CNN reporting false info on IT jobs front, or just shoddy reporting.

[DaveJ]

CNN reported Money Magazine's 2006 Best Jobs in America which ranks Software engineer #1. Okay, fine, they should say it's hard to get a job as a software engineer but it's a great job to have if you're that fortunate. Instead, they have a clip of some lady stating "There's such a huge need for software engineers right now. It's a job that has a lot of flexibility in that it's in every location including working from home...." The source of this information (http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/moneymag/bestjobs/frameset.exclude.html) gives the software engineer profession a grade of C in the Ease of Entry category. So, apparently the demand is not that high, if the ease of entry is so low. If there were a "huge need" companies would be hiring people with basic knowledge of software development and be willing to train them like they did 6 years ago. So my conclusion is that CNN is putting out false information. I got satellite tv recently, and now know firsthand that CNN cannot be trusted as a source of accurate information.

[Vincardog]

1. Speaking as an experienced software engineers who hasn't been able to get

a job interview in 5 years. They are telling these lies to try to blame the workers for the lack of jobs. They close auto and Airplane manufacturing plants and then say how hare it is to find engineers or skilled labor. The Corporate News NetWork is a low wage conservative spin tank just as mush as FAUX NEWZ is.

[patrice]

4. Hang in there Vincardog.

It was 4.5 years for me (and I'm approaching 60). It finally happened, but I have to admit it happened because my boss is an unusual type of person, who looked for someone dilligently, even in a database (state job website) that isn't that popular.

[DaveJ]

6. Same here...

I haven't been able to get so much as an interview either.

CNN are LIARS. What did you mean by "low wage conservative spin tank"? Do they pay their staff low wages?

[Vincardog]

9. "Low Wage Conservatives" are another name for the Neoconvicts

They are the ones pushing for an ownership society where everyone is personally responsible for everything in their own lives. While they are a bunch of trust fund self loathing closeted homosexuals.

(no offense intended for our gay friends)

[valerief]

2. It's a great U.S. job if you're NOT an American.

There's a huge need for HB1 Visa holders to be s/w engineers.

[Lithos]

3. Software Engineer

Is a vague category as it includes old technologies and an extremely range of roles. Personally I see most heads down coding activities as being prime for outsourcing which is what is happening to the chagrin of many. Those areas which involve headsup interaction and a bit more business expertise are doing okay. If you don't know the business needs of your customer and sit in a box, your job will move. Learning the business and how to engineer software (note I did not say write code) for it is extremely difficult.

L-

[DaveJ]

5. Your responses validate what I was thinking.

That lady is full of it. "There's such a huge need for software engineers" my ass. I am a software engineer too, who can't get the job, and I understand. There are a variety of reasons. Offshoring certainly is a big part of it. But overall there is just less of a need. Most of the software that people need already exist or development tools are advanced enough to eliminate the need for huge teams to complete a project. Those who are fortunate enough to have a software engineer job can get paid a lot because they are so critical to the business, put those type of roles are few and far between. Anyway, CNN was very irresponsible for reporting on this "huge need" without first checking the facts.

[radio4progressives]

7. The Role of CNN is the same as FOX and MSNBC only less "obvious"..

CNN and the entire panaply of Alphabet Cable and Broadcast "nooze" is State issued Propaganda... they have to fluxuate a bit from that stance and pretend to take on an adversarial role in criticism of the White House and the Pentagon.. but they never venture off the plantation completely.

they (including CNN) never ever (not ever) give historical context to U.S. military invasions and regime over throws for the past century - they got right up behind and knowingly and willfully pushed this administrations lies and distortions without a blink of an eye, or a single question posed to challenge the rationalization for going to war in Iraq - instead they had one mouth piece following another (if memory serves, media watch groups counted the number of so called Middle East "experts" ranged in the neighborhood of 350 or so to three dissenters in the run up to the war, now feining "shock" and "surprise" that this administration clearly fabricated the "evidence" of WMD's intelligence reports.

But even in view of that evidence that has been long out there, since 2002 and actually 2000 clearly indicating this administration had every intention to invade and occupy Iraq since and plans were in the making before the 2000 elections - CNN has Tom Friedman on this morning "critising" not the policy of invasion, but commenting on the incompetence of conducting the war, which was to explain the current chaos and attrocities currently on going - not that our invading Iraq was the sole cause of the current death and destruction - ohhhh nooo..

I had laugh my ass off last week when CNN was all over the fact that China's coverage of the Prime Minister and Preznit Bush held full court press and the Chineese dissedent's outburst was censured from Chineese television news - holding round table discussion on Jim Lehrer PBS news hour making a fucking big deal about the shocking and disturbing state of news reporting in China - as if that isn't exactly what goes on here with our media.

For wonder our citizenry remains in a state of abject ignorance including some who consider themselves "liberals" (not just the right wing - red staters) ..

Democratic Leadership of course intend to do absolutely NOTHING to educate and inform the citizenry any more than the reich wing neo cons.

and very few here seem to be calling on our party leaders to inform the citezenry on this point.

[DaveJ]

10. Time to find another channel, maybe LINK

Well I got satellite recently and now knowling that C** cannot be trusted I need to find other sources of news. I think I can trust CSPAN, then there's something called LINK which I never heard of, it looks kind of like PBS for cable. It doesn't look like there are any liberal or at least trustworthy sorta talking heads channels.

Are there any decent current breaking news channels out there?

[Ready4Change]

8. In the same boat, here.

Unless you have 3-5 years on the job experience with a language that has only been in use for 3-5 years, it's hard to get your foot in the door.

In other words, once you fall off the software development bicycle, it is very hard to get back up on it again.

Lesson to those who currently have IT jobs: Maintain your skill set. Be sure you have 3-5 years experience in a modern, in demand language. If you do not have that, you are vulnerable to TOTAL CAREER LOSS when you get laid off.

Speaking from experience, here.

[DaveJ]

12. The jobs just aren't there...

Like I said above I just don't think there is as much need for new software as there used to be. Most the ads I see are asking for a ridiculously specific skill set because they are trying to replace someone who left the company with more/less the exact same person.

I think the software engineers who are fortunate enough to have jobs now get paid well because they are the ones who made the products. That makes them the most important people in many companies, almost on an executive level. It's not like many companies need huge development teams to create huge new products anymore.

But if someone can get a company to hire them and be in charge of their product it's a nice job to have.

[madrchsod]

11. cnc operators and mig /tig welders

big shortage of these skills across the country. truck drivers in great demand across the country 40+ a year to start. but these are not glamor jobs,hot dirty,and long hours..you know "it`s hard work"

[DaveJ]

13. I know these are well paying jobs, but hard work?

I worked on a loading dock once unloading drivers' trucks, and that was hard work. The dock was open 24/7 in Chicago regardless of how cold it was. You got subzero wind blowing in your face while driving the forklift. If your feet sweat the tiniest bit the moisture gets into your socks and starts freezing your feet. So compared to that I think that driving a truck sounds relatively easy.

[madrchsod]

14. done that too at northwestern steel and wire in sterling

before they closed. in fact most of my jobs involved either really hot or cold condition in forge shops or a steel mill. yes that is hard work compared to truck driving...

[MazeRat7]

15. I am a software engineer

And yeah its a great gig. BUT... depending on the definition it may or may not be. Personally I design & model software and hand off those specs to coders both in the US and abroad. The job title is Software Architect, but that title is specific to the company. I spend many hours in my home office and on overseas conference calls but I get paid well for the 14 hour days. However, I only got this position after having been a "software engineer" by other definitions for almost 18 years (as I started in this "Architect" role about 5 years ago)

Those other definitions of "software engineer" included everything from coding for 22 years, to kernel development, to network engineering, to project management, to systems administration, to data base design, to production downtime trouble shooting, to web page development, to device driver development, to security, etc, etc, etc....

So I have no clue what they mean... but its a great gig if you have the experience to qualify.
My guess is they (CNN) doesn't have a clue either.... but it sounds good.

MZr7