Tech Jobs 2023

[10:10]

We all saw the massive downsizing of tech companies, and we can't deny that both old and new developers are a bit worried if it is just an American phenomenon or might it be worldwide.

It is hard to imagine, but any skill can become redundant, not just tech jobs.

Popular languages include 1> JavaScript, 2>Python, 3> Go, 4>Java and Kotlin sits at number five.

I personally didn't learn a language, I started with Java and jumped to C# and C++. The idea is to solve problems.

I am completing an official course in Java and will be doing a local course in Android in a few months.

There is the question of freelance developer or full time job, and both have benefits. I was told several times I will never see a good job because I never finished school. I mentioned this because I am not alone when it comes to this aspect.

So what is the deal in South Africa? I know a lot of university students dropped coding after the first year. No opportunities were the main reason. Now, some companies say this is not true, but it is.

Other jobs that are also being saturated are Electrician and boilermaker. They will always have work, but not all of them will work.

Starting a business and owning a start-up is hard. But I am more concerned that almost every market is seeing some sort of saturation.
But what is the future of tech? Will in house programmers become a thing again? Will we see the market die due to saturation? Or will it stabilize?

Now, there are nasty answers to all these questions, but I would welcome the more serious debate of where South Africa is at the moment regarding tech and what the future of tech may look like.

 

[B-1]

If you want to work in tech you will have to get used to the cycles and even more so if you like working in startups or new technology areas.

I've gone trough about 7 in my career so far mostly was asked to stick around but one company closed its doors and I took voluntary retrenchment once. By its very nature companies under pressure will reserve core business function so if you are part of the teams working on new functionality, R&D and other non core functions you are at risk.

That being said if you keep your skills up and make sure you certify your core skills you can usually find other work within a few months. That being said if job security is what you are after you need to focus your skills, job selection and training on business areas that are less prone to retrenchments as they are core business functions.

 

[cguy]

We all saw the massive downsizing of tech companies, and we can't deny that both old and new developers are a bit worried if it is just an American phenomenon or might it be worldwide.

I live and work in America, and it’s not even a phenomenon here either. There is far more to the tech industry than a few companies that over hired during the last stock boom.

It is hard to imagine, but any skill can become redundant, not just tech jobs.

Their jobs became redundant, but their skills did not.

Popular languages include 1> JavaScript, 2>Python, 3> Go, 4>Java and Kotlin sits at number five.

I personally didn't learn a language, I started with Java and jumped to C# and C++. The idea is to solve problems.

I am completing an official course in Java and will be doing a local course in Android in a few months.

Good plan!

There is the question of freelance developer or full time job, and both have benefits. I was told several times I will never see a good job because I never finished school. I mentioned this because I am not alone when it comes to this aspect.

For smaller apps and web dev projects, as long as you can do the job nobody will care about whether or not you finished school.

So what is the deal in South Africa? I know a lot of university students dropped coding after the first year. No opportunities were the main reason. Now, some companies say this is not true, but it is.

They couldn’t cut it, is almost certainly the main reason. “No opportunities” is bollocks.

Other jobs that are also being saturated are Electrician and boilermaker. They will always have work, but not all of them will work.

Starting a business and owning a start-up is hard. But I am more concerned that almost every market is seeing some sort of saturation.
But what is the future of tech? Will in house programmers become a thing again? Will we see the market die due to saturation? Or will it stabilize?

It’s far from saturated right now. I do foresee the lower end of development encountering saturation in the next decade as a lot of their jobs get replaced by AI based app and website builders. The more advanced stuff has been in demand for the last 60 years and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.

 

[RedViking]

I think any career in South Africa is a blurr in the future. Either stay here and work for an international company, or take an international opportunity and go work there.

 

[10:10]

It’s far from saturated right now. I do foresee the lower end of development encountering saturation in the next decade as a lot of their jobs get replaced by AI based app and website builders. The more advanced stuff has been in demand for the last 60 years and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.

It is actually why I continued with JAVA as my main focus, it is good at both ML and AI algorithms. More to the point, JAVA is arm friendly and Kotlin is, dare I say it, not as intuitive but still very powerful. Don't underestimate Kotlin, it is actually very good.

Again because I am focused on this, I do a lot of reading, I recommend this article. It outlines a lot of handy stuff if someone has questions about the future of Java in AI projects.

Personally, I feel having a healthy understanding of code is better than knowing a Language. Problem-solving is everything, and there is no ring to rule them all.

A question, if I may GED will that help me? As you are American, I thought I ask?

 

[cguy]

A question, if I may GED will that help me? As you are American, I thought I ask?

It’s essentially matric. So you could probably get a matrix equivalency with it in SA. It would be recognized overseas too. It may be worthwhile doing just to get the academic coverage, but the practical use would be for jobs that require matric, or entrance to further study.

 

[10:10]

It’s essentially matric. So you could probably get a matrix equivalency with it in SA. It would be recognized overseas too. It may be worthwhile doing just to get the academic coverage, but the practical use would be for jobs that require matric, or entrance to further study.

I have done a lot of research and are planning to do just that the end of the year.

Also, a proper thank you for taking the time.