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Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals

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  • Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals

    ** This thread discusses the article: Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals **
    ** This thread discusses the Content article: Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals **
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  • #2
    Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals

    ** This thread discusses the article: Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals **
    All the AS/400, RPG stuff is at the bottom of the heap!!!

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    • #3
      Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals

      ** This thread discusses the article: Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals **
      As there become fewer AS400-iSeries and RPG people out there to support the iSeries and RPG, when someone does need support, iSeries people should ask for more money. One of my Access & VB.Net contractors makes the same rate as most of my RPG contractors. Many VB.net, ASP programmers make more. Also, it takes fewer people to support an iSeries and the up-time and reliability leave all other platforms in the dust. Why can't IBM get this message across to companies? Eventually RPG developers may get called back from retirement to modify and enhance legacy systems like what happened to COBOL developers for Y2K (at premium salaries or contract rates). But can we wait??

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      • #4
        Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals

        ** This thread discusses the article: Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals **
        There are times, that while "on the beach" for a while, one tries to grab the first job that is offerred. This can prove to be a mistake. I was recently offerred a position, and almost accepted it. Too many alarms went off:
          [*]The work environment was open pit. One did not even have the privacy of a cubicle.[*]They wanted to hire me immediately without an interview.[*]I was told that I would have to work with arrays that were used instead of subfiles. RPG III was the official language.[*]The rate was about half of my last assignment.[*]There was more[/list]I politely declined, not wanting to alienate the agency. What I wanted to declare, was that I had not yet reached the point of desparation where I would do anything for a few coins. There is another word for that. Dave

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        • #5
          Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals

          ** This thread discusses the article: Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals **
          If we're fortunate enough to be part of a growing company with profit sharing as part of its culture, that hires programmers as valued employees instead of bringing subcontractors in or outsourcing, then I think that discussion of raises should be based on how valuable a contribution you made to the company and its growth in your work. As far as what that salary started at, unless you have a couple of companies to consider, and salary of course being part of that consideration, then I think you just have to fit inline with the company's budget and pay offered for the position, be happy with it, and do your best to prove you're worth more. If RPG programmers are choosing from multiple offers these days, then things have picked up tremendously in the last year or so. rd

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          • #6
            Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals

            ** This thread discusses the article: Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals **
            Over a year ago, I was offered this job. It was an open pit (still is). I had to share the cubicle. I now have the biggest cubicle with a real big desk, one extra chair for visitor,two computers (one laptop for home and one heavy duty desktop), own phone with direct dial and long distance etc etc. They hired me immediately without an interview, the only "interview" i.e. a brief chat, was conducted by the recruiter's consultant. The consultant that I was suppose to support did not know how to program in subfiles so used DFU in his CL to enter data, then validated it in batch. Now that consultant is kicked out, all programs are rewritten in /free, embedded SQL, ILE, etc etc My pay was half of what I made in good times, now it is the same. There is more. They are pressurizing me to accept full time job with a clear shot at the I.T. Manager's job and beyond. Dave, technically you are a league above me. If I can just stick my foot in the first opportunity off-the-bench (no matter how pathetic it was), and then sky rocket from there, then you can certainly do much better than me.

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            • #7
              Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals

              ** This thread discusses the article: Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals **
              Websphere alone has almost the same jobs as all Oracle jobs combined. Then add DB2, RPG, Cobol, AS400, and Java/400 jobs, and you will find that entire System I rocks!!! Ofcourse do not discount C and Java as a non-400 language.

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              • #8
                Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals

                ** This thread discusses the article: Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals **
                There are two schools of thought on this. The "bird in the hand" philosophy has a great deal of merit. One never knows when opportunity will strike again. Your experience is certainly worth keeping in mind, but it should also be kept in mind that not all managements are willing to accept new ideas. I did not mention that the last person there was fired because he tried to make subfile programs out of screen arrays. The "future potential" arguement is valid but risky. As it stands now, there are two potential employers that are still in the game. One position is management. I have been working with the principals for nearly two months to try and make this a done deal. It is still open, as no one has a problem ever saying "no!" The other is for a prestigious firm with growth potential. I may not get either of these positions. I suppose my personality is a bit entrepreneurial in nature. I may have less risk aversion than others. OTOH, this market is eroding my confidence rapidly. It is only a matter of time before I get to the point where I will be sorry for not taking the first spot offerred. Dave

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                • #9
                  Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals

                  ** This thread discusses the article: Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals **
                  There are two types of managements that do not accept new ideas. First are the mediocre legacy RPG/Cobol programmers who got promoted as I.T. managers by sticking to one company. I know one junior operator (not even a career programmer) who is now the I.T. manager of a group of companies by sticking to that company for 22 years. It is not their managerial abilities that keep them on the job but their ability to convince top management that they are indispensible because the code is too complicated for anyone else to handle. Naturally they want things their way. For this type, it is a matter of time before top management kicks them out as they hate dependencies. Now they normally kick the entire As/400 shop alongwith the System but some just kick the management and retain the shop. One should stick to the shop, be on the radar of the top management, and be ready with your homework. The other types are those who have badly been burned by claims of improved productivity thru re-engineering, only to see disasters. These guys say, "Dont fix until it is broken". For this type, you need to be on the radar screen of the management but below the radar of the fellow workers. Once you actually deliver the goods and they have faith in you, you normally start getting a free hand. I have dealt with both types of management several times in my career.

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                  • #10
                    Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals

                    ** This thread discusses the article: Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals **
                    David said: It is only a matter of time before I get to the point where I will be sorry for not taking the first spot offerred. I know what you mean. You have to wonder if the music has stopped playing and contractors need to find a chair. Chris

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                    • #11
                      Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals

                      ** This thread discusses the article: Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals **
                      I for one, and I know many many more, who are looking for a chair. However the only people on chair seem to be guys who are on those chairs for two decades or more and will never ever let a senior person come close to them. The best thing for a guy like me seems to find contracts, mostly to keep the seat warm for an empty position, or in a conversion project. Contracts like that of yesteryears, when contractors refused to accept a job because it was low-paying and did not allow deductions, are over. Now a days it is more paying to find a job. A $45/hr job gets you $90k a year. However an $80k job gets you another 8-12k in bonuses, another 8k in vacations, 6k in medical benefits, and much much more. Then you have perks like discounted products, free training, etc etc etc. Not to mention are the big advantage called stability in life. Yes there are still guys making $80-100/hr working on legacy RPG, and are doing so for many many years at the same place. However they are endangered species and "heavenly" powers are keeping them alive

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                      • #12
                        Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals

                        ** This thread discusses the article: Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals **
                        Last August I was offered a job at an RPGIII shop full of sad people, but 5 min walk from home. I declined, making them almost cry. When I was laid off in November I immediately landed in a Java/Oracle shop, with a cheerful team and great management. I commute 1 hr each way but think it was a wise choice. Mike B

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                        • #13
                          Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals

                          ** This thread discusses the article: Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals **
                          Does anyone out there have any suggestions as to how and where to find training on SAP and/or JDE?? Free training would be great, especially for us in the unemployment lines. I'd truly appreciated any opportunity to get some hands-on experience on any of these 2 packages and would accept lower than market pay for the opportunity to get trained. As Bob said, these skills are becoming more and more prevalent in the AS/400-iSeries-System i world and the majority of available positions require 2,3 years of experience.

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                          • #14
                            Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals

                            ** This thread discusses the article: Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals **
                            While I am not sure about SAP training, I do know from a former JDE One-World EnterpriseOne trainer, that all of JDE's (Oracle Peoplesoft's EnterpriseOne) training required that your employer needed a current JDE license to access any on-line training and self study as well as a license in order for you to attend their classroom training (at a substantial class fee I might add). So unless you work for a company that is using the JDE ERP products, you cannot participate in training. You cannot buy the training at any premium. If JDE Business Partners were smart, They would hire analysts and developers without JDE and train them or put them through the training and have additional talent to put on projects. Years ago one bank I knew took in entry level IT grads for a 3 month internship. At the end of the internship which was mostly classes, they would hire about 10 out of a class of 30. Everyone benefited from the experience.

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                            • #15
                              ** This thread discusses the article: Fall 2006 Job and Career Trends for IT Professionals **
                              It would appear that this site is getting posts from ficticious entities interested only in getting the unwary to click their links.

                              Dave

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