From my point of view, reskilling will be the main discussion for the next decade. Here is my experience about reskilling: I quit my banking career 3-4 years ago with the thought of career transition. I thought the daily routine that I had could easily be automated. Therefore, I made the decision to leave my job quite easily after having a burnout. First I took a gap year in a foreign country to recover from burnout totally. I came back to my country in the beginning of 2019 start learning to code immediately. I learnt Python. It was, and still is, a popular language, so learning Python should be a logical decision for me. I thought 6 months would be enough to learn fundamentals and transition your career. First I took a bootcamp that lasted 6 months and applied for jobs after I finished it. It didnt go as it planned. I couldnt find a job. Now it has been more than 1 and half years. Still no job. I have started my master degree in IT and am specializing in Data Analysis/Science to be more specific. I consider my undergraduate degree relevant to Data Science, which is Mathematics. Still no positive response from employers. I completed all necessary stuff to put on my resume like end-to-end projects and MOOC specializations(yes it's more than one) Luckily, I am earning my living by tutoring and no financial concerns for near future. My point is reskilling and learning to code are not always guarantee someone a new job as the caption suggests. At least, I love spending time with computers and totally enjoy what I do whether I can find a job or not.
Why reskilling won’t always guarantee you a new job
61–70 of 133 posts
Re: Why reskilling won’t always guarantee you a new job
#62At my workplace (of 10+ years), when we recruit for entry-level positions, we typically get 15-50 applicants. We are not a software company so we do not use deep algorithm testing as part of our evaluation process.
Most applicants (probably 80% or more) have a computer science or information systems 4 year BS degree. The other 20% typically have a STEM degree with some programming courses or experience. Probably 20%-30% have some type of graduate degree as well - we sometimes have career changers who have picked up a MS in computer science from some coursework-only MS program at a small school.
My experience has been that of that candidate pool, we will have 3-6 candidates with well documented programming projects or job experience. These tend to be the candidates we interview - we use a simple rubric with yes/no for 5-10 categories we evaluate. The categories are broad ("Has this candidate written code in either personal projects or previous employment?") and minimally skill-specific. We do tend to have some bias towards database (SQL) skills and some hands-on experience with Linux, but not specific "hard" requirements for either (don't care if MS SQL Server, Oracle, Postgres, or Debian vs Ubuntu vs CentOS, etc).
We have had success with non-traditional candidates - we have team members with backgrounds ranging from BS in History to PhD in Bioinformatics, so we aren't super-credential sensitive.
All these details seem to add up to a rather stark observation - there is NO shortage of highly qualified applicants for these types of jobs. Our geographic region has many tech employers so we aren't the only option for job seekers. We probably aren't even in the top 25% of employers for salary in our area.
Candidates with only three months of training are just not going to be successful getting to the front of the hiring line in the deeper pools of applicants we get.
Re: Why reskilling won’t always guarantee you a new job
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
One of those 30-40% checking in. When I graduated with a CS degree in '07 (US) the first job offer I received was for $25k. I was so angry at that offer. I told the hiring manager that I couldn't possibly work for less than $35k they scoffed at that, I told them no thanks. I could make more money flipping burgers. I kept looking for work. Had another offer for $32k with one week of vacation a year, and no health care…
> The second thing that frustrates me is the sheer number of people that I have interacted with that have pulled the ladder up behind them once they make it out. Could you expand on that?
I assume he means friends/colleagues who are not hiring him along as they advance and move jobs.
Re: Why reskilling won’t always guarantee you a new job
#64There are 19 bones and 20 dogs. No matter how many training and reskilling courses they go on 5% of the dogs will remain unemployed. The fundamental problem is a lack of jobs, because there is no market mechanism by which the private sector will create sufficient jobs to hire everybody who wants work. It's time to restore the Beveridge condition. Jobs should wait, not people.
> The fundamental problem is a lack of jobs, because there is no market mechanism by which the private sector will create sufficient jobs to hire everybody who wants work. This is an extraordinary claim, and requires extraordinary evidence.
Actually it's phrased as a negative. Isn't it up to the positive side to come up with the evidence? Alternatively, pick it apart and expose it as a positive claim and ask for evidence.
Re: Why reskilling won’t always guarantee you a new job
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
When Alaska and Wyoming have the same number of senators as California and New York, the problem becomes not the lack of resources or even the wild inefficiency of serving rural communities, which are problems everywhere in the world that nonetheless have better infrastructure, but plainly, Republicans, which only exist here.
As someone currently living in Wyoming, I’m really disconcerted by SanFran when I visit, as an example. At least Wyoming’s low taxes (no state income tax) and low population explain the state of the infrastructure. SanFran? Not so much, it’s a golden child of incredible economic success, liberal ideals, and horrible (political) mis-management. The issues on infrastructure in the US run much more than Red vs Blue. It’…
As a former Bay Area resident and a progressive, I agree. Progressives in urban areas should focus more on improving things at the state and local levels where they live, and less on what their fellow countrymen in more conservative areas are doing.
Re: Why reskilling won’t always guarantee you a new job
#66I think 3 months of full-time study is more that enough time to get the fundamentals of software development and land an entry level dev job. This is especially true when paired with a career preparation program.
Many bootcamps have 90+% verified placements rates after graduation
Re: Why reskilling won’t always guarantee you a new job
#67They bury the lede: "In reality, employers report difficulty hiring because the wages they offer don’t match the skills they’re after, she says" Also: "In a 2018 paper, he and colleagues showed that only about 60 to 70% of US computing and engineering graduates land jobs in STEM, dropping to between 10 and 50% for those studying life sciences, physical sciences and maths."
> "In reality, employers report difficulty hiring because the wages they offer don’t match the skills they’re after, she says"
I can't imagine that someone whose sole credential in software engineering is a three month course is going to be offered any amount that is too low for their current skill level. You are basically hiring someone to train on the job. That can work out well for both parties, but imagining that 3 months of training makes you worth $100k per year is delusional.
Re: Why reskilling won’t always guarantee you a new job
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
One of those 30-40% checking in. When I graduated with a CS degree in '07 (US) the first job offer I received was for $25k. I was so angry at that offer. I told the hiring manager that I couldn't possibly work for less than $35k they scoffed at that, I told them no thanks. I could make more money flipping burgers. I kept looking for work. Had another offer for $32k with one week of vacation a year, and no health care…
That's insane. Are you in a small market or something?
I was in a medium sized city with college and engineering firms. I've moved to a major metro for my first job and then several times since for my partner, to non-tech heavy cities as their career is more specialized and isn't available everywhere.
Current city has repressed wages across the board. It's a place with a "low cost of living" and several universities that pump out local students who want to stay here at any cost and a very healthy foreign worker scene.
Currently, I'm willing to move.
Re: Why reskilling won’t always guarantee you a new job
#69At my workplace (of 10+ years), when we recruit for entry-level positions, we typically get 15-50 applicants. We are not a software company so we do not use deep algorithm testing as part of our evaluation process. Most applicants (probably 80% or more) have a computer science or information systems 4 year BS degree. The other 20% typically have a STEM degree with some programming courses or experience. Probably 20%-…
> All these details seem to add up to a rather stark observation - there is NO shortage of highly qualified applicants for these types of jobs. Our geographic region has many tech employers so we aren't the only option for job seekers. We probably aren't even in the top 25% of employers for salary in our area.
Where is that?
> We are not a software company so we do not use deep algorithm testing as part of our evaluation process [...] My experience has been that of that candidate pool, we will have 3-6 candidates with well documented programming projects or job experience. These tend to be the candidates we interview - we use a simple rubric with yes/no for 5-10 categories we evaluate
You should try it. Right now it seems you are skewing toward hiring folks who already have experience vs fresh grads for entry level positions.
Whiteboard, if done right, gives a chance to college hires to prove themselves. Especially if there are other tech companies in the area. The pool of candidates that have one year of experience and are already looking to jump ship is very different than fresh grads (where everyone is looking for a job).
Re: Why reskilling won’t always guarantee you a new job
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
In reality, employers report difficulty hiring because the wages they offer don’t match the skills they’re after, she says AND only about 60 to 70% of US computing and engineering graduates land jobs in STEM I don't know man? The implication there is that there exist up to 30-40% of new computing and engineering grads who on the one hand are without jobs in STEM, and on the other are willing to leave the STEM jobs th…
Another possibility is that despite graduating from a computing or engineering program, many of these people still lack the skills STEM employers are looking for.
The article specifically references people going through a 3 month coding bootcamp. They are basically looking for an employer willing to pay to give them on the job training. This can work well, but their salary expectations need to be somewhat in line with what their skill sets are.