Lengthy-time Slashdot reader theodp writes: In response to Google Tendencies, peak “Lean to Code” occurred in early 2019 when laid-off Buzzfeed and Huffpost journalists had been taunted with the phrase on Twitter…
As Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg lately put it, “We’re in a unique world.” Certainly. Encouraging children to pursue CS careers in Code.org’s viral 2013 launch video, Zuckerberg defined, “Our coverage at Fb is actually to rent as many gifted engineers as we will discover.”
In Studying to Code Is not Sufficient, a brand new MIT Know-how Evaluate article, Pleasure Lisi Rankin stories on the lengthy historical past of learn-to-code efforts, which date again to the Nineteen Sixties. “Then as now,” Lisi Rankin writes, “simply studying to code is neither a pathway to a secure monetary future for folks from economically precarious backgrounds nor a panacea for the inadequacies of the academic system.”
However is that basically true? Vox does notice that the most recent spherical of layoffs at Meta “is impacting staff in core technical roles like knowledge scientists and software program engineers — positions as soon as regarded as past reproach.” But whereas that is additionally true at different corporations, these laid-off tech staff additionally appear to be discovering related positions by working in different industries:
Software program engineers had been probably the most overrepresented place in layoffs in 2023, relative to their employment, in accordance with knowledge requested by Vox from workforce knowledge firm Revelio Labs. Final 12 months, when main tech layoffs first started, recruiters and buyer success specialists skilled probably the most outsize affect. Thus far this 12 months, almost 20 % of the 170,000 tech firm layoffs had been software program engineers, regardless that they made up roughly 14 % of workers at these corporations. “Early layoffs had been dominated by recruiters, which is forgoing future hiring,” Revelio senior economist Reyhan Ayas informed Vox. “Whereas in 2023 we see a shift towards extra core engineering and software program engineering, which alerts a change in focus of present enterprise priorities.”
In different phrases, tech corporations aren’t simply trimming the fats by firing individuals who fill out their in depth ecosystem, which ranges from entrepreneurs to therapeutic massage therapists. They’re additionally, many for the primary time, making cuts to the individuals who construct the very merchandise they’re identified for, and who loved a type of revered standing since they, just like the founders of the businesses, had been coders. Software program engineers are nonetheless essential, however they do not have the facility they used to…
The newest month-to-month jobs report by tech business affiliation CompTIA discovered that regardless that employment at tech corporations (which incorporates all roles at these corporations) declined barely in March, employment in technical occupations throughout business sectors elevated by almost 200,000 positions. So even when tech corporations are shedding tech staff, different industries are snatching them up. Sadly for software program engineers and the like, meaning they could additionally should comply with these industries’ pay schemes. The typical software program engineer base pay within the US is $90,000, in accordance with PayScale, however could be considerably increased at tech corporations like Fb, the place such staff additionally get bonuses and inventory choices.
