[FormerLurker]

This article, at least in the opening words I skimmed, tries to score rhetorical points by pointing out the contrast between the scarcity of good programmers in the late 1990's and the current overabundance of so-so programmers.

You've obviously skimmed too fast. The article states facts proving that highly skilled and talented engineers are currently being replaced by foreign workers on H-1B visas. You should go back and read the article, this time without "skimming". These "so-so" programmers as you call them are those engineers who have passed the age of 40. They are being replaced with "so-so" warm bodies from India, Pakistan, China, and a host of other countries. Companies such as Lucent, Nortel, Sun, and many others are laying off American workers to make room for foreign workers who will work long hours for less...

[ThePythonicCow]

Looks like my misreading provoked you into a good summary of what this article is saying. Thanks for clarifying.

I'm closer to 60 than 40, and still get paid good money, mostly for my programming skills and hard work. Of course, that means I've been continually retraining myself for nearly three decades now.

Perhaps if I get caught up in this trend someday myself, I will think differently, but for now, I have trouble getting to bent out of shape over it. However I suspect that if I did get such a layoff, I'd be too busy searching out the next job to loose sleep over the motivations of the layoff.

There are still one heck of a lot of people, of all stripes, programming. And it's ok by me if companies understand that they aren't there to keep people employed - they're there to make a profit.

And when I am hiring, the more competition for my openings the better.

[Tokhtamish]

That is why I am moving from programming to database administration. At least in database administration you are not competing with kids.

The point about reeducation is right on the money. At my age it would be pointless to learn Java, Perl, Python, CGI, Javascript or other 'hot' web stuff because there are lots of kids who already know it and managers flatly do not want to hire an older person. And taking classes, no matter what the computer schools say, is pointless. Hiring managers want experience so in practice it is incredibly difficult if not impossible to switch from the ghetto of legacy maintenance to more modern skills.

[billybudd]

What's the problem with this? The effect is that overall wages in the software industry will be decreased, as they should.

[Paul Ross]

Yup. And don't forget to add Motorola to that list. They are shipping their software writing to India lock stock and barrel. And not just programmers. Now they will be spending $10 billion on not just new semiconductor fabrications operations in China, but the associated R&D labs will also be built there. Motorola is purportedly getting a $50 billion worth of comparative value for its $10 billion investment abroad. Meanwhile it continues to close up shop in the U.S. The de-industrializing of the U.S. that is going on today will make us weaker than France at the current rate.