What's the job market in SD like? (San Diego: house, taxes)

[delnote76]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

I never quite understood why all of your posts talk about SD being so ghetto, until I realized it's you who lives a ghetto life. Staying up all night in a Walmart and passing time at a McDonald's till 4am?

What a silly reply. Beachrescue makes some good points. If you read the post, he says he missed his ride and thus the wasting time at WalMart and McDonald's...

[delnote76]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

There's very little residential homebuilding going on, which translates to depressed demand for construction trades. Without residential homebuilding there is virtually zero heavy industry, commercial building or infrastructure being built in San Diego. That means literally tens of thousands of people who were employed in that sector have been out of work since 2009. If you saw how much homebuilding was being done in 2000-2005, you'd understand how severely this sector has tanked.

Aside from those that own their own company, the tradespeople who do residential on-call work are typically very entry-level and very poorly paid. Contrast that with a plumbing contractor with large contracts to do an entire housing development... much more lucrative. Most of those still employed had the smarts and experience to go their own way, or were journeymen of some kind, but they are a fraction of the greater workforce in the trades, especially given the large numbers of immigrant general laborers in San Diego.

Unless / Until residential homebuilding comes back, the trades are gone. Defense is a shell of what it once was, cities and states are broke and aren't building any bridges. There hasn't been a commercial tower built in downtown San Diego in 20 years. There is almost nothing left but McJobs for people without degrees. Realistically that should not change anytime soon, and really speaks more to the person's life choices than any macroeconomic trend. The country has been heading in this direction for about 25 years, so it shouldn't be too big of a surprise. If you want to stay in San Diego that badly and can't or won't get a degree, I think the Navy (at least DoD subcontracting) is the way to go. Always plenty of heavy lifting to be done on a military base, at least until the war(s) are over.

A degree is no guarantee of employment (or continued employment) nowadays. And those that are employed, may not be for much longer. Ever hear of outsourcing? Why pay some computer programmer 100K a year to do his job when you can get some guy in India to do the same thing, remotely, for 10 bucks an hour ?

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by delnote76

A degree is no guarantee of employment (or continued employment) nowadays. And those that are employed, may not be for much longer. Ever hear of outsourcing? Why pay some computer programmer 100K a year to do his job when you can get some guy in India to do the same thing, remotely, for 10 bucks an hour ?

That's why I got out of corporate IT - dead end career. However if you are a smart software engineer, you have nothing to worry about.

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

That's why I got out of corporate IT - dead end career. However if you are a smart software engineer, you have nothing to worry about.

Depends on your age.

I know at least a couple of very smart software engineers who are now long-term unemployed. They consider themselves de-fact retired, though none of them wishes to be. Software companies are hiring young, just out of university. That way they get to pay less by way of salary and get up-to-date technical knowledge. They're losing some valuable domain expertise, but I guess they find that trade-off acceptable.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Originally Posted by oddstray

Depends on your age.

I know at least a couple of very smart software engineers who are now long-term unemployed. They consider themselves de-fact retired, though none of them wishes to be. Software companies are hiring young, just out of university. That way they get to pay less by way of salary and get up-to-date technical knowledge. They're losing some valuable domain expertise, but I guess they find that trade-off acceptable.

Lots of 'smart' software engineers out there no doubt. Problem with software engineers is that they typically lack the ability to shift out their position into different roles which require technical know how but are more in a macro environemnt or business environement. I am not saying this is the case with the people you know at all, this is from personal experience in hiring/firing and seeing the pool of talent.
There is no point in hiring an engineer that has experience of over 10 years for coding or programming when a kid out school can do it for less or I can outsource. Its just too bad no one gave these now grown adults the 411 beforehand when they paid tons of money to get a CS or EE degree or have the wherewithal to read or learn about the industry shifts. Most of them are clueless on current events.
Engineers that I have worked with and interviewed have been lazy, ask for too much money and do the absolute minmum required. Basically corporate drones that will get hired and fired as the current takes them.

This is exactly what has happened/happneing in cellular. Huge ramp up from companies in R&D then fail once trends shift. This is life in technology and a core problem with engineers that are one trick ponies.
I have been in this industry a long time as a both a hacker and entrepreneur. Coders come and go and the most successful guys in tech are in the minority and we all basically know each other or have met/worked together at some point. The key is to treat your position in the industry like an entrepreneur or else you are dinosaur. Its not really a place for people looking for long term security doing the same job year after year.

With that being said, there are going to some major shifts in cellular in the next 5 years. So in San Diego, I expect Qualcomm to start laying off in some divisions and potentially RIM losing their office here next to them in Sorrento Valley. The consolidation is massive. Watch for Nokia job openings and some possibly newcomers in the next 5 years coming out with M2M technology in smart home stuff to the consumer market. However expect that for the next 5 years to see lots of push behind infrastructure and enterprise focused applications.

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by shmoov_groovzsd

Lots of 'smart' software engineers out there no doubt. Problem with software engineers is that they typically lack the ability to shift out their position into different roles which require technical know how but are more in a macro environemnt or business environement.

Yups. 40-year old software engineer without a clue how as to how the company will make money? No hire. Too many of those, not enough folks with emotional maturity, cultural sensitivity, dynamic personalities, plus the tech skills to be successful. Knowing some software development package is not domain expertise worth keeping. Knowing an industry, a market and how to make software that people in that market will use and care about, is golden. No offshore 'resource' can do that. How many high quality, widely distributed first-tier software products that you've used have originated in India? Answer is zero. They can churn out all the Oracle/SAP apps, garbage webapps, front office VB ****e and telco infrastructure they want - no one cares about that stuff anyway, and it always, always is junk anyway.

[oddstray]

So if you're a smart software engineer with an entrepreneurial talent, you have nothing to worry about.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Originally Posted by oddstray

So if you're a smart software engineer with an entrepreneurial talent, you have nothing to worry about.

Probably not actually, but its not so much about engineer, its anyone. The point was, JUST being an engineer in this day and age when dollars and cents are watched carefully for projects, it takes a little more than just doing the job description and leaving at 5pm.
In my experience, engineers typically are not risk takers when it comes to work. Their needs driven behavior is to work in systems or a format presented to them. Otherwise no motivation whatsoever.
Its no secret that failing to grow within a profession and being stagnant in any profession wont do that person any favors in the long run. Some look for the company to provide that platform and while I think this can be a a good thing for a company to have, most are not run with those kinds of ideals and execute as well as like say a Google or insert some tech giant here.

It doesnt require a degree in CS or EE to be tech savvy these days to have a grasp on how things work. Its like a kid picking up a a musical instrument without formal training and learning by ear. A motivated individual will learn if they really want to. The tools are out there.

For the people you know that are out of work, its terrible to be in that position. I was in that position many many times and it made me feel pretty worthless. At some you have to make a decision about where you are heading and you just do it regardless when there is nothing to lose.

[scottfreez]

I love this environment. I love the work, I love the challenges, and I love that it is competitive. I'm glad a lot of people are getting out of the way because they had no business there in the first place.

Anyone who approaches a job from the perspective of doing the least amount possible or with willful ignorance to everything but a narrow, "highly specialized" unrealistic set of responsibilities, deserves to have their line cut - they are in la la land, and should be footing their own bill for their existence. People who are multitalented and willing to risk it all, and do whatever it takes, who can see the big picture from many individuals' perspectives, and find the value in those perspectives and diverse talents, and make a project work, they are the ones who succeed in any environment.

No matter whether it's boom or bust, or if someone's an engineer or a line cook in a restaurant. Kick ass and rock out, or get out of the kitchen.

I'm tired of hearing people complaining about this economy and all its problems. Get on with it!!

[RockhetHD]

dicenews's Channel - YouTube