA might want to be pretty certain that a new employee will go through the vetting process without a hitch before offering a job to someone with a sketchy record. Especially if they are hiring for a particular contract with a hard deadline.

We all heard what happened to that bank employee that put a slug into a washing machine in 1963.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

"If it doesn’t involve solder, it’s not a REAL programming language"

Does this count as real programming? No solder, but plenty of electrical leads...

[Lazamataz]

I'm also wondering about employers. If you try and get a job with the CIA they might give you a break if they can give you some non-clearance work to do while they work you through the system.

I might be less 'passable' to the CIA, or the NSA, or any similar group... but the present agency I'm with, hell, when the Security Review Officer looked over my E-QIP, he said, "I've seen people worse that you make it. I've seen people better than you, fail. It all depends if you lie on the form. (He narrowed his eyes) Any corrections?"

I told him (rather happily, because I hadn't lied at all), "No."

He then let me in on a little secret: He, too, was a twelve stepper and worked with troubled youths in his off time. :)

You wouldn't be surprised at the agency I'm with, but you'd be surprised at the other agencies I deal with. I'm even the Security Steward for two of the major websites, and I've learned a ton about programming a tough-to-break-through exterior-face.

They gambled on me, and they gambled well. :)

We all heard what happened to that bank employee that put a slug into a washing machine in 1963.

That's because of Barney Frank and Chris Dodd, who delight in crapping on the little guy.

[Lazamataz]

bool ShouldWeGoShooting = (c < c++) ? “Yes” : “No”;

Evaluate that expression carefully. ;)

[Lazamataz]

Oh, and I mean the languages, not a variable named c. :)

[Lazamataz]

The starting salary is six figures the article says.

Right, but unfortunately they are including decimal places.

[Lazamataz]

Most of these cases that I have run across either offer too little money or the shops/area have too bad a reputation to make it worth a gamble. This one could be an exception, however.

There was one place, an owner of major personal and small biz accounting software for your PC, that I learned earned it's reputation.

No matter how early I got in -- and I tested the envelope -- there were people there earlier than me. No matter how late I stayed (and tested that side too) there were people who stayed later than me. The place used to go through keyboards because the sweat would pour in and short them out.

IF you know what I mean. ;)

[Lazamataz]

I’d consider Florida. I might even end up there. But you could not pay me enough to live in a hostile Communist nation like California.

[Ingtar]

I am also a DOT NET developer. I am fortunate to work at a company that treats its people well. In spite of the billions that pass through my software, I have not had to replace a keyboard for sweat, at least not for shorting. My sweat etches watches and removes the letters from keys, if that counts.

[Ingtar]

Regarding the six figure salary: I have found that to be a ploy in the past. The recruiters say, “Up to six figures.” What they end up offering is much less. I don’t, however, know what company this is. It could be a legitimate complaint. I know that developers are scarce right now in Memphis.

[Lazamataz]

Where I'm at now, I get to kinda set my own pace. See, I was originally hired as a maintenance and keep-the-website-current-with-Fed-regulations guy, but my version of maintenance is everyone elses version of enhancement. I have taken them to places they never expected to get to. I even singlehandedly and successfully defended a particular security model, on a phone call with about 12 security experts, that has changed Federal policy as regards a particular tool being deployed in the DMZ (it's a big and important one.) (For obvious reasons, I am being very vague). The deployment of this tool will really help all the other developers who work at this agency. Major feather in my cap, and that one got me really noticed.

But the deal is this: I am not "just maintaining", I am "vastly enhancing" and they LOVE it. So, I kinda can set my own goals and keep my own schedule. They are so damned happy with me, they just want me around.

[McGruff]

Never heard of them but Harris used to be in Melbourne. I have the clearance but working with C# DotNET. Will keep it in mind though.

[Lazamataz]

I have the clearance but working with C# DotNET

I love you, man.

[GingisK]

Even though the espression evaluates to “No”, we really are quite overdue for a range trip. I’m not sure about this weekend, but maybe the next.

I had a blast with you last time, so to speak.

[Lazamataz]

Even though the espression evaluates to “No”,

I recommend running it in debug, with trace set to verbose. If you still get a "No", something's very wrong with your development environment. Perhaps you are programming in an archaic and stunted language and need to upgrade?

we really are quite overdue for a range trip. I’m not sure about this weekend, but maybe the next. I I had a blast with you last time, so to speak.

This is out a little farther oout than that. I'm saving my pennies for a trip to Texas for the Free Republic Texas Cowboy Memorial Shoot in Corpus Cristi. But YES we should get together. The insane drunk chick is out of my life now, so that is good. :)