Number of job listings with the term “ninja” have increased 2,505% in past 6 yrs

I don't like it, but I do <i>get</i> it. There's something to the romantic notion of being so competent that what you do looks like some mystical martial art to someone on the outside.<p>That said, it's a cliche, and I always avoid cliches like the plague.

&#62;&#62;sadly, none was for actual mercenaries trained in martial arts—the analysis found.

You are not being creative/edgy/innovative/etc. when using terms ninja, unicorn, rockstar in your job posting. These three words are have morphed into cliches being used by hiring managers who think they're on the "pulse".

The rockstars are really hurting these days, but don't be jealous of the ninjas. The rocket scientists, mavens and even the experts have all been there and faded. Some day maybe even the the worker bees who can block and tackle will be back on top.

Sure it's a relief to hear they are up again since their decline 400 years ago.

Well the prevalence of programmers referring to themselves or others as ninjas and jedis has the effect of proving that brogrammer culture hasn't taken over...the industry is as nerdy as ever.

And credibility in the industry has declined proportionally...

I've worked as a ninja programmer two times.<p>I wonder, if they really need a programmer who knows how to liquidate a company, who is able to hack into computers without password after everybody including the boss is fired.<p>I never worked as a rock star programmer, but I did know a few mainframe programmers who had been treated as such, including flowers and fruits for the hotel.

This is certainly an area where ninja &#62; pirate as advertising for 'pirate programmers' probably would not give you the same results (although I acknowledge it might get you better programmers)

Waiting for the uptick in job posting looking for "bacon zombies".

Aren't they a little bit late in the game? The whole ninja / guru non-sense culminated at some point last year but is pretty much gone now.

This, too, shall pass.

So many ninjas but no samurais in sight?<p><i>A ninja (忍者?) or shinobi (忍び?) was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan who specialized in unorthodox warfare. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, and open combat in certain situations.[1] Their covert methods of waging war contrasted the ninja with the samurai, who observed strict rules about honor and combat.</i><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja</a>