U.S. Programmers An Endangered Species?

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U.S. Programmers An Endangered Species?

Posted by michael on Friday October 15, 2004 @04:15AM from the going-going-gone dept.

CommanderData writes "USA Today reports that US Programmers are an 'Endangered Species' and expects them to be 'extinct' within the next few years, replaced by offshoring and H-1B visa holders. They suggest people will manage overseas projects, become self-employed, or switch to other fields. What do my fellow code-dinosaurs plan to do before the asteroid hits?" A report on Newsforge (which is part of OSTG along with Slashdot) shows the flip side of the coin.

17 of 1,361 comments (clear)

Endangered Species? by JUSTONEMORELATTE · 2004-10-15 04:17 · Score: 5, Funny

Sweet! Now it's finally against the law to kill and eat me!

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1. Re:Endangered Species? by jbrocklin · 2004-10-15 04:29 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Not to mention, scientists will set up reserves with massive attempts to create offspring!
2. Re:Endangered Species? by Brandybuck · 2004-10-15 07:31 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  "Zoologists anxiously await the result of the latest attempt to mate Joe the programmer at the San Diego Zoo. Joe, a 39 year old Unix hacker, represents the future of his endangered species. Last year's mating attempt was a failure, although zoologists say they learned valuable lessons from it.
  
  "We were so sure then that we would succeed," said lead researcher Bob Bobertson. "For a week we fed him nothing but oysters and Jolt cola." While the introduction of supermodel Heidi Klum to his cage did excite Joe, he still failed to perform in front of a live female, prefering instead the security of his computer monitor.
  
  "This year we're trying a new approach," said Bobertson. "We hired a hooker to dress up as a penguin."
  
  --
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Saving the species.. by D-Cypell · 2004-10-15 04:17 · Score: 5, Funny

Sadly, programmers are particulally endangered due to their inability to mate in captivity.... or anywhere else!
Wal-Mart by DoctorPepper · 2004-10-15 04:18 · Score: 4, Funny

I figure Wal-Mart is always an option. Hmm, stock shelves or pass-out shopping carts... decisions, decisions.

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1. Re:Wal-Mart by Digital+Mage · 2004-10-15 04:46 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Just like programming...consider stocking shelves as implementing a sorting algorithm and passing out shopping carts as developing a shopping cart module for an ecommerce site. ;^)
Well, according to the last debate... by Undefined+Tag · 2004-10-15 04:19 · Score: 5, Funny

Didn't Bush tell us to go to a community college and educate ourselves so we can get higher paying jobs?
1. Re:Well, according to the last debate... by Kenja · 2004-10-15 04:53 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  "Didn't Bush tell us to go to a community college and educate ourselves so we can get higher paying jobs?"
  I checked, my community colledge didn't have a course in getting jobs from my daddies rich friends. Seems only the schools in Texas have that.
  
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Re:Programming versus Software Engineering by D-Cypell · 2004-10-15 04:20 · Score: 5, Funny

Great!! So all the cool hacking goes of to india and us western programmers get the sucky work!

I am claiming asylum in india based on the fact that every nerd has the right to hack code and eat curry!
if we had to pick by nktae · 2004-10-15 04:21 · Score: 3, Funny

You know its too bad that programmers are endangered, luckily they have mostly evolved into software engineers. Its just too bad we can't pick which jobs are endangered, I think we could afford to have lawyers a little more endangered. But please don't let them be come endangered by evolving, I can't imagine what a lawyer evolves into but it probably has fangs.
How to get famous by charlesbakerharris · 2004-10-15 04:21 · Score: 3, Funny

Well, as a U.S. programmer, I have to say that if I can get my 15 minutes of fame on TV, I don't particularly care if it's with David Attenborough simply because I'm listed as endangered... Any TV face time is good TV face time.
If offshoring is cheaper than in-house... by rah1420 · 2004-10-15 04:23 · Score: 3, Funny

... then I guess take-out is cheaper than home-cooked.

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Re:Language issue by YankeeInExile · 2004-10-15 04:40 · Score: 5, Funny

The language issue is that Indian programmers can, by and large, read and write English. Something that consistent readers of Slashdot will find American programmers are incapable of.

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Re:Programming versus Software Engineering by TimeZone · 2004-10-15 04:43 · Score: 5, Funny

Let me be very clear, you cannot design a program (software engineering as you seem to call it) if you have never written code.
From what I've seen, most people cannot design a program even if they have written code.
TZ
Re:Whoa! Behind the times! by BluedemonX · 2004-10-15 05:40 · Score: 3, Funny

Lagaan?

Taxes.

Glad I could help...

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Re:Programming versus Software Engineering by scaaven · 2004-10-15 05:46 · Score: 4, Funny

Cheney is Grand Moff Tarkin, Bush is Darth Vader
close. I'd say Cheney is Dark Vader, and Bush is Jar Jar Binks.

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Re:I don't think so. by JollyFinn · 2004-10-15 06:39 · Score: 3, Funny

Well then there is only ONE option CANADA ;)

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