1 post tagged “bubble”
The boom is on. I mean it is ON. I saw it, and said so, 6 months ago. But I think it is really clear now.
In 2000 I could only watch the boom from afar, as an 18-year-old, just entering college. This time the effects are certainly felt directly. The job market is getting insane.
There was a time when I would've killed to even get Google to read my resume...nowadays I actually receive emails from Google and Microsoft recruiters just asking me if I'm interested. When I joined linkedin.com way back in 2005, and worked hard to develop contacts on it, it was a dud. But now 2 years later it has sprung to life for me, and I get recruiting requests from there too.
I hear of friends getting job offers to move to Paris, France, all expenses paid.
In the last month, 3 people on my team of 7 have announced their resignations (or left for other teams), and finding decent replacements has, thus far, been quite disappointing.
While this may be a bit of a bubble, I think the growing worth of a technology knowledge worker is inexorable and inevitable. I read recently that a "genius" candidate got 375k/year base salary from Google. Programmers are entering the ranks of Doctors and Lawyers. The glass ceiling for a corporate employee is skyrocketing.
Just like 2000, this boom is revolving around the web, and the workers that can work within the web (along with their investors) are the ones profiting the most. It's not a boom for steel manufacturers and candy stores.
It is awesome to be in the middle of it. I've read Michael Arrington and a few others essentially complain about the boom. It's like how a small number of people that love a band early in its existence end up complaining about how popular the band has become. The original followers feel like their passion has been cheapened by losing its uniqueness. All these "bandwagon" fans don't deserve to associate themselves with the original "true" fans. The elite few want to go back to the small clique of the truly passionate.
So yah that's fine for them. I can understand the feeling for band-followers, or sports-fans, but I think there's a major distinction with something like software engineering: you can still differentiate yourself from the "bandwagon" by your own hard-won skills!
Sprinkle on top the reality that your skill distinction can actually lead to opportunity, praise, and recognition. It's a pretty sweet deal. Unlike the "true" sports fans who can do nothing but whine, the "true" awesome software engineers can make more money! Amen to that...I embrace the boom, and I encourage its growth. ;o) bubble bubble.
