From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: * X-Spam-Status: No, score=1.5 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_20 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,103b407e8b68350b X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-01-01 06:31:31 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!cyclone.bc.net!sjc70.webusenet.com!news.webusenet.com!newsfeed2.earthlink.net!newsfeed.earthlink.net!stamper.news.pas.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!harp.news.atl.earthlink.net!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Anybody in US using ADA ? Date: Wed, 1 Jan 2003 09:31:19 -0500 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: d1.56.b7.cb X-Server-Date: 1 Jan 2003 14:31:30 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:32434 Date: 2003-01-01T14:31:30+00:00 List-Id: To some extent, you're preaching to the choir. I agree that what is really important is not the language or toolsets you use, but your abilities as an engineer. But there is the other side of the coin. All professions specialize to some extent and just as a doctor who specialized in gynocology might have a hard time switching to proctology and beginning to work in an entirely new field, so is it true that a programmer who has specialized in Ada and some Ada toolset might have a bit of work making the transition to some other language/toolset/problem domain. And even if one dismisses this as not that big a deal, there's still this nasty problem called "Reality". Job postings try to look for very specific skills and hiring managers generally don't want to consider someone unless they match their job description very closely. The fact that you can adapt and don't think that this is a big deal doesn't matter because the people making those decisions *do* think its a big deal. Life is often not fair, eh? MDC -- ====================================================================== Marin David Condic I work for: http://www.belcan.com/ My project is: http://www.jast.mil/ Send Replies To: m c o n d i c @ a c m . o r g "I'd trade it all for just a little more" -- Charles Montgomery Burns, [4F10] ====================================================================== wrote in message news:hwwQ9.518530$%m4.144999@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net... > > Programmers want to have skills that can get them a job somewhere else if > > Congress pulls the plug on what they're doing > Are there other industries or professions with as narrow apparent skill > sets? "Young doctors don't want to learn surgery in case advanced drugs > make it unnecessary." "Lawyers don't want to learn criminal law in case > everybody becomes saintly." "Civil engineers want to learn only about > high speed rail, not roads, fearing no more roads will be built in future." > Even actors worrying about type casting usually try to diversify, rather > than getting lots and lots of practice in crowd scenes. :( > Q 2: What will all those C++ and Java programmers do when they discover > you don't innovate by getting a job that let's you use last year's > innovations, and they have no competitive advantage over Indians or > Russians at learning last year's innovations.