27 Jan
2012
27 Jan
'12
3:23 a.m.
On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 9:19 PM, Toby Thain <toby at telegraphics.com.au> wrote:
On 26/01/12 3:48 PM, Tony Duell wrote:
>>
>> What is the big deal, don't people try out new things AFTER they graduate
>> college? If you only used Java in college then you are going to just use
>> that forever?
>
> I dunno... The other week I was told on this list that once you get int
> othe commerical world there's no time to learn anything.
Is that what was said, or perhaps was it that in the professional
world (in the States for sure, and perhaps the UK now) you won't be
_given_ time to learn anything, nor are you likely to receive much
support to learn anything - if a company shifts its focus, the pattern
here for 20 years has been to bring in SMEs (subject matter experts)
to replace present employees who have "obsolete" skills and are thusly
laid-off (made redundant).
I've learned *lots* of things in the commercial world. On rare
occasions, it was with the blessing of my current employer. More
often, it was something I picked up as it was unfolding, not formally
taught (seminars, classes, etc).
The inability of the commercial software business, or
at least broad swathes
of it, to provide or even respect professional development is just another
savage indictment of it, to add to the pile.
Yes. There are so many available bodies that are eager to snap up
entry-level positions that it's cheaper to swap new for old than
develop the people who are already in the company. Mostly. There are
exceptions, but the overall IT environment is much more tunes towards
disposable people than when I started 30 years ago. I've seen it chew
people up and spit them out. Some get tired of the treadmill and get
out of the industry entirely. Someone who was a director over me in
1999 left that position to make furniture. By all reports, he makes
less than half what he once did but is happier for the change.
Improvement is possible but not assured.
-ethan