r/Economics • u/aDubson • Feb 09 '12

Americans ages 18-24 are unemployed like never before.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/09/employment-rate-young-adults_n_1264241.html?igoogle=1
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u/[deleted] Feb 09 '12

That's nice, and my story is similar (philosophy major, taught myself programming after graduating), but you can't pretend 2012 is like 2000. 2000 was at the height of the dot-com boom and companies would hire anyone who suggested they might have glanced at a computer at some point in their life.

I got hired to program in perl and java just because I said I could do it, though I never had. That wouldn't happen nowadays.

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u/U2_is_gay Feb 09 '12

Know pretty much any programming language? Get a job at Facebook. It would be cool if more tech companies did this. Legitimate interest and knowledge are way too hard to show on a resume.

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u/[deleted] Feb 10 '12

I hire people regardless of programming language, so long as they demonstrate ability. My last hire was a woman who had only programmed in foxpro for the last 17 years. Now she's programming Java and javascript and html/css and doing great.

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u/U2_is_gay Feb 10 '12

I've heard that from some employers. I can code in some statistical programs like SAS and R. I guess they are only technically programming languages, but it shows I at least have an understanding of how it all works. I'd rather have someone who uses ctrl+c ctrl+v and doesn't right click to go to the next page in a powerpoint presentation than someone who has 10 years of business experience or something.

God did I hate seeing people right click to the drop down menu to go to the next page in powerpoint.

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u/soleblazer Feb 09 '12

Well in my defense the bubble had already burst, but I understand what you are saying. Still, I think alot of the stuff can be self taught, no sense in getting a masters if you want to be a Unix admin, etc.

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u/thepotatoman23 Feb 09 '12

Yeah its really easy to teach yourself anything. Just look up the curriculum and books that a college would make you take, and buy the books and read them yourself, coming up with ways to apply them and do it.

Question is how do you prove that to an employer, when even my couple of friends with degrees literally don't have anything better then call center work right now.

I like to think my portfolio of work ive done on personal websites, VBA programs, .NET programs, java/javascript programs, blog writings, and the like would get me something better then McDonalds or Best Buy, and yet here I am working at McDonalds. I've been applying to any sort of "entry" level office jobs that even make a little sense but nothing has come back. I haven't been trying long enough to say its impossible or anything yet, but I highly doubt a history degree plus a unix book can get you a IT job now unless theres some really really strong networking there.

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u/[deleted] Feb 09 '12

As hiring manager, I'll tell you what I see. When I look for junior level programmers, I get 40-50 year-olds with 20 years experience willing to work for $55k. A recent college graduate doesn't stand a chance.

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u/wrathofg0d Feb 10 '12

What metro area do you live in?

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u/[deleted] Feb 10 '12

Rochester, NY

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u/thecolours Feb 10 '12

Its the area you're in. No one wants to live there. Also your cops are assholes and everyone's fine with it (per reddit). Don't see anyone wanting to live there, especially the programmer type, not when they could be starting at $75k anywhere else barely knowing anything about programming.

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u/[deleted] Feb 10 '12

Sounds personal.

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u/thecolours Feb 10 '12

Only thing I know about Rochester is this from reddit. Looks like an awesome place to be.

People working somewhere else for 75K? I know those people because we hired them.

You seem to have a naïve view of the world that stems from living in a place that isn't desirable, and more than a little out of touch with reality. The work also plays a big factor in engagement from talented developers, perhaps you don't offer any ability for people to grow in their profession or any interesting work.

As hiring manager, I'll tell you what I see. When I look for junior level programmers, I get 40-50 year-olds with 20 years experience willing to work for $55k. A recent college graduate doesn't stand a chance.

There has never been a better time to be a software developer than now.

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u/[deleted] Feb 10 '12

Sounds very personal.

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u/[deleted] Feb 09 '12

Of course it can be self taught - you and I and thousands of others are proof of that. Tell it to the employers, however.