Re: The economy and developers

[MacWheel99@xxxxxxx]

The computer professional skill sets needed are like a universe of different 
skill sets in which it is difficult for someone with one skill set to switch 
from a market that has a glut of talent to one that has a glut of jobs, let 
alone recognize that those distinctions are out there.  

This is part of the Microsoft/Oracle/etc. mantra that they are the only way 
to fly & the mainframe is dead ... if the mainframe dies it will be because 
no one wants to work on it, but the mantra would have yuu believe it is about 
to die for other reasons.

Currently there is a glut of hungry ERP developers because prior to the dot 
com collapse there was an ERP collapse because the ERP software houses had a 
marketing model that was incompatible with their Y2K strategy, so they set 
themselves up for a gigantic fall, which dragged with it the 3rd party 
developers in the ERP world.

If you look at the sales figures of IBM eServers, it might be extremely 
useful to know what proportion are to old customers doing upgrades from 
earler forefathers of the rebranded & what proportion is to new customers who 
undoubtedly will need 400 talent or the equivalent, fueling another glut of 
job openings for qualified 400 people that are just not out there, because 
IBM is not in the business of offering free education to the unemployed dot 
com workers how to re-engineer their skills for the 400 world.

I guess what we need is some kind of skill set market need shift insurance 
... after working decades in the 400 world, it might die & I will need to 
relearn computers into perhaps the Linux world, but I can't predict which 
world I will need to relearn, and when I find out I might be unemployed, so 
time to cash in my skill set insurance on education into whatever is now the 
hot area.

> I was wondering if the current  glut of developers in the
>  marketplace has had an effect on the midrange scene.
>  thanks in advance


MacWheel99@aol.com (Alister Wm Macintyre) (Al Mac)


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