I think I finally have it figured out

matthew_heusser at mcgraw-hill.com matthew_heusser at mcgraw-hill.com
Tue Aug 7 07:30:33 CDT 2001




In his COMDEX interview, Steve Johnson was asked:

>What business/technology issues keep you up at night?

And he Answered:
>What is the "next big thing", like the Internet was, that will change
>the way my clients work and play? Wireless? A killer app?
>A network appliance?

This reminds me:  I think I finally have it figured out.

For years, I've been working on being 'buzzword compliant.'

I've worked on projects in DHTML before DHTML was cool;
XML before XML was cool; took a risk on a dotCom (oops),
studied Rapid Application Development, n-tier applications
(and componentized development) - earned a graduate
certificate in distributing computing before Peer-To-Peer
was cool.

I finally decided to draw the line at wireless.  WAP and WML are
_annoying_ technologies that won't work.  The Verzion Wireless
Web is ALL hype and no substance.  Show me someone that
actually claims Verizon Wireless is bottom-line useful, and I'll
show you a liar.

After a While, I began to realize that this stuff ain't rocket science.
It's actually pretty easy.  Anyone with reasonable experience in
C++ can learn Java, and vice versa.(*)  Anyone who knows Perl
can figure out Visual Basic.  Anyone who knows english can
figure out HTML, and anyone who knows HTML can figure out XML.

Yet recruiters, universities, and employers all seem to harp about
this employment 'crisis.'  They want employees who will 'hit the ground
running', yet they aren't willing to pay for it.  I'm talking about the
companies
that insist on 3-5 years of SQL Server 7.0 Experience; ("Oh, you used
SQL server 6.5?  No good enough!") the ones who insist on 5-7 years
of alphabet soup, yet aren't willing to pay a premium.  Who has 5+ years
of C++, Java, EJB, JCL, VAX/VMS, VB, C, AND COBOL in a
Health-Care Environment?

I'm beginning to believe that by creating an artificial employment shortage,
colleges get more $, recruiters can charge higher fees, and employers can
lobby government for more H-1B visas.  Plus, of course, trade magazines
sell more copies.  (What do you want to read about at Barnes & Nobles:
Dr. Dobbs telling you how to do your job better, or VBPJ telling you about
the latest buzzword that'll help you get your next job? ...)  Mentoring and
Training employees for a career of service is out.  Getting the exact right
skillset for the current project is in.

I'm no genius, but I think i've begun to figure out the game.  Anyone else
have an idea on how to stop the buzzword merry-go-round?  (That should
be the title for this collumn "Stop the career buzzword merry-go-round, I
just want to do my job and do it well  ...")

regards,

Matt H.
(*) - Assuming s/he understands pointer mathmatics.
                                                              
                                                              
                                                              
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 cc:      (bcc: Matthew Heusser/C-I-G)                        
                                                              
                                                              
                                                              
 Subject: I should have mentioned Perl...                     
                                                              







I'm now semi-famous!  I'm part of a COMDEX promo (see the link for "web
professional") called "Faces of COMDEX".  You had to fill out a form ("my
turn ons are long walks, gigabit ethernet, and fiber to the home..."),
submit some photos, get weeded out through a couple of selection levels,
sign a model release form, and have a puurrdy face (apparently the loosened
up on that rule).

http://www.key3media.com/comdex/fall2001/attendee/faces/index.html

I'll sign autographs at the next(!) perl mongers meeting ;-)

sj





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