Developers and software company
A new U.S. industry survey of 2,000 software developers finds that 52% of them do not update their skills in this competitive market. The reason given is they are too busy with works and do not have time to do anything else. However, the survey also finds that 36% of them admitted that they do play video games often (More than 10 hours per week) so the claim of not having enough time may not be a good excuse. The survey also asked whether software developers would attend additional trainings after work, if given and 73% of them declined. When asked why, many said that training should be provided during working hours as part of their jobs, not after since it is their own time, not company time. The survey finds many developers do not consider additional skill training is a top priority when they still have jobs. The survey concludes that this attitude is unacceptable as more new technologies are emerging. For example, today new mobile computing platforms coupled with the new 64-bit systems running on multi-core processors, are about to start a new era of parallel programming. Unless current developers find time to master these new technologies, many of them will find their existing skills soon be obsolete.
The survey finds that software companies are often force skilled developers to overwork on current jobs then replacing them with new developers that have more modern skills because existing developers have obsolete skills already exhausted their value to the company. The root cause of this practice is about money as existing workers require higher salary than new hires and most have obsolete skills. Many companies defend this by practice by claiming that existing developers are too valuable to pull off works and put in training. They cited the fact that many developers do not like to learn new skills as long as they are still having jobs. Many companies afraid that with additional trainings, developers can easily find job elsewhere and leave. One manager told the survey: “Training is an expensive investment, few years ago we invested a lot in training but after had better skills, most left our company for another better paid jobs. We found that it is easier to steal people from another companies than train our own people”. Few years ago, experience is important in getting jobs but with fast changing of technologies, many companies are not investing in skill training but replace developers with new graduates that have better skills because they just learned them in college. Today most companies are focusing more on recruiting students from selected schools that have the most updated training programs. Another common practice is to bring in skilled workers from oversea through the H1B visa program, if they have the skills and willing to work for less. The survey concluded: “In this rapidly changing market, both developers and companies are “at war” with each others. Developers do not want to learn new skills and companies are taking advantage of that by continue to hire skilled workers and let them go when there is no need for them. Company that invests in training found that their people take advantage of training to find higher paid jobs. It also explains the issue of IT workers shortage at the same time many IT workers are unemployed”.
In the fast changing world, lifelong learning is the most important factor that many software developers do not pay attention. The issue stem from the past when most developers could easily switch jobs without significantly upgrading their skills. Today in a globalized market where skilled workers are everywhere and easily be acquired, company can quickly fulfill their needs and no longer need experienced developers with high salary and obsolete skills. Globalization opens more opportunities for skilled workers but also become a brutal force for workers that do not update their skills. That is why for many years, I always advocate that software developers and IT professionals must take full responsibility for maintaining their skills to be “employable” at any time.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
