Re: employment with ada

[DPH <rally2xs@compuserve.com>]

On Sun, 04 May 2003 04:55:01 GMT, "Steve" <nospam_steved94@attbi.com>
wrote:

>"DPH" <rally2xs@compuserve.com> wrote in message
>news:4mo7bvc2n70k6eikm3muu2965nbo3m77ov@4ax.com...
>[snip]
>>
>> 2) If they hire someone and train them in Ada, and designate them to
>> program in Ada, all too often that person thinks to himself, "I'm
>> learning a dead langauge, with nowhere to go if this project fails or
>> completes" and the next thing you know, that person is in an exit
>> interview, looking for a job that will provide "marketable skills."
>
>In todays job market I'd be suprised to see many programmers turn down jobs
>in any language, especially if the company will train.

Today's job market would seem to cut both ways - why would anyone want
to be saddled with no experience in the most common languages such as
C++ and Java?  If the person is assigned to a "dead language", and
_can_ find another job, why would they not take it?  After all, they
are assumedly attempting to build a career, and Ada is now "poetry
written in sanskrit."

>I just read an article in ComputerWorld that implies it won't be long and we
>won't need to worry about the programming language... it will be outsourced
>to another country (speaking from an American perspective).

Yes, with this nonsense going on, I wonder if "the economy" can ever
recover when our jobs are all going overseas.  The unions are right.
You can't sell an new Chevy to an auto worker laid off because of
competition from Toyota, nor can you sell a Mustang GT to a programmer
laid off 'cuz his source code is being written in India, or by Indians
working here on an H1B.  The Indians working here aren't going to buy
it either with their much-less-than-customary salary that they mostly
send back home anyway.

Incidentally, I am sitting here thinking about finally dropping
CompuServe (after being with them for 12 years) and going with
earthlink, possibly earthlink satellite service, since I find the help
desk either unavailable (its closed right now - what's with a help
desk closing AT ALL?) or incompetent.  Right now, for the last 3 days,
I've had big problems connecting.  And when something like this
happens on a weekend, it is a problem until someone wanders in on
Monday and kicks a server or something.  Podunk service has come to
CompuServe.

Also, I had a billing problem a few months ago, and the
obviously-Indian accented people could not tell me why my CompuServe
bill was suddenly $80 instead of $25.  They suggested calling my phone
company.  Clueless.  I went around with these people for maybe 45
minutes, hung up, called again later, got someone obviously American
(sounded Texan, actually), and I got the info I wanted within 10
minutes.  American industry can "outsource" their work all they want,
but that doesn't mean they're going to get competent work, or anyone
familiar with the way things are done on this continent.

Dave Head

>Steve
>(The Duck)
>
>[snip]
>>
>> Dave Head