What tech skill shortage? I understand a few companies like Google have trouble finding people with advanced math degrees, but most startups are just basic websites / mobile apps.
This is downplaying how much development time goes into a startup. There are many more technologies that go into making a startup viable: source-control (SVN/Git), fault-tolerance (nginx/haproxy/EC2 ELB), scalability (optimized SQL queries/redis/memchached), searching (solr/elasticsearch), development tools (Terminal commands/Vim/Emacs/Eclipse/JIRA/Atlassian/etc). These are in addition to being able to make a frontend and backend.
VERY few developers know about all of the above, even if you remove searching and scalability. It's these kinds of developers that startups are looking to hire...and they are rare.
As a side note, successful startup founders often posses the skills above (think Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc).
Unless you are a one-man-shop, you don't need to know everything. You'd typically have a front-end dev, back-end dev, sys admin, etc.
Successful startup founders don't possess those skills, they acquire them after they are successful. Twitter was well known for their fail-whale. All huge sites had several overhauls to scale. Virtually no websites fail because of technical reasons. Your biggest scalability risk is that you won't have to.
I'm finding it a little tough to find a frontend gig the past week, but it may have something to do with the holidays...
I would assume there is a shortage of expert programmers with skills in JS or C++, but the market for junior-mid level programmers aren't as hot because it's pretty easy to learn the basics of HTML CSS and JS
Few companies like remote for various reasons and this is unlikely to change.
Only the top x% of engineers that have already proven themselves beyond any doubt and are pioneers in startup technologies are likely to have a steady access to remote jobs that pay on par with on-site positions in expensive cities like NY, SF or London.
Going to management is not a promotion for everyone. Some people should just stay engineers. But I'd agree with the company that you can't really promote a remote dev to management.
Lead developer is another story, but, again, having a rapport with the team (or just basic, in-person relationships) is a big part of being a good leader.
I work for a company that employs a lot of foreign workers. They don't do it because of a "skills shortage," they do it because they don't want to pay higher salaries. Every American programmer they hire is underpaid and the rest refuse to exchange their highly skilled labor for working class wages.
If what you say is true, you should report it to the authorities , especially immigration enforcement. They cannot legally pay lower salaries than prevailing market wages.
Not sure why you are being down-voted. H1b employees are to be paid prevailing market wages. I'm on my phone, otherwise I'd find the link that can be used to get that wage amount.
I've thought about it. I've seen these papers they legally have to post for a period of time basically saying they can't find an American worker for the job and have applied for a guest worker visa. It doesn't have a number to call however. If you want to say that's not the case you have to ask for the full application from reception which I'm not going to do.
They also only post the announcement for a couple of days instead of the weeks listed. The idea that they can't hire Americans is BS because I've been part of the interview process with great devs who I never see again because the company wouldn't pay a fair salary.
I'm a foreign (from your standpoint) remote developer working for an american company. I make average salary for a developer (in the U.S.) because my company understands that the fact that I'm working from my home in south america doesn't make me less qualified that someone working from his home in Minnesota or Florida.
My point being, skill level != physical location. My even more tl;dr: find a better company to work for.
Remote developers are certainly part of the solution. In my experience, they're great when all you want is a developer to implement well-specced features. I have no problem hiring and managing remote developers in such situations (in fact, half my team is currently remote).
However, I do think there's a fundamental ceiling for remote developers in becoming leads or "product engineers." Collaboration, especially with non-tech stakeholders, is still much harder when you're not in the same office. As such, it's unlikely that we'll see many remote developers in positions which require extensive product discovery and brainstorming or high-level architecture.
Unfortunately, such work (ie. senior developer work) is precisely where the talent shortage is most acute. I have no problem finding junior/midlevel developers who can implement a function locally or remotely—but finding local senior developers is nigh impossible.
Says the CEO of a Prague-based remote contracting firm.*
Personally, having a crap ton of experience working with overseas teams, the timezone difference is absolute hell. Moreso than the "not physically in the same room" thing. You can't even get on a phone or be in a chatroom together for most of the regular working day. That blows.
*(He mentions that he has experience hiring European developers, but it's not obvious from this post alone that he has a direct financial interest in the offshoring model.)
You're right, I should have made it more explicit that I run a software contracting company (though it's not exactly hidden either). In my defense I did mention the timezone difference, and I agree that it is perhaps the biggest issue. But I stand by my thesis: it's far better to work with great remote developers, despite the drawbacks, than mediocre local developers.
I don't disagree with the Matthew Gertner article. As the differences between working with remote co-workers and local co-workers diminish, working remotely will become the preferred method, regardless of what our immigration policies are. Americans themselves will benefit, as they move to countries with lower costs of living. This is already happening with teams which do not require in-person interactions, but I think we are still a decade or two away from technology reaching a point where remote work can completely replicate the in-person experience and thus become the widespread and defacto standard.
Just one thing to point out - there are lots of remote jobs in web and mobile app dev space already. But C++, systems, non-web engineering jobs are rare in REMOTE space.
There is no "tech skill shortage," there are barriers that need to be broken to empower non-middle-class, US origin n00bz. Likewise: we need to get past our unhealthy obsession w/ only hiring others who mirror ourselves, personally, in startups.
The below article is a superb read, and I highly encourage as a more complete view on the subject.
Excuse me I may not know all the inner workings and skills of a developer. I respect the hard work and hours coding that they do. However, I have discovered that a lot of them are rouge. They have access to SDK’s, data bases and programs all free of charge.Hidden alone working on different programs for big companies. I have caught one and did not just wipe my machine. I believe I deserve an explanation for my computers being breached and hacking all my imac’s, ipad and iphones. And they work remotely. I have documented proof of the new technologies the public is not aware of. I am responsible enough not to act like a nut blabbing like a paranoid freak. Once I expose the big companies that are being used as well, it will be up to them to find him. It is not a russian, it is not North Korea. Wake up! The computer was invented here and the ones that are masters are baby bombers here in America. Steve jobs and Bill Gates age.There is no protocal for when you catch a programmer remote managing your phone or computer.Or when you find them accessing audio and video.. oooppps. I will not stop my resolve until either some convictions happen or some laws but in place. There are more ethical developers than these animals. And I respect them very much. BUt to screw with my phone bill, phone calls, computer , and even managed to damage my credit report. So on a personal note I am on a mission. Also the ideal of someone discovering what I have and go through what I have been. I cant just walk away. One part of me says to leave it alone. But that is not an option now. Its too late. I have lost my job and now they are still playing games like sick ego trip sore looser rejects corporate drop outs.May be Guido can get on his computer and spank all those fools and have the python draw them all in to face the music like Men and not cowards. Secretive Cowards of the night.
LM-Honolulu Hawaii- jayjacobs808@gmail.com
39 comments
[ 4.3 ms ] story [ 84.0 ms ] threadI'm a software developer originally from a rogue nation, so living in SF bay area is really awesome.
Beard length is a fine balance...
VERY few developers know about all of the above, even if you remove searching and scalability. It's these kinds of developers that startups are looking to hire...and they are rare.
As a side note, successful startup founders often posses the skills above (think Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc).
Successful startup founders don't possess those skills, they acquire them after they are successful. Twitter was well known for their fail-whale. All huge sites had several overhauls to scale. Virtually no websites fail because of technical reasons. Your biggest scalability risk is that you won't have to.
I would assume there is a shortage of expert programmers with skills in JS or C++, but the market for junior-mid level programmers aren't as hot because it's pretty easy to learn the basics of HTML CSS and JS
https://app.box.com/s/bet4hfb0ocl0denjqkom
And my GitHub account where I've hosted some Django and Angular tutorials/projects
Only the top x% of engineers that have already proven themselves beyond any doubt and are pioneers in startup technologies are likely to have a steady access to remote jobs that pay on par with on-site positions in expensive cities like NY, SF or London.
Eventually become probably the most prolific developer in the company despite not being on site.
Has it's downsides though, you are generally overlooked for lead developer/mgmt positions because you are not on site.
I think this is a mistake, I eventually left because of said mgmt choices and I think this sent a wakeup call to them.
This probably wouldn't be as bad if there was no "on site." If a startup is willing to hire remote developers, it can get away with having no office.
Lead developer is another story, but, again, having a rapport with the team (or just basic, in-person relationships) is a big part of being a good leader.
They also only post the announcement for a couple of days instead of the weeks listed. The idea that they can't hire Americans is BS because I've been part of the interview process with great devs who I never see again because the company wouldn't pay a fair salary.
My point being, skill level != physical location. My even more tl;dr: find a better company to work for.
http://oinam.github.io/remote-teams/
--Matt @ WFH.io
However, I do think there's a fundamental ceiling for remote developers in becoming leads or "product engineers." Collaboration, especially with non-tech stakeholders, is still much harder when you're not in the same office. As such, it's unlikely that we'll see many remote developers in positions which require extensive product discovery and brainstorming or high-level architecture.
Unfortunately, such work (ie. senior developer work) is precisely where the talent shortage is most acute. I have no problem finding junior/midlevel developers who can implement a function locally or remotely—but finding local senior developers is nigh impossible.
Personally, having a crap ton of experience working with overseas teams, the timezone difference is absolute hell. Moreso than the "not physically in the same room" thing. You can't even get on a phone or be in a chatroom together for most of the regular working day. That blows.
*(He mentions that he has experience hiring European developers, but it's not obvious from this post alone that he has a direct financial interest in the offshoring model.)
Because maybe, instead, it's one of the relatively few remaining U.S. labor markets wherein the labor pool has even a semblance of parity. For now.
The below article is a superb read, and I highly encourage as a more complete view on the subject.
https://t.co/pCv7JgF7mF