What's wrong with the market?

[KRFinch at dstsystems.com]

Three of the four independent recruiters I know all went on to other jobs,
in one way or another.  One retired, one went to work for his wife's
business, and one went to work for an IT training center.  Too bad, really,
because they were all very good.  From what I have heard, pickings are
pretty sparse for those "contractor for hire" shops too.

There's really a glut of labor at the low end of the skill scale, and an
acute shortage at the high end.  Anyone can take a few classes and become
an NT admin, but there are really very few ultra-specialized people out
there, and they are the ones that most places are looking for.  Most of us
that are in the middle (in one way or another), are really getting
squeezed.  The glut of low-skill labor has depressed the overall wage
rates, and most companies are unwilling to help you get the skills to move
onto the next level for fear that you will leave.  The occasional layoffs
and restructurings only make matters worse, because they tend to make
departments run short-staffed and nobody has time for training.  It's a
nasty cycle.

As far as training goes, personally, I'd like a Master's program that will
give me course credit for getting RedHat and M$ certified.  That way I can
get another degree, get some quality IT training, get the certifications I
want, and get my employer to pay for it all since they won't pay for me to
just take classes outside of a degree program.

Just my $0.02; your mileage may vary...

- Kevin

                                                                                                    
              
                    Bradley Miller                                                                  
              
                    <bradmiller at dslonramp.        To:     kclug at kclug.org                           
              
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                    Sent by:                      Subject:     What's wrong with the market?        
              
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                    lliana.net                                                                      
              
                                                                                                    
              
                                                                                                    
              
                    06/05/2002 02:10 PM                                                             
              
                                                                                                    
              
                                                                                                    
              

>BTW... what's wrong with the market?

Anyone want to explore this question further?  KC Star Careers section is
down to four or five columns in Sunday paper for IT jobs.  Sad.

-- Bradley Miller