Maybe a third-party source is more relevant, with hard numbers.

IT is the umbrella term for computer-thingy related stuff. There are always exceptions, different domains, niches and such. But this is the big picture.

Quote:I think it's clearly too low, what were you thinking dude?

Those were the salaries we paid back when I was still involved with this type of deals some 4 years ago. Companies got what they wanted, they could even cherry pick. These days, they use almost exclusively unpaid interns to see who is management material and is worth keeping. And much of programming has been outsourced anyway.

Perhaps you don't realize how low the salaries really get and how many people one can get for that. Remember that corporate jobs don't need Google-caliber developers or theorem-proving mathematicians. They need .Net certification and bachelor's (to reduce number of applications). And those are dime-a-dozen.

Sorry. That's the ugly reality. Or, if you prefer, I can put up my friendly face, and give a long and enthusiastic speech on shortage of programmers and how IT is the future of the world and how information will shape the world and all that stuff that is constantly droned all over.

And this is precisely why intra-EU there has huge flow towards north and west. Which puts downward pressure on those salaries. Most countries are raising quotas for this very reason. UK is probably being hit the most, with domestic IT jobs dropping like stone, mostly due to finance-related jobs and relative closeness to US.

Quote:I can get more than that working as a mechanic

Yep - but there is no oversupply of mechanics and they are unionized.

Also, mechanics are experiencing similar downturns. Greasemonkeys are in decreasing demand. Consumer goods are either replaced as a whole, or whole parts are modular and replaced as a whole.

Try to get a TV repairman... Or a fridge repairman... Or stove mechanic... Bike? Sure, they're still around. But do you see these shops on every corner, brimming to the top with parts, knowing details of every model, being able just to bang on the edge of the device to get it running? Today you just call the service number and they replace you with a new unit.

Car mechanics are example of such profession. Cars no longer break down, if on rare occasion when they do, a computer is plugged in, and part number to be replaced is printed. And that's it. No oil, no screws, no nothing. These people now spend their days training in customer relations, sales and other things they can do so that they keep their service rating up and don't get dealership revoked. They are also more polished than people working at department stores.


When thinking about career, think 30 years ahead. The article above barely touches 4 years ahead.

Pick a career where you can see yourself enjoying what you do for 40 years. That's really all there is to it. I speak from experience when I say that no amount of money can really make up for hating your job. If you love programming, then go for it. If you're not sure, spend your lower division time at university taking survey courses in every field that strikes your fancy--it's the best way to find what you really enjoy I think.