[NBLUG/talk] [OT: Job Ad] Network admin

[ME]

When the dot-com implosion began, the job market became more competitive.
Out of work programmers with BS and MS degrees accepted jobs as entry
level programmers. Entry level programmers accepted jobs at Intern-level
wages. Many people retooled, and many skilled and credentialed people are
still out of work.

Without another boom in the technology sector, high paying technology jobs
will primarily go to the credentialed/certified and the most skilled or
ambitious of the self-taught.

Where can the self-taught go for work?
* Word of mouth: "It's your your reputation."
* Start your own business. Maybe begin with in-person consulting/work.
   Later move to contract work or retainer-based services.
* Establish a proven track record, and list of references
* If nobody will offer experience, then give it away--
   (if only to include experience on a "resume"
* Sell yourself, market yourself.

Gone are the days when opportunity comes knocking on your door every few
days with better and better offers each time you hear a new knock.

Another route is to go through institutionalized education and acquisition
of a degree from an accredited college or university.

I heard about a study that examined jobs and wages evaluated in "real
dollars" comparing average wages based on educational accomplishments.
First, the study claimed that the value of a High School diploma was
falling. (Meaning it is not worth as much as it was before- there were
more people with just high school diplomas who could start buying a new
house. How often do you see that anymore?-- people buying a new house in
2003 with just a high school diploma.) The next group of people, those
with four year degrees, were found to have has little change in their
average real-dollar valued salaries since 1950. The only area that has
found an average increase in value when examined with real dollars is that
of the Advanced Degree. (Of course, the study may have been biased as it
was in an EDUC course at the local uni. ;-)

If you are going into coding as a profession, you had better love to code.
I expect most coding will become blue-collar work. Programming computer
systems will eventually be a required part of school (like reading,
writing, arithmetic, history, and P.E.) As more generic coders are
created, more blue-collar-like coding jobs will be created and used.

How does Linux fit into this picture of the future? If MS does not change
its strategy, Linux will find success at the lower cost of entry for new
businesses and students (self taught or institutionally educated) and
create a surplus of educated and skilled people. Industry can retool to
migrate their operation to a new platform when the cost for support
(including the cost of HR in the form of salary, opportunity cost of lost
employees while seeking new skilled employees (availability), and
comparative metrics (certificates, degrees, etc) exist to permit managers
who are technologically unsophisticated to interpret the value of each
employee) are all substantially better than their present system.

We see more Linux certification becoming available. We see more standards
for certificates with Linux. When there are substantially more skilled
Linux people willing and able to work for less than the MS employees to do
more than the MS for less money, you will see industry start to switch.
(effects of low cost for entry for students and business is often not seen
in the market for at least 4 years, so even if MS seeks to change their
strategy, when a shift starts to take place, there will be a delay before
their manipulations will see results.

If you want a suggestion, continue in the track with Linux and self
education and see if you can get even entry level certificates. If you
also include certification in some parts of Windows, then you can
potentially fill a niche market of Linux Server/Windows Server admins.

Justin Thiessen said:
> <job description snipped>
>
> Argh.  Now if only my experience overlapped the desired by more than about
> half.
>
> Where are all the jobs for self-taught Linux/unix geeks these days?  No,
> no,
> I mean the ones that _don't_ involve burgers or tacos.
>
> </goes back to running job searches on dice.com and craigslist>
>
> Justin Thiessen
> thiessen at sonic.net
>
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