This must be unique to the UK or finance jobs or some other variable other than simply "IT" or "consulting". As an independnet consultant, I've never seen demand higher in my niche, and that's with me constantly raising my rates over the past few years.
I would be curious to see a HN poll of people's sentiment towards job demand across the US and different countries. I know in both Silicon Valley and in Chicago demand is pretty high right now for all kinds of tech, but especially for the sort of young full-stack generalists that startups seems to focus the most on hiring. At one point in 2008-2009 it felt a little worse - I was happy to have a job at a big IT consulting firm - but now for the most part my then-colleagues and I feel like we have huge amounts of choice. How are other folks / other geographies seeing the trends in their area?
Ok. I definitely respect any hardships the author has had to endure - I've had a few of my own. I also appreciate being frugal, calculated and managing risk in one's career.<p>OTOH, I am hearing echoes of what sounds like a textbook case of victim mentality. It's almost as if his fate wholly lies in the hands of these IT companies he's vying to work for. He mentions failing to hold his own during negotiations. He blames outsourcing. Complaint after complaint about why it's not all "roses, just roses"... like it used to be.<p>Folks: if you spend the time getting the right skills to pay the bills, this article does NOT apply to you. The crowd that I "run with" generally has NO problem finding lucrative engagements, or employment. Especially in <i>this</i> market. And even in a down market. There's always something brewing.<p>I hope I'm just gagging on some expensive link bait.
I have to admit that some themes posted in this article run through my head every now and then. My plan is to use the runway I've amassed over the past year to work on startup projects while cutting out freelance work. Will I find new clients if I fail with my projects? Can I even compete with the lengthy requirements of most companies around here (Silicon Valley) require? Will being "out of work" for a year hurt my chances to get a job if I need one?<p>While these thoughts pass through my head, I don't believe things are as dire as they were in 2001 - 2002. Hopefully working on side projects can give me enough of a resume in the worst case scenario. I guess time and experience will tell if this and similar situations will be difficult in the next few years.
It seems to me that he did not keep his skills aligned up with the market. You've got to be looking 3 years ahead. Does it ever say what skills he has?
The article is an interesting mix of things you'd expect from economic theory: salaries going down as demand went down and supply stayed high, and things you wouldn't: the irrational aversion to people who got laid off and the importance of ass-kissing. Both of these things reduce efficiency, but they're a major phenomenon of the modern work force.
Uhm, all I read was whine, whine and more whine.
- Too long unemployed and getting weird looks at interviews? Create your own consulting company, say "provided consulting to <your expertise>". Swallow down that your customers where your mom, aunt, uncle or your next neighbour. Why did you apply for this job? Expanding your horizon, sharpen your skills, new adventures, the whole shebang
- company having requirements no one can fullfil? guess what, the company is probably shit anyway
- get a job at some coder shop, even if it is below your standard
- if you have done consultancy for any money house - please don't call yourself anything technical (like speed traders) but go rot in hell
Hmmm.. The ready availability of low cost labor in Russia and India must be why Microsoft, Google, and Amazon shell out 100k/year + 80k in stock to new employees.<p>In programmers, you get what you pay for.
At some age, no amount of skill is going to help much. Someone will employ a developer nearing senior citizenry, but they'll want a deep discount over what they'd pay for younger.