Modernization viz Outsourcing, Social networking, High tech standards like CMM/Six Sigma and Google has made a huge impact - especially on the outlook of the software professionals.
Today software professionals are extremely trendy, smart and practical.
This article tries to touch base on some of the impacts of modernization PLUS why and how myself (and most of the old fashioned professionals like me) have become "Outdated".
Trends have changed, and so has the taste
I have been asked many times by most of the budding folks - Which technology is currently "HOT"? Invariably every time I hear the question I am clean bowled.
Old fashioned professionals, and especially me, firmly believe that only models/actress could be "HOT", BUT looks like the trend hence the 'taste' of the folks have changed so dramatically that now professionals think iPhone/iPad as "HOT", while Android is "KEWL", C/C++ is "DULL" and Java as "BORING".
I believe this is what they say as generation gap and we would always struggle to catch up with these new trends and fast developing next gen 'taste', no surprises here!
Choosing a stream/label is a nightmare
Old fashioned software professional life was very simple - We used to be either a systems programmer (smart guys - IIT / IIM / MCA folks), or applications programmer(average guys - all other streams). We were either labeled as Assembly/C/C++, Cobol or DBase progammer. Later Java / MFC / CGI brought some spice and varitation to our lives. Other possible flavors to decorate oursleves were terms like windows, unix - and something called as mainframe. No efforts were required to stand out in the crowd - simply saying I am a programmer was more than sufficient.
However today software professionals have to deal with far too many options. Invention of Web and mobile PLUS dozens of frameworks which are born everyday have literally created havoc.
To STAND OUT in the crowd you have to classify yourself as iPhone or Android or Web application developer. You have to further classify yourself as either a frontend or backend developer.
Life does not end there, telling I know J2EE is not good enough - you have to distinguish as Core Java, with/without multi threading, JSF, JSP, EJB, Struts, Spring, Hibernate etc. and further need to SPICE it up with distinct versions. So today I have to decorate myself with EJB 1.0, 1.1, 1.2.1, 2.3, 3.0 and finally XX.XX. I hope you got the point.
Portfolio / Versatile image management
Earlier the struggle was 'What more to write in the resume', today the struggle is 'What all to hide in this resume'!
Old fashioned professionals hardly needed to maintain their resume. It was a piece of paper which was rarely used. People, like Fevicol, use to get glued to their organization or their boss. Even if there was a need to change then, as years use to pass by, the only addition used to be the new projects worked - Simple and sweet.
Today having just one resume, in itself, is deemed "Outdated". Now one has to manage something called as his/her portfolio. I have even heard that, as per new dfacto standard, one must atleast have 3 to 4 distinct resumes targeted at different positions, representing different skills/expertise and decorated with different projects and/or with different flavours of roles/responsibilities executed in the same project!
Today there are free or paid services/consultants which suggests how to make your portfolio more attractive, lean, sleek, slender, and last but not the least, YET make it appear as genuine.
AH! and that is not all, further more, one has to manage this sleek slender portfolio across different job portals and various social networking sites - PHEW!
SLA driven life and social networking
Standards like CMM or Six Sigma have also made a huge impact. Today everything is SLA driven. I have heard, some of the professionals crib that they are helpless but have to oblige to these new social standards - and in order to keep up with the pace, one has to change his/her mobile within 3 to 5 months, girl/boy friend within 6 to 8 months AND most importantly employer within 12 to 18 months.
The latest market predictions suggests that more and more stringent SLA's would continue to emerge - so the norms I have stated above might be deemed as outdated, already.
To add to the agony now everything is public - Reviews take place on facebook, you get tons of instant comments. It does not matter, whether you comply or non-conform to the SLA, the world starts tweeting - you are always in the news.
Subscription based model and Outsourcing
Earlier most of the decisions were taken under the able guidance of the elders. There was some belief that elders have more wisdom than us. Also there was little or no funda of choice, the first offer was considered as the best offer. Cribs were also very limited, and adjustments were made to maintain the relationship.
Today things are different.
Now one can happily outsource/subscribe for almost any of the services including dating, matrimonial, personal predictions/forecast, make my trip, jobs and more.
Now mail box is flooded with emails suggesting that it is high time I change my job or how other jobs are more suited to me.
In the recent years, the most common reason heard, for job change is - 'For better prospect'. Does not matter, a few months ago the same folks might have said the same things - BUT STILL.
Statistics suggest that percentile of switching jobs earlier was way too less and could easily beat the fuel price hike that happens every alternate day, today.
In a nutshell, it appears that today there are many external agents (services/outsourced models) that drives, rather forces, professionals to take such instant decisions.
I have even heard predictions that professionals would soon start subscribing to the tasks they like to perform. They can avail the facility to 'unsubscribe' to any of the tasks, if felt inappropriate or uncomfortable - No questions asked and ZERO revocation fee.
Hurry subscribe NOW, it is absolutely FREE!
Today software professionals are extremely trendy, smart and practical.
This article tries to touch base on some of the impacts of modernization PLUS why and how myself (and most of the old fashioned professionals like me) have become "Outdated".
Trends have changed, and so has the taste
I have been asked many times by most of the budding folks - Which technology is currently "HOT"? Invariably every time I hear the question I am clean bowled.
Old fashioned professionals, and especially me, firmly believe that only models/actress could be "HOT", BUT looks like the trend hence the 'taste' of the folks have changed so dramatically that now professionals think iPhone/iPad as "HOT", while Android is "KEWL", C/C++ is "DULL" and Java as "BORING".
I believe this is what they say as generation gap and we would always struggle to catch up with these new trends and fast developing next gen 'taste', no surprises here!
Choosing a stream/label is a nightmare
Old fashioned software professional life was very simple - We used to be either a systems programmer (smart guys - IIT / IIM / MCA folks), or applications programmer(average guys - all other streams). We were either labeled as Assembly/C/C++, Cobol or DBase progammer. Later Java / MFC / CGI brought some spice and varitation to our lives. Other possible flavors to decorate oursleves were terms like windows, unix - and something called as mainframe. No efforts were required to stand out in the crowd - simply saying I am a programmer was more than sufficient.
However today software professionals have to deal with far too many options. Invention of Web and mobile PLUS dozens of frameworks which are born everyday have literally created havoc.
To STAND OUT in the crowd you have to classify yourself as iPhone or Android or Web application developer. You have to further classify yourself as either a frontend or backend developer.
Life does not end there, telling I know J2EE is not good enough - you have to distinguish as Core Java, with/without multi threading, JSF, JSP, EJB, Struts, Spring, Hibernate etc. and further need to SPICE it up with distinct versions. So today I have to decorate myself with EJB 1.0, 1.1, 1.2.1, 2.3, 3.0 and finally XX.XX. I hope you got the point.
Portfolio / Versatile image management
Earlier the struggle was 'What more to write in the resume', today the struggle is 'What all to hide in this resume'!
Old fashioned professionals hardly needed to maintain their resume. It was a piece of paper which was rarely used. People, like Fevicol, use to get glued to their organization or their boss. Even if there was a need to change then, as years use to pass by, the only addition used to be the new projects worked - Simple and sweet.
Today having just one resume, in itself, is deemed "Outdated". Now one has to manage something called as his/her portfolio. I have even heard that, as per new dfacto standard, one must atleast have 3 to 4 distinct resumes targeted at different positions, representing different skills/expertise and decorated with different projects and/or with different flavours of roles/responsibilities executed in the same project!
Today there are free or paid services/consultants which suggests how to make your portfolio more attractive, lean, sleek, slender, and last but not the least, YET make it appear as genuine.
AH! and that is not all, further more, one has to manage this sleek slender portfolio across different job portals and various social networking sites - PHEW!
SLA driven life and social networking
Standards like CMM or Six Sigma have also made a huge impact. Today everything is SLA driven. I have heard, some of the professionals crib that they are helpless but have to oblige to these new social standards - and in order to keep up with the pace, one has to change his/her mobile within 3 to 5 months, girl/boy friend within 6 to 8 months AND most importantly employer within 12 to 18 months.
The latest market predictions suggests that more and more stringent SLA's would continue to emerge - so the norms I have stated above might be deemed as outdated, already.
To add to the agony now everything is public - Reviews take place on facebook, you get tons of instant comments. It does not matter, whether you comply or non-conform to the SLA, the world starts tweeting - you are always in the news.
Subscription based model and Outsourcing
Earlier most of the decisions were taken under the able guidance of the elders. There was some belief that elders have more wisdom than us. Also there was little or no funda of choice, the first offer was considered as the best offer. Cribs were also very limited, and adjustments were made to maintain the relationship.
Today things are different.
Now one can happily outsource/subscribe for almost any of the services including dating, matrimonial, personal predictions/forecast, make my trip, jobs and more.
Now mail box is flooded with emails suggesting that it is high time I change my job or how other jobs are more suited to me.
In the recent years, the most common reason heard, for job change is - 'For better prospect'. Does not matter, a few months ago the same folks might have said the same things - BUT STILL.
Statistics suggest that percentile of switching jobs earlier was way too less and could easily beat the fuel price hike that happens every alternate day, today.
In a nutshell, it appears that today there are many external agents (services/outsourced models) that drives, rather forces, professionals to take such instant decisions.
I have even heard predictions that professionals would soon start subscribing to the tasks they like to perform. They can avail the facility to 'unsubscribe' to any of the tasks, if felt inappropriate or uncomfortable - No questions asked and ZERO revocation fee.
Hurry subscribe NOW, it is absolutely FREE!
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