Despite an upswing in the IT economy, programmers are having a hard time finding jobs that pay them what they’re worth.
Part of the problem, this blog post explains, is the prevalence of highly skilled programmers in countries in the developing world, such as India, that are willing to work a lot cheaper than their Western counterparts. Indeed, some of the most talented English-speaking programmers can be found abroad. Their pay is steadily rising as more employers compete for them and overall, there is less money to go around.
Justin James, the lead architect for Conigent, asks readers to take a poll on whether they would recommend programming as a career to others. As far as he’s concerned, it’s only the top 10 or 20 per cent of programmers that can earn decent wages in the current market. And personally, he’d be wary of recommending programming as career to anyone.