Job market collapse has people packing

San Francisco Chronicle ^

[RCW2001]

Jobless and broke, Bryan Clouse sits among the dwindling possessions in his studio in San Francisco's Fillmore District getting ready to leave what he once thought was a computer nerd's promised land.

In a week, the 35-year-old programmer will load up a rented SUV and say goodbye to the city that has been his home for the past nine years. He will go to live with his grandparents in Brooklyn, Mich., a tiny town of brick storefronts and clapboard houses a few hours west of Detroit. There, with no rent to worry about, he will look for work.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

You can have them both as far as I'm concerned.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Class envy at its finest, sir.

[Lessismore]

Yet the H1B program is thriving with thousands of foreign programmers coming into the country.

Plus, off-shore outsourcing to India and other locations is growing rapidly. Any job done by someone sitting at a desk with a computer and a telephone is a candidate for off-shoring.

[Mini-14]

I used to think globalization was great until I got H-1B'ed out of a job.

[yankeedame]

In a week, the 35-year-old programmer will load up a rented SUV and say goodbye to the city that has been his home for the past nine years. He will go to live with his grandparents in Brooklyn, Mich...

============

Live with or sponge off of? I mean, holy cats, the guy is thirty-five years old and he's gonna travel across country to move in with grandma and grandpa?? Boy, I'd love to hear their side of this!

[clamper1797]

It took me 8 months to find a job after getting laid off. The new job is only vaguely related to what I used to do and I had to take a 20% pay cut. Being out of work SUCKS. BTW my mortgage is $4200 a month. Try paying that on $1330 a month unemployment. I literally came within days of forclosure. I had 88 count them ... 88 ... recruiters looking for jobs for me. I flew to Washington, Idaho, Texas and Boston for interviews Virtually NO ONE is hiring in Silicon valley. Most of the ads on the job boards are fake and the one that are not fake have the bar so high that the worlds expect in any particular field would have a hard time passing the interview.

Bottomline ... if your are an American born engineer you have very little chance of getting a job in Silicon Valley right now

[painter]

"At least Jack In The Box has fun commercials.",

And the Best Tacos in the world!

[Vince Ferrer]

I myself have been unemployed since march.

I was out of work last year. Unfortunately, I don't see an end to the tech recession yet. That will only happen when an industry comes up with the "next big thing," and nobody even knows what that is yet. Look to small companies for opportunities. Hope things turn out well for you.

[Cicero]

It's now been two years since the technology sector began its long slide, triggering the worst economic slump to hit the Bay Area in memory.

Still defending clinton? As I recall, the NASDAQ began its long slide just about the time that clinton brought the antitrust suit against Microsoft. I can't seem to find a long-term NASDAQ chart, but I would have said it's more like three years.

[clamper1797]

The tech slide started in March of 98 when the first round of layoffs hit. This is a Klintoon recession. He ran up the "credit cards" to make the economy look good during his term but now the bills have come due. "It was the economy stupid"

[Willie Green]

As I recall, the NASDAQ began its long slide just about the time that clinton brought the antitrust suit against Microsoft.

Poor Mr. Gates, Klintoon stomps on his toes and the entire American economy trembles. </sarcasm>

[SauronOfMordor]

Plus, off-shore outsourcing to India and other locations is growing rapidly. Any job done by someone sitting at a desk with a computer and a telephone is a candidate for off-shoring.

Middle-management prefers H1B's. Hire an H1B, and you have an individual working under your middle-management, under serf-like conditions. Do an off-shore outsource, and you have an entire work-function being done by outsiders under their own managers. You own company's middle-management will fight that every step of the way.

[SauronOfMordor]

Most of the ads on the job boards are fake and the one that are not fake have the bar so high that the worlds expect in any particular field would have a hard time passing the interview.

They want to hire an H1B, so they have to rig it so that "they can't find a qualified American to do the work"

[clamper1797]

That is EXACTLY what they are doing .... highly unethical

[clamper1797]

I was an ASIC designer (digital) for years and pretty much expert in DFT (Design for Testability). I had to take an analog design job which I'm not anywhere near as good at. I used to be at the very cutting edge of technology now I feel like I'm back in the stone age of electronics

[tubebender]

They are going to ruin Sacramento and Stockton etc... next.

Right on. Pac bell and Caltrans are in a right of way dispute over PB putting down fiber optic cable to Eureka from Ukiah. It is putting off the invasion for a while. Most everything goes out by microwave now.

[jmax]

"In a week, the 35-year-old programmer will load up a rented SUV ....."

SUV ??? SUV??? I thought all the liberals felt SUV's were a no-no, as they used too much precious gasoline, and were driven by only Recpublicans and Conservatives.

[Red Jones]

bump

[Billy_bob_bob]

Hey, I say hey there. Analog is the "stone age" of electronics? Hello? Did I get that right? Because I made a whole career (and a darn good one too) out of designing analog circuits. Cutting edge of technology? Have you ever designed a D/A in TSMC .13?

I do believe you have quite an opportunity in front of you, if you choose to take full advantage of it. There is a shortage of really good talent in the analog design world. Look around you and see who is really good at what they do. Learn from them.

[clamper1797]

I have a book of schematics on paper for the project. I haven't used paper schematics in 20 years. That's what I meant by stone age. I have designed several ASICs in .13 micron (TSMC). I have not done a DAC though. I had to retrieve my old analog class notes to get the formulas for transistor biasing and op amp theory. I got out of school for the last time in 82. I used to design embedded core ASICs now I'm designing circuits for a high end VLSI mixed signal tester.