Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by throw234234234 38 days ago
If the industry is to shrink this is the best way it can. Stop people entering while they are young and can pivot into something with better returns. Keep the experienced people who are older and may find it harder to pivot and had some "good days" to help them ride them through these bad times. I've seen similar dynamics in other industries as they slowly die/move on (e.g. manufacturing, niche trades, etc). A slow decline is better than a boom/bust. If it ends up that we need software engineers later training is an easier problem than mid career death for the juniors in a few years time.

Eventually the market finds a new equilibrium of staff to demand ratio. You prefer that happen sooner so people don't make bad investments of their time (e.g. studying the wrong course based on inaccurate market signals).

1 comments

>Stop people entering while they are young and can pivot into something with better returns.

You mean stopping CS grads, who spend money and years on their degree from pursuing a career in their field? A better move would be to stop allowing people to graduate in CS.

Not that I think that any of the above should actually be done though.

> A better move would be to stop allowing people to graduate in CS.

Its a free market if you are the one paying for it solely. If you are willing to pay for the degree then the demand is there for them to sell you the product. Buyer beware sadly. Its a question of what you see the purpose of the course is - to prep people for the job market or to teach knowledge? If it is the former to you then yes they should at least warn people of the competition and the contraction of the industry they may face - they can decide if it is worth it for them.

For many on this forum if they are honest with themselves given the pace of AI and the future risk/uncertainty they may not have taken this risk on. They've misallocated their own funds which is always not ideal - and sadly expected when there is rapid change; not all investments pay off. The only thing I can say is if you are young the time horizon is there to invest in something else and get back on your feet. There is more to life then work IMV especially as you get older; and an investment in your career needs enough time horizon to pay off. For many a job is a means to an end - they may enjoy it but being able to earn a long term living is the primary goal.

In other countries where the education is subsidized for the purposes of skill building for the economy then yes I actually think it might be pragmatic for them to offer less places. Otherwise its tax money going to waste with a misallocation of public resources without the associated society wide economic benefits.

I agree with your points.