Callum Lerwick wrote:
> Jon Schewe wrote:
>  > Why don't you get your BS?  I'm a computer programmer at a research 
> firm and
>  > most people we work with that don't have a BS in CS aren't worth much 
> for
>  > programming, so they end up on phone support until they take the 
> classes to
>  > learn not only a language, but the theory so they can pick up other 
> languages
>  > and concepts quickly.  If what you want to do is be a good 
> programmer(research
>  > or application) that can keep up with the changing times, I'd suggest 
> a BS.

hrm...well, I guess the BS in Anthropology will have to do ;)

> Even all the _temp_ companies I've tried want a degree and years of
> experience. Its insane.

Even with the years of experience it's tough - my husband is *still* out 
of work *sigh* (he was in the first round of Fingerhut layoffs)

>  > Hope this helps a litte.  Unfortunatly we're not hiring.  We're
>  > actually "cutting costs" right now.
> 
> Isn't everyone? Stupid economy. Its not any better outside of IT right
> now. ;P

Not entirely - we just hired three new people (two of them developers) 
have a new sales guy coming on next month, and will likely be 
re-evaluating our developer needs soon to see how many and when we can 
bring on next. Though it's a side effect of the economy as well, 
unfortunately as we publish software to support Workforce Investment Boards.

What does this mean? This means if you're a solid programmer/project 
manager/etc., keep your resume brushed up and keep your eyes peeled. The 
company I work for is unfortunately very slow to move, but when it does, 
we need good people.

We're still pretty heavily a Domino shop, though we're closer to getting 
a linux box up and running at least at first for testing purposes, and 
we're leaning heavier and heavier into java.

Take care,
Liz