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In Reply to: Re: Vanishing middle class? Maybe not posted by Joseph on February 01, 2004 at 08:55:03:
Maybe this is like Bell's Theorum:
The IT industry is down, yes.
WC is in the IT biz, yes.
WC is not doing well, no, not so far anyway.
:-)))
"High paying tech jobs? Ask me or WC what we are getting paid to run these websites. I just returned from a business trip to the Silicon
Valley. Talk about an area in depression. It's not just the .com bubble. I used to turn down computer jobs all the time BEFORE anyone ever heard of the Internet. Not anymore."
It's true, I can see what you're describing. It's happening all around me - my friends and former colleagues have been laid off. I don't get financially rewarded for running this site, neither you for NDN as far as I know, but that's because we volunteered.
Apart from my time on this site, I've been fortunate that tech jobs are still going really well for me, and still paying incredibly well. That's probably because I've been making my own network of contacts and finding my own way, rather than sitting at a company relying on instructions on what to do next, for them to negotiate the contracts. If I had done that, I still think my particular job wouldn't have been threatened, but I would have seen a lot of my newcomer colleagues get laid off.
There is definitely tech work out there - someone still has to run servers, do programming, design and produce, test and develop, create cutting edge technology, define standards for the industry, etc.
Big companies are reluctant to hire or sign B2B contracts or invest with IT firms, but you can't blame them. That's the nature of the problem behind the burst .com bubble - over dependance on big contracts, big investments, unwise government legislation on promoting certain technologies, etc, all which led to foolish speculation, having the industry run ahead of itself.
For the individual willing to be his own boss and make his own way, there is a lot of work out there. I am still turning away work to this day. In fact my IT friends think I am spoiled, because I get to choose only the fun things I want to do. The drawback to going your own way or freelancing, is people are always trying to re-negotiate your contract (read remuneration). But if you find enough reliable contacts, and you're willing to accept short term small contracts, there seems to be no end of work in sight. One company I work for has been giving me small short term contracts for a few years now, I charge them by the hour. It would have cost them a lot less to hire me, rather than outsource, but neither party is interested in that kind of commitment. It's a strange market, more insecure for some, but there's a market and it's still alive.
