digg

Join DiggAbout

Discover the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.

5 IT Skills That Won't Boost Your Salary

networkworld.com — Clean up your resume and get rid of these if yo have them. Technical skills may never die, but areas of expertise wane in importance as technology advances force companies to evolve and IT staff to forsake yesterday ’s craft in favor of tomorrow’s must-have talent.

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • nahsrocketeer75, on 04/21/2008, -18/+5My how the mighty have fallen.
    • B1663r, on 04/21/2008, -38/+2Look how rapidly that happened once OSX finally streamlined all that stuff and pushed windows out of the marketplace. See I told you guys we were all better off with windows!!!
      • MrZaiko, on 04/21/2008, -8/+14I logged in just to digg you down my friend
      • jspegele, on 04/21/2008, -18/+4I care so little about how much effort you put in to digging him down that I logged in just to digg you down my friend.
      • riomx, on 04/21/2008, -4/+5I'm always logged in and I dugg both of you down because I'm so sick of people acting like logging in to digg down or up is so ***** special.
        • jspegele, on 04/21/2008, -3/+1I think you missed the point of my comment.
        • drastik21, on 04/21/2008, -2/+1I buried both of you just because I can !!!
    • oldhick, on 04/21/2008, -0/+7I have no idea what nahsrocketeer75 or B1663r are talking about? Who was might? Netware maybe for a while... And how does this have anything to do with a PC vs a Mac?
      • dfsjdkflasjk, on 04/21/2008, -3/+3Fortran FTW
        • popfrogs, on 04/21/2008, -2/+1COBOL FTL.
        • SteveMax, on 04/22/2008, -0/+1On IT, probably Fortran won't take you anywhere. On high energy physics, you're laughed at if you don't know Fortran. Most of the highest performance number-crunching software out there is Fortran-only.
    • Fordi, on 04/21/2008, -0/+10I do think it's ironic that 'plain old HTML' is devalued when it's still part of the base framework of Web 2.0. I've seen what a programmer can do without knowing best practices... and it hurts.

      It's the little things that make a web programmer good: knowing when tables should and shouldn't be used*, knowledge of how abstraction *should* work, knowledge of what CSS is valid and how to get around those that aren't, the ability to leverage JS and backend (primarily PHP in my present environment) libraries without previous reference. It's all about knowing what you can do, so that you can work with your designers properly - not so much to make them aware of what can't be done, but the possibilities of what can be done within deadline**.

      *No, tables should not be used for layout. That does not mean that there isn't a place for them - and trying to replace every deserved instance of a table with a crazy div-and-CSS monstrosity is retarded.

      **That is to say, you can do anything, given enough time - but while innovation is important in every project, deadlines are more important than extreme innovation.
    • h4k0r, on 04/21/2008, -1/+3Yes, the introduction of OSX has pushed HTML, COBOL, NET WARE and Non IP networks into legacy status. Oh wait most of that list has been legacy for the past 5 years.

      Nice try Apple fan boys. Stick to your M$ Windows Bashing, it tends to make a little more since.
  • EBFoxbat, on 04/21/2008, -1/+223Ironic how how "Plain old HTML" is on the list when the site can't even pick a standard h# and it's loaded with iframes.
    • tehnico, on 04/21/2008, -5/+40Plain old HTML shouldn't be on your resume, It should be a given that you know it. Just like, knowing how to take notes, or make coffee in the morning. That being said, not knowing it would be equal to not knowing how to use a keyboard, depending on the position of course.

      In the end, all resumes and cover letter should be tailored to each job application.
      • bluesnowmonkey, on 04/21/2008, -0/+19Sure, it's a given with whoever you'll eventually interview with, but that's not necessarily the first guy you talk to. There are a lot of recruiters out there with great jobs to offer but absolutely no technical knowledge about what is involved. They sift through resumes matching keywords to those in the job descriptions. You get more calls if you put in those keywords.
      • stretch611, on 04/21/2008, -2/+8bluesnowmonkey is right. If you do not put HTML on your resume, you will not get a web job. There are two many companies using a computer to scan resumes and unless you match 10 out of 10 skills you will not get a call for and interview let alone a job.
        • CorpT, on 04/21/2008, -1/+5Do those companies also check for grammar? Or is that optional?
        • yogiincork, on 04/21/2008, -1/+2two or many?
      • skribble, on 04/21/2008, -0/+15Sadly, as I've been interviewing people lately, HTML isn't something that should be assumed. there is a brief span of time when you may have assumed that. With crap like Adobe and MS promising tools that do HTML on the back end people no longer think they need this. I mean seriously look at the source of some webpages and you see automatically generated, unreadable crap. I've worked with a "Web Designer" who feels that the crap dump that comes out or Fireworks is HTML.

        Of course I'd be interested in specifically HTML/CSS skills (People who lay everything out with Tables need no apply)
      • Fordi, on 04/21/2008, -0/+7Take HTML as a given, and you'll come up with people who simply don't know it. Meanwhile, the first question that should be asked is 'How would you lay out this site?', given a screenshot.

        The second a table is mentioned, the interview is over.
      • jamesdew, on 04/21/2008, -0/+0i think it should be on there but you should't make a big deal out of it. It could be in a sentence like "Competent in C++ Visual Basic and HTML" not a whole paragraph on your l33t HTML skilz
      • schmimd04, on 04/21/2008, -0/+3i dont know how to make coffee, and my note taking skills are lacking....but i know HTML
        • roastnewt1, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1you just add hot water to the ground up beans and run it through a filter
          • fuze44, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1I tried your instructions, but my coffee just tastes like Mexican food.
    • aladrin, on 04/21/2008, -2/+38But that actually fits in with the article: Good HTML skills would not have helped him get that job. He got the job perfectly fine with his crappy skills.

      Honestly, he shoots himself in the foot with that, though, since he says Ajax -is- needed and you can't do Ajax without HTML. And of course he's just wrong about the legacy programming. Legacy programmers get BIG bucks because not many have those skills any more.

      If the title had been '5 it skills that won't boost you salary in your current position if you learned them today', he might have been correct.
      • Zenshai, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1I agree with you about the legacy languages.
        However, the idea is that HTML is needed as a skill but not as a line on your resume, besides if you are putting Ajax on your resume I sure hope you know HTML as well.
    • echo2501, on 04/21/2008, -0/+6HTML is such a broad topic. I try to be specific saying "Semantic HTML4 / XHTML1". Separates those that use paragraphs for paragraphs and paragraphs for blocks with extra space below it.
      • david76, on 04/21/2008, -2/+2So, you know how to use HTML properly. It's like saying you speak english correctly. Depending on the position, it should be a given.
        • Fordi, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2Assuming proper use of HTML as a given in web coder hiring is like taking correct english as a given in call center hiring. Sure, you can get away with it, but your customers may object when no one can understand their output.
    • weeeezzll, on 04/21/2008, -2/+11#6 Entire resume consist of bulleted and comma separated list of acronyms and skills.
      #7 Use the term "Web 2.0" when describing anything new on the internet that I don't understand.
      #8 Social ineptness means I'm better at this than others
      #9 Lack of grammar and spelling skills because i've got so much geek-ness packed into my brain.
      #10 Reads Network World Magazine
      • Fordi, on 04/21/2008, -10/+3Dude? If you're not in the game, please don't bother to comment. Your ignorance is showing.
      • fuze44, on 04/21/2008, -0/+0Great, but your list isn't one of IT skills.
    • icexe, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1I agree that plain old HTML by itself does not belong on a resume, instead it should say xHTML/CSS along with other supporting technologies. A lot of people think just because they wrote the HTML code for their Quake Clan site back in the 90's that it means they can become web developers today.
      Any proper web shop will throw out a resume that lists just plain HTML, but will eagerly take a second look at one that says xHTML/CSS, web standards, Section 508, WCAG 1.0, Javascript/AJAX, PHP and/or .NET
    • dfsjdkflasjk, on 04/21/2008, -1/+1Technically this is the page that a person would see if they were viewing it from the "Send to a Friend" feature.

      Actual story: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/041708-caree ...
    • Fordi, on 04/21/2008, -0/+3@weeeezzll: Didn't really finish what I was saying...
      Here: I actually hire people, soooo...

      #6: A good coder's resume consists of stated competancies in core technologies, not bullet points or acronyms. If you know PHP, say it, sure, but I'm far more interested in how quickly you can relate the potentials of a language. You can know nothing but the syntax structure and claim to 'know' a language.
      #7: "Web 2.0" will usually get you dismissed pretty quickly. If you can't state the components needed to produce a web application interface, then you blowing smoke up my ass.
      #8: If a programmer can't interact with his co-workers, he's not going to do the team thing well.
      #9: Being unable to effectively communicate complex ideas in plain language is enough to get you dismissed with speed as well.
      #10: most of those trade magazines are targeted to be simple and stupid for purchasers. Real coders read blogs and reference manuals to keep up to date, not trade magazines.
    • jondo85, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1I think that is the print friendly page... Just clicked on the other article that one links to, and there is no more '95 chic
    • hysterix, on 04/21/2008, -0/+0Dude you totally read my mind. I was like how ironic; talking about how html isn't in demand when this is their h1 tag:
      5 IT skills that won’t boost your salary

      LOL
  • nickcozy, on 04/21/2008, -24/+3Blame them indians.
  • jkog, on 04/21/2008, -19/+3Goodbye Coballers, Hello DotNetters!
  • diablo2032, on 04/21/2008, -8/+1I guess I better go back to school =/
  • Aitese, on 04/21/2008, -4/+66Short version...there's no demand for those skilled in defunct technology.
    • underdog138, on 04/21/2008, -3/+21They could have just said that and saved us all some time.

      In other news, water is wet. More at 11.
      • longbow486, on 04/21/2008, -2/+1111? i cant wait that long
        • weeeezzll, on 04/21/2008, -0/+3Okay then, here is the full story: Water is wet.
    • Aitese, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1Maybe I was harsh with "defunct" maybe just, a requirement that it seems redundant to state. HTML...that's like putting "I can add and read" on my CV...it's just a requirement that should be an assumption for a web professional.
      • Fordi, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1... you'd be surprised at how few coders can produce quality semantic markup. There is a difference between [strong] and [b], [em] and [i].
    • directrix13, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1I'm just glad it didn't list bow staff skills. I'm safe... for now.
    • catbeller, on 04/21/2008, -0/+3A good chunk of the world's code is still in COBOL. Someone needs to work on all of that. There are jobs, and young hotshot code pilots won't take them, and employers don't think of them, but the coders still are needed. I assume you bring in coders from India or similar.
      Kinda glad I'm out of the game. Skill sets obsolete in less than two years now, and you really do have to be under thirty to be taken seriously, as all the managers are the same age. It's a rock star profession with rock star managers. Shrug.
      You all do realize there aren't enough hot 22 year old l33t coders being manufactured in the suburbs to meet demand? Gonna catch up with you all, this attitude.
      • kingmanic, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1The article points out that the skills are still needed but corporations aren't paying anything extra for them. Wait until the keepers of the old code retire and you'll seen see :
        "Wanted, COBOL programmers. $150,000/year"
    • Genma, on 04/22/2008, -0/+1employers want more skills for less pay, news at 11.
  • paulajohnw, on 04/21/2008, -26/+165 IT skills that won’t boost your salary
    It no longer pays to be a PC, NetWare or HTML expert
    By Denise Dubie , Network World , 04/17/2008
    Sponsored by:

    Technical skills may never die, but areas of expertise wane in importance as technology advances force companies to evolve and IT staff to forsake yesterday’s craft in favor of tomorrow’s must-have talent.

    "There is less need for system-side knowledge. In the past, IT folks had to understand a lot about memory, drivers and address locations, and what used which interrupt, but nowadays that stuff is plug-and-chug even on many Unix systems," says Brian Jones, manager of network engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s Tech Communications Network Services unit in Blacksburg. "I feel like all the skills I have picked up along the way are valuable and help shape my thinking and troubleshooting abilities. I don’t know how to value or devalue these skills; it’s like they have taken on new value now."

    Industry watchers would be hard pressed to name specific IT skills as entirely dead or completely useless, but some skills are well on their way to being considered a thing of the past -- as reflected by the declining pay associated with them. As hot skills like virtualization rise to the top of company must-have lists (see "Wanted: 10 IT skills employers need today"), high-tech talents in certain operating systems and specific vendor products fall to the bottom. Here are five high-tech skills that don’t demand the pay they once did.
    Plain old HTML

    As companies embrace Web 2.0 technologies such AJAX, demand for skills in HTML programming are taking a back seat. According to Foote Partners, pay for skills in technologies such as Ajax and XML increased by 12.5% in the last six months of 2007, while IT managers say they don’t see a demand for technology predecessors such as HTML. "I’m not seeing requirements for general Web 1.0 skills -- HTML programming skills," says Debbie Joy, lead solution architect for CSC in Phoenix.

    Legacy programming languages

    Skills in programming languages such as Cobol, Fortran, PowerBuilder and more don’t rate like they once did.

    "Certainly the Cobol people that had a resurgence with the Y2K bug aren’t in demand," says John Estes, vice president of strategic alliances of Robert Half Technology, an IT staffing consultancy. "Certain other applications such as Delphi and PowerBuilder, [which were] very big in the '90s, are no longer in demand."

    IT work-force and compensation research conducted by Foote Partners revealed that Cobol, PowerBuilder and Jini noncertified skills were among the lowest-paying skills in the second half of 2007. David Foote, CEO and chief research officer at Foote Partners, says the research shows not that such skills aren’t in use today but that companies aren’t willing to pay for them. "There is still a lot of C and Cobol around, though these skills are worth very little paywise," Foote says.
    NetWare

    Operating system know-how continues to be in top demand among hiring managers, but expertise in Novell’s network operating system NetWare isn’t keeping up with other technologies in the same area. "Networking software such as NetWare isn’t near what it was in the '90s," Estes says. And Foote adds, "Windows Server and Linux skills have replaced, or are replacing, NetWare skills" in terms of demand.
    Non-IP network

    IP and Internet skills usurped non-IP network expertise and know-how in technologies such as IBM’s System Network Architecture (SNA) continue to rank among the lowest-paying skills. "For networking, IP skills have replaced SNA skills," Foote says. According to Foote Partners' research, SNA skills accounted for just 2% of base pay in the fourth quarter of 2007, while security skills made up 17% of base pay.

    "Mainframe computing skills, including network components such as SNA, are no longer required in a server-based IP networking environment," says Martin Webb, manager of data network operations, Ministry of Labour and Citizens’ Services, Province of British Columbia.

    PC tech support

    The Computer Technology Trade Association (CompTIA) reports that hardware skills and knowledge, including expertise with printers and PCs, are on the decline in terms of demand. CompTIA surveyed 3,578 IT hiring managers to learn which skills would grow in importance over time and the industry organization found: "The skill area expected to decline the most in importance is hardware."

    Foote Partners' research separately showed an 11.1% decline in pay over the last six months of 2007 for ITIL skills, which are often put in place to streamline IT service management and help desk efforts.

    "The ‘move, add and changes’ PC tech function isn’t quite what is used to be," Robert Half Technology’s Estes says.
    • punkyetti, on 04/21/2008, -1/+3Really, is this needed? It isn't like it is badly formatted with 5 pages with more adds then words.
      • ohearn, on 04/21/2008, -4/+2It keeps thier server from being hit to hard and fried from all the digg and /. users hitting it.
        • dulymachine, on 04/21/2008, -0/+4Why should we be expected to read the comments before the article?
        • objectcode, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1if they read comments first. anyone whos not gonna RTFA are not gonna read the post
        • weeeezzll, on 04/21/2008, -1/+2Well had the site died under the strain of the digg and /. effect then the comments would have been all anyone could read.
          • objectcode, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1by that time it is already too late to save the server from dying. he could have said "when the server goes down, people can find it in the comments"
  • dave122, on 04/21/2008, -2/+46So if you stopped gaining new skills 5 years ago, you are still worth the same amount as you were 5 years ago? shocking....
  • levelred, on 04/21/2008, -5/+20They forgot "personality"
  • getsaf, on 04/21/2008, -2/+82Wow, this is a horrible article. There is no way you would want to leave off HTML knowledge from your resume.. Contrary to what this guy says, COBOL is still used in tons of big-business software, IBM (of course), Tons of banking databases, credit card services, mortgage services, and state/county level government uses the hell out of COBOL. Some of the others, I agree with, but you wouldn't want to leave that information off of your resume.
    • TheSpook, on 04/21/2008, -3/+15I was thinking the same thing about HTML. Hand-made static pages may be out, but you still need to know how to output what a browser renders. It's like saying, "Don't worry about learning English, just make sure the books you write are big sellers." (assuming the book is to be written in English)
      • sinrtb, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2If you were applying for a job in journalism for a major newspaper (English) would you put that you read and write english on your resume?
    • blechler, on 04/21/2008, -2/+2These days I usually start with a fairly bare HTML page and just create elements on the fly as needed with Javascript, but you do still need to have HTML skillz so as know which elements to create. The question that begs is "Do the HR people doing the hiring know this?"
      • stretch611, on 04/21/2008, -0/+4No they do not. HR people have no technical knowledge whatsoever. They match letter for letter on the skills and have no idea what the prerequisite skills are.
    • InsaneMachine, on 04/21/2008, -0/+4I don't think they are suggesting to leave them off the resume. But to expect that knowing them won't get you a pay increase, and if it comes down to either learning this or something else. To know that your time could be better spent elsewhere.
    • PicassoLSUS, on 04/21/2008, -2/+1I agree, this guy's out to lunch.
    • jspegele, on 04/21/2008, -0/+7True, but I think the point of the article (though it's not well stated) is that you're much better off with a resume that has XHTML, CSS, XML, etc. than just HTML. HTML is pretty much a given these days.
    • Elohir, on 04/21/2008, -1/+3Indeed, a very ignorant article.
    • EarthernJar, on 04/21/2008, -1/+7But don't forget: if you don't *want* to program COBOL (or any other language) at your next gig, be wary of putting it on your resume. I deliberately left Perl off mine cause I didn't want to get stuck fixing ppl's scripts at my new job.
    • Icyfenix, on 04/21/2008, -0/+5And what about hardware? Apparently no one needs to know how the magic box works anymore?
      • TheSpook, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2I agreed with that too, to a certain extent. But the magic boxes under the desk are becoming more of a commodity, especially with service agreements.
      • brianjlowry, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1I think as time moves forward, lots of people will understand the magic box through playing with it in their childhood. Something that didn't happen as frequently 10 years ago.
        • TheSpook, on 04/21/2008, -0/+3I see the opposite. Hackers of yesteryear were in-tuned with their boxes, because they had to. Again, today the PC is more of a commodity.
          • popfrogs, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2Not only that but remote support staff are becoming more popular for larger companies. Some law offices around here don't even have a staff IT guy, they have some people they've never met, half the globe away that remote in and tweak things for them.
          • CorpT, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1Completely agree. 15 years ago, if I messed up my computer, I had to fix it myself. Today, you can take it in or just get a new one.
      • jololli, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1The point is that being able to switch out PCI cards and power supplies won't boost your salary. There's too many people that know how to do the basics, and replacement hardware is cheap enough that it's not always worth paying to get things fixed anyways. It is important, but not a skill that's in high demand.
    • oldhick, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2This article pretty spot on. You can choose to keep HTML on your resume or remove it. As jspegele pointed out, many other skills necessarily imply HTML knowledge. COBOL is the only item I saw him get completely incorrect. COBOL is growing in demand daily as those who knew it are retiring and those coming up in developing their IT skills aren't learning it. Many applications that run our fortune 100's core business are still written in COBOL and will remain so for sometime. While COBOL is glamorous, you can definitely make some money.
    • allengeer, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1if you knew XML... don't you pretty much know HTML? I mean... one is (nearly) a subset of the other.
      • TheSpook, on 04/21/2008, -0/+5Don't underestimate clueless HR screeners and/or search software looking for keywords in your resume.
      • lordmetroid, on 04/21/2008, -4/+1I know HTML but hasn't even bothered to read the wikipedia article of XML so I have no idea just what XML is!
      • smackjer, on 04/21/2008, -0/+0Knowing XML does not imply that you know HTML, and knowing HTML does not imply that you know XML. Neither is a subset of the other. The only relationship is that XHTML is an XML-based specification for HTML that defines the elements (tags) and attributes that comprise a valid XHTML document. XHTML is an application of XML; XML can be, and is, used for many other kinds of structured documents.
    • ohearn, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2I think the better point would be tailor your resume to the job(s) you are applying for. If you are trying to get a job at a place that still uses a lot of COBOL (such as a lot of banks, gov't institutions, etc) then put it on there and play it up. If you are applying to be a web dev. then give it about 1 line in your "skills known" part of your resume.
    • rdean1970, on 04/21/2008, -0/+4I agree, there is more COBOL code in production use then Java, C++, or any other language combined. It is in the 70-80% range for any financial company, the government, and of course all of IBM's mainframes. With the baby boomers retiring there is such a fear of running out of COBOL programmers that IBM and consortium of other major Financial companies have considered opening up universities in China to just teach Cobol. So, I agree with some of these other post. If you are trying to get out of COBOL programming, don't list it in your resume. But I am telling you unless something miraculous happens in the next 5-10 years then there is going to be a ton of COBOL code and no COBOL programmers. Heck, the last time I was checking into a Disney resort they were using a Cobol program to handle the management of all of their hotels. Do they want to get off of it sure, is it going to cost 100's of millions to do it absolutely. There is the rub with getting applications off of "legacy" platforms. It is expensive and time consuming.
    • BohicaTwentyTwo, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1Recently, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Divison (SLED) was looking for COBOL programmers.
  • meruru, on 04/21/2008, -1/+65But my Microsoft Certification from computertraining.com will still get me the big bucks right?
    • B1663r, on 04/21/2008, -9/+3Did you read the article??? Yes, people with Microsoft administrators experience are still in demand.
      • slvrbullet87, on 04/21/2008, -1/+3WOO HOO I knew this MCSE was worth it
  • monahmat, on 04/21/2008, -1/+16Cobol is not dead. There are still a lot of companies willing to pay good money for people to program in it and do migrations. In 5 years maybe I will reconsider this, but right now there is money to be made for Cobol programmers.
    • TEMM, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2Agreed. There is enough demand for COBOL programmers right now that my school is offering COBOL programming courses to ungrads for the first time in about 10 years.
      • objectcode, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1really, i had to take COBOL. no choice about it, it was required.
    • CobolNoFun, on 04/21/2008, -0/+0my school had always offered CoBOL courses, since we have a few major finance/mortgage companies out here who operate in CoBOL. CoBOL was where most our graduates went (this is like 2 years ago).

      And all i can say is, CoBOL sucks. the "Environment Division" can kiss my PIC(X5).
      • stretch611, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2COBOL Divisions:
        In Every Damn Program.
        Identification Environment Data Program.
  • sikofitt, on 04/21/2008, -2/+74Pain old html? html is the backbone of everything you can't have a webpage without an HTML tag. Try it the w3c will fail your website.
    • TheSpook, on 04/21/2008, -0/+7> "Try it the w3c will fail your website."

      Maybe he's a former Microsoft developer.
    • B1663r, on 04/21/2008, -12/+3Um wow, you fail at Internet 2.0... ECMA script and HTML are like assembly language now days. You don't actually code in those anymore, while they remain handy to know, it is easier, faster, and costs less to use a tool that writes all your ECMA and HTML for you. And no, I won't tell you what those tools are, because I have already tried to tell that to your spiritual predecessor and he told me all that stuff sucked. So now you are on your own bub.
      • jspegele, on 04/21/2008, -1/+3I guess it depends how much care you put into your code and whether you want things done quickly, or done right.
        • B1663r, on 04/21/2008, -4/+1Right right right, because we all know what really matters is a website that can pass the w3c validator and display properly on a web browser than can pass the acid test. ROFL.
          • Fordi, on 04/21/2008, -1/+2What really matters is consistency across all browsers - which you will not get in Dreamweaver, frontpage, or KompoZer.

            You're a Script Kiddie 2.0 - and there's no chance in hell I'd hire someone afraid to dive into the code.
          • B1663r, on 04/21/2008, -1/+1wow, im not talking about any of those things. Lol.

            Is there really no one on Digg on a web thread even, who knows what web 2.0 is??? Really???
          • Fordi, on 04/21/2008, -0/+3Web 2.0 is a buzzword to describe integrable web applications using asynchronous background requests to a server to pass data back and forth and maintain a known application state. The goal for this is a seamless user experience, and a quickly responding user interface. While it is often done using prebuilt libraries such as Drupal / jQuery, Ruby on Rails / Prototype, etc, these are not necessary, and many "Web 2.0" applications are written using cold hard code. These libraries also do not create code for you, but instead ease the creation of code via shortcuts.

            The term integrable implies that one application may be a client for another, thus allowing mashups and alternative views, and modularizing the concept of a web application to operate in a similar way to desktop applications. The browser to application interface and application to application interface being generalized as a sort of remote procedure call, so that security and business can be done at the interface level, rather than at the client level.

            Web 2.0 does not mean 'The program does it for me!'. That's Script Kiddie 2.0; same as the old script kiddies, but you're leveraging the technologies built by the real programmers of 2008, rather than the real programmers of 2000.
          • hitoshi, on 04/21/2008, -0/+0TL;DR
      • nighthwk1, on 04/21/2008, -1/+8What, are you just generating web apps in Frontpage?
        Knowing how to write clean HTML (and CSS) is still absolutely necessary, especially when you're messing around with the DOM.
        • B1663r, on 04/21/2008, -6/+1Wow, another cluless noob who doesn't know what web 2.0 is. LOL!!!!!
          • garvallagh, on 04/21/2008, -0/+3i would hate to share an office space with you man.
          • popfrogs, on 04/21/2008, -1/+1@garyvallagh: At worst you'd share his parent's basement with him. That kind of attitude doesn't reflect a gainfully employed IT geek.
          • garvallagh, on 04/22/2008, -0/+1oh yeah popfrog, well, you smell and your smelly and you have a smelly bum
      • Fordi, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2You get no respect, and rightfully so. Sorry, but you can't "use a tool" to write, for example, a liquid layout, without it producing tables and nonliquid markup.

        As for having a tool write your ECMA for you - yeah, fine. You want to crash browsers, enjoy yourself. Me? I'm going to write quality code.
  • bliz, on 04/21/2008, -1/+26Still, ajax uses either xhtml or html so, html is more like an implicit pre-requisite.
    • objectcode, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2it may be a pre-requisite, but knowing html alone wont get you a salary boost
  • blah247, on 04/21/2008, -2/+3Want more money in IT? Get a Project Management Professional Certification. Since most IT work revolves around projects, even if you're not a PM per say you'll be able to demand more salary sporting one of these.
    • fuzed, on 04/21/2008, -2/+2Project Managers are those folks who are too incredibly stupid to be the technicians who actually do the work. Another made up buzz-word IMO.
      • thedr96run, on 04/21/2008, -0/+5That doesn't change the fact that they make more money than anyone that's on the project... Trust me, it's rampant all over our IT department. Our top security professionals and top developers are making 80K ish and the PMs are up around 150K and they don't know their ass from a hole in the ground.
        • MoneyShot, on 04/21/2008, -0/+7Good PMs are worth their weight in gold. IT people are among the most egocentric people I've ever worked with and are extremely hard to manage effectively. Everyone is 100% certain that their favorite technology is the best solution and will throw a tantrum if they feel that their superior intellect is being under appreciated. A great PM can effectively juggle all those egos and keep the team excited and organized enough to product results. They don't need to be tech gurus; they only need to know how to manage said gurus.
      • HPMNick, on 04/21/2008, -0/+0I agree. What is the point of a project manager without enough competency to know how to implement the actual project? IT project management actually needs high technical aptitude (unlike a lot of other projects), yet a lot of these guys know little about how to implement the stuff.

        They've manufactured a position, and its being filled by people who probably only make the job more difficult. Project management should be a skill more than a position...
    • MoneyShot, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2I assume you mean PMI certification since that's the only PM cert worth a damn? And the reason it's worth a damn is because it's not one of those certs you can get by taking a bootcamp and sitting the exam. To get PMI certified, you have to already be a PM with documented, real-world experience (plus there's still a test that you need to pass).
  • Avian00, on 04/21/2008, -6/+16Why is A+ certification not on this list?
    • misterE0, on 04/21/2008, -1/+7isn't that encompassed by PC Tech Support?
    • strictnein, on 04/21/2008, -1/+13It is, sort of:
      "PC tech support
      The Computer Technology Trade Association (CompTIA) reports that hardware skills and knowledge..."
      A+ = CompTIA.
    • Icyfenix, on 04/21/2008, -3/+4dude- I make 74K a year in DFW on PC tech support. that's like making 300k a year in California.
      • strictnein, on 04/21/2008, -0/+4Dude!
      • popfrogs, on 04/21/2008, -1/+2Damn, who are you working for? I need to start shopping around in this market.
      • Kythas, on 04/21/2008, -0/+3Got a buddy making close to $80k in DFW doing PC tech support.
  • barc0de, on 04/21/2008, -2/+17They are right, I don't consider HTML to be a marketable skill - I consider it a fundamental necessity. I would never hire an AJAX programmer without HTML knowledge - that's just silly.
    • strictnein, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2But the idea that you would leave it off your resume is also silly. You know that AJAX and HTML are intrinsically connected, but HR drones do not and I would imagine that many IT/Development managers would still list it as a requirement.
  • Treoinmypocket, on 04/21/2008, -3/+6"5 IT Skills That Won't Boost Your Salary"?

    -SUN skills. Switch to AIX and make a hell of a lot more money.
    • SavageBlackCat, on 04/21/2008, -5/+2ROLF - If $25/hr is your idea of a hell of a lot of money
      • ayeroxor, on 04/21/2008, -0/+4Rolling on lungs feebly?
      • Treoinmypocket, on 04/21/2008, -0/+3I said a hell of a lot MORE money. AIX skills will net you 2x what SUN skills will.
        • fabio1, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1but doesn´t smit does pretty much does all the tasks you need? what´s so valuable there?
          • Treoinmypocket, on 04/22/2008, -0/+1this is why tech geeks don't run companies....SUN is a dying platform AIX is in high demand. DO you wnat to make money or not?
    • allengeer, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2Switch to Linux blades and make even a helluva lot more money. Or better yet, learn SAP.
  • DeMoNX4187, on 04/21/2008, -2/+5Legacy programming languages show that you are seasoned and have good structure in your code. Wonder what languages this smacktard codes in (if any)?
    • oldhick, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2Thats not true at all. I've seen plenty of bad code written in legacy applications.
  • artemisn, on 04/21/2008, -2/+1Only if yo have them.
  • olbap, on 04/21/2008, -1/+14Well, I am starting out on my IT journey. And, from what I see in most entry level ads, they still want A+ certs so that is what I've recently completed studying. Of course, this won't be the last certification...but I hardly see CompTIA certs as being a "has been" certification process.
    • mehan, on 04/21/2008, -0/+10They're still needed, it's just that getting paid $10-$15 an hour is not appealing to most IT people.
    • B1663r, on 04/21/2008, -0/+7And they will be VERY helpful at getting that first job.
      • kenplaysviola, on 04/21/2008, -0/+3Exactly! There are some people who say that certifications are a waste of time, however, my argument is that it can't hurt you to have them. Combine that with work experience and projects to put on your resume and it looks even better! Also, by studying and getting your certifications, you can learn more than the guy who learns everything hands on. Don't get me wrong - the person who does things hands on will be experienced, but they can't always think outside the box because they only know what they've encountered, not the possibilities of why or alternatives. I see this a lot with our new help desk people, along with some old IT farts who don't keep up with IT anymore. Certifications forces you to learn about (insert hardware/program/OS) more than you need to know and gives you that knowledge and option in case you need it in the future.
        • hypertension, on 04/21/2008, -2/+3I began earning various certifications in 2000, and I can't say for sure that it was worth my time.

          I never got jobs, or even interviews, based on my certifications -- it was always about my experience.

          If I had to start again, I would put more effort into doing whatever ugly job I could do -- midnight moves and refreshes -- and gaining experience for my resume. Also, any university diploma carries far, far more weight than a stack of certifications, which is why I decided to take a year off and finish it up.

          Interestingly, most of my certifications qualified for credits at my university -- probably the #1 benefit I got from them.

          I'm moving out of IT now (7 years -- I want something new) and can promise you that whatever I move into next, I'll do completely on an experience basis, even if I have to volunteer or intern.
          • hypertension, on 04/21/2008, -2/+1WTF!? Why digg this down? If you have a problem with what I'm saying then have some balls and respond.
    • minorthreat, on 04/21/2008, -1/+3recently completed studying for this A+. I don't mean to sound like a DB, but I signed up to take the A+ exam, found a studying guide on the internet the night before and passed the test the next day no problem.... Im by no means bragging. Im just saying that the A+ cert if worthless. The only way I have benefited from is when asked in the interview about it. I just tell the story above and it seems like I have some personal motivation.
      • olbap, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2Did you take the 2006 exam or the one previous to May 2007? They updated the cert process. It is now much more involved. So, my line of thinking was if employers see that I have an A+ 2006 cert, they might pick me...say over someone who took the exam previous to the updates. But, good to know it was easy. I am flat broke and unemployed and can't even afford the exam fees at the moment. Currently looking for temp. work to solve that problem!
        • hypertension, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2Sign up for some of the ugly midnight IMAC (install/ move/ add/ changes) jobs that nobody wants to do. That'll be far, far more valuable than an A+.

          Good luck!
    • allengeer, on 04/21/2008, -2/+2A+ cert is worthless. If you have a job that requires this nonsense.. then that means you have a person hiring that thinks its worthwhile... which is a bad sign. Because more than likely, this person is your boss... and when you come up with a good idea.. they wont have the brainpower to realize it.
      • olbap, on 04/21/2008, -0/+4I could care less who hires me as long as I get a foot in the IT door. So, if my first hire thinks is BS - who cares....it gets me a job!!
      • BikerDude69, on 04/21/2008, -0/+4A+ Implies that you have basic hardware knowledge. It is an excellent first step and should not be dismissed. I am an IT business owner and would never hire someone who doesn't have at least an A+.
        • allengeer, on 04/22/2008, -0/+1well "BikerDude" IT Business Owner.... by my logic, you wont be able to realize a good idea when you hear one. Judging from you user name, I stand by that claim.
    • garvallagh, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2if your going to start out in Tech Support, get yourself an MCP in Vista or Something, its like a 3 of a kind compared to the A+ pair. Maybe company will help pay for your MCSA,
    • olbap, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2Well, this is the choice/route I'm taking. It is good to know that the A+ cert is easy pie exam-wise. I just read a 1200 page book for the 2006 A+ and it did a very good job in filling in all the gaps of my personal knowledge in hardware, networking basics and Windows XP that I didn't know before. I do have experience in the tech industry as a support technician for various software applications. But, I'm sick of supporting one application and I envy those in IT who are exposed to so much more. I am definitely going for the MCP as soon as I take the A+ exam (money is getting in the way of that at the moment)...my ultimate goal is to be a SQL Admin. Thanks for all the input!!!
    • Fordi, on 04/21/2008, -0/+4I will suggest that Certifications are dying. Too many IT pros have been burned with inept 'certified' personnel, and too many IT pros got in with more persistence than certification.
    • MoneyShot, on 04/21/2008, -1/+7Ignore all the retards who talk ***** about certs. I'm 30 years old and have more certs than I can remember. I was working at Best Buy as a PC Tech gaining some experience, but not enough to make my resume look attractive. I then took the A+ and passed and then started applying for tech jobs in the corporate world. Shortly thereafter, I landed a nice gig that got my foot in the door. From there, I studied up on networking while also gaining real-world experience by assisting the network guys as often as possible. Eventually I passed my Novell CNA exam, CompTIA Network+, and MCSE (NT 4.0, which should tell you how long ago this was). I was then promoted from PC tech to the company's "Professional Services" division, which meant I wore a tie more often, meet with customers, and earned a hell of a lot more money. Today, I am an IT Manager making a good amount of loot with a company I love. I haven't kept up on my certs (my last one was for Citrix Metaframe 1.8) because I haven't had to. My resume is packed full of experience and documented results. But it was the certs that got my foot in the door and allowed my career to take off.
      • Fordi, on 04/21/2008, -2/+1Hence dy-ing. Not dead. And certainly not dead when they were of advantage to you.
      • kenplaysviola, on 04/22/2008, -0/+2Good example, MoneyShot! I also started getting my certs a few years ago (RHCE, RHCT, CCENT, MCSE:2003, MCP, MCTS:Vista, Security+, Linux+, Network+) and I am currently working on my Cisco CCNA. Have they helped? YOU BET! Every year I go through a performance evaluation and we get merit increases based on the performance evaluation. I take on new projects from what I've learned from my certifications study and build up on them. So far it has led to promotions and one salary increase of up to 25%! I wasn't making much to begin with so it was a big boost at the time. My boss is impressed with my dedication to learning. In fact, my work pays for all my books, training, courses, and tests. I know for a fact that I could NOT be where I am today without those certifications. You couple your certifications with real work experience and your resume will look very impressive.
  • wsuvtx, on 04/21/2008, -4/+2Duh. Buried for being too obvious
  • SocialPoison, on 04/21/2008, -1/+20One of the more ignorant articles I've ever read... Legacy systems are in trouble now because the people who wrote them are retiring. If you know how to hack that type of code, you can ask a pretty penny since so many high risk/visibility/usage applications use it. Supply and demand. Buried as retarded.
  • PersonX2, on 04/21/2008, -1/+1A couple years ago I was hiring for a tech position and sifting through resumes I found that someone listed "I'm a capacorn" as a qualification for the job. Needless to say it was passed around the office for a good laugh then into the trash.
    • Vindicoth, on 04/21/2008, -0/+7Why the hell do people say " needless to say " and then.. say it?
    • objectcode, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1i think that might have been me who submitted the resume
  • toxicityj, on 04/21/2008, -1/+3Of course plain 'ol html isn't going to get you a job. You at least need to know some CSS. There's tons of work out there for a good (x)html/css coder.
  • donkz, on 04/21/2008, -1/+32Most important skill in IT is to understand something besides IT so you can apply IT to it.
    • EvolutionTheory, on 04/21/2008, -0/+6Brilliant!

      Biggest complaint I receive from end-users. Some IT Nerds with no social skills don't realize that IT is there to SUPPORT business and users.. the users aren't there to support IT.
    • flatpick, on 04/22/2008, -0/+1Well, yes, you are right, but that task is often fulfilled by product managers who sort of understand IT and do understand a domain (or claim to). Then the most important task in IT becomes "fix the mostly-broken prototype-turned-product developed by the visionary with sub-par software development skills."
  • removesstains, on 04/21/2008, -1/+5Sad thing is at my company the older generation still doesn't know what any of this is.
    • flipmeat, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1Bust a move. Build a demo project using the new tech. tell them you'd be interested in a new position doing that work if it interests them...
  • TRScheel, on 04/21/2008, -5/+11. HTML
    ---- Not too surprising considering its ease of use and the abundance of GUI's for it nowadays.

    2. Legacy Programming Languages
    ---- I'd agree with every one but the COBOL. That is still in demand, and the rarity of people being able to code in it actually makes for a good bargaining chip. I know a lot of insurance companies still use a lot of COBOL.

    3. Netware
    ---- No big surprise there. There are more relevant networking/OS skills you could have

    4. Non IP Network
    ---- Again, no big surprise

    5. PC Tech Skills
    ---- Basic PC Tech skills are in demand, but their demand has dropped down a few tiers. Its almost an expected skill.
    • talonstriker, on 04/21/2008, -2/+2You may have nice GUIs but you still need to know how HTML works and be able to code w/o GUIs. If you want to write PHP/SSL scripts you can't use GUIs to generate HTML code.
      • TRScheel, on 04/21/2008, -1/+3Basic HTML is an expected skill if you want to code those higher skills. Knowing it is not going to get you paid more (as the article said).
        • objectcode, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2I don't see how people fail to understand this
  • Kenzan, on 04/21/2008, -4/+31Item # 5:
    PC tech support

    This is *****.
    There will ALWAYS be a need for "on site" Desktop support.
    But I guess this poll didn't include fortune 500 companies.
    Dugg down for being our of touch.
    • TRScheel, on 04/21/2008, -2/+5Its considered an expected skill nowadays
    • NICU, on 04/21/2008, -2/+5PC tech support will always be in demand, but only knowing how to setup PCs won't be enough knowledge to increase your salary. This is an article about boosting your salary - not about getting a job.
    • hypertension, on 04/21/2008, -4/+0Most desktop support people see their job as a stepping stone, anyway. Work somewhere for a year, get some more schooling, then upgrade to a better job after mentioning every bit of new technology you touched.
    • htnguyen, on 04/21/2008, -0/+3agreed... i've worked some brilliant network engineers, systems engineers and oracle dBA programmers who come across as "clueless" when it comes to replacing a power supply or a motherboard. sure ITIL mgmt will help with the best Tech Support service assuming you've got the best Helpdesk person in the world, but it can never replace an onsite technician dedicated to Client Services.
  • jlunski, on 04/21/2008, -1/+12How is it possible that PC Tech will ever die, as long as there is a PC to run the software a tech will be needed to un-clusterf#ck what users did to it.
    • dave122, on 04/21/2008, -2/+1Until everything goes to thinclients and you don't have to worry about users mucking up their system because you can just mount a new image to their citrix account :D

      /sits back and drinks coffee... what should i do at work today?
    • minorthreat, on 04/21/2008, -1/+2Have you ever supported an office full of programmers? We don't need support, contracts and accounting do.
      • garvallagh, on 04/21/2008, -1/+6??? your not serious right, programmers are a plague on the network, id have yours all VLAN'ed off somewhere and stuck in a shed, always pissing about with the registry, ***** up my servers with yer fancy pants code, testing it without the users involvement, hmmm now that i think about it im going to pop upstairs and get those guys a coffee for keeping me in a job
        • bigsteve, on 04/21/2008, -2/+1If you as a network manager can have your servers "***** up" by "fancy code" then you're doing it wrong.
          • garvallagh, on 04/22/2008, -1/+1no sir, i just clean this place, a little guy in the corner of the office here, never locks his PC at night.
      • ThaDRD, on 04/21/2008, -0/+5That's rich...when I worked PC support, it was shocking how the programmers couldn't get around their PC's to do the most basic tasks/activities.
        • objectcode, on 04/21/2008, -0/+3there are programmers like that. you can get a programming degree without knowing how computers work
    • dave122, on 04/21/2008, -0/+0Oh yeah, believe me I've had to deal with more than my fair share of idiots, it's really just a matter of taking away everything they can use to muck up their system. Internet on teller machines? Not likely.
    • oldhick, on 04/21/2008, -1/+5Guys, the point of the article is to "boost your salary". We will ALWAYS need PC Tech/Hardware support, we just won't ever pay very much for it.
  • dupswapdrop, on 04/21/2008, -1/+7Don't need to know about printers? Printers are the biggest pain in the butt, someone is always crying about stuff not printing.
  • doshindude, on 04/21/2008, -3/+7Putting HTML in list=fail.
    if you didn't know HTML, you wouldn't even have an IT job.
    • flatpick, on 04/22/2008, -0/+1A few years back, I tried culling down my list of résumé skills to only the most relevant and current things that I do. At the very next interview I attended, the hiring manager proclaimed that I didn't seem to have broad experience (despite my decade of it). I immediately re-added all things arcane to the list. Yeah, so now I have to explain that I'm not current in LISP and x86 assembly (funny how often these dudes delve into stuff that isn't even relevant to the job). I'd rather tell my anecdote than try to fix a bad first impression.

  • connieLingus, on 04/21/2008, -3/+2i've been in IT for almost 30 years and this article isn't bad...the future is all about net-aware technologies like PHP and/or C#, with SQL for local data access. standalone apps are going the way of the dinosaur.
  • AmirRaminfar, on 04/21/2008, -1/+4Forgot Microsoft Office.
  • futureisours, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1Dumb article. Sure, if you have tons of certs/skills, you might want to leave A+ or HTML or whatever, but for the amount of space on a resume listing a one or two work descriptor, you can't really go wrong.
  • orlyfactor, on 04/21/2008, -4/+156. That "degree" from DeVry or ITT Tech.
    • xuanyan, on 04/21/2008, -5/+7My 'degree' from DeVry got me my first job. Now I'm in to my second job, and the majority of my team members are DeVry grads. We're doing quite well thanks.
      • allengeer, on 04/21/2008, -7/+2HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA
      • hypertension, on 04/21/2008, -0/+4I know that current DeVry students are actually getting pounded with lots of education, but you know... some stereotypes still exist.

        Time for a name change!
  • BXRWXR, on 04/21/2008, -3/+30000100 IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
    000200 PROGRAM-ID. HEYWORLD.
    000300
    000400*
    000500 ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
    000600 CONFIGURATION SECTION.
    000700 SOURCE-COMPUTER. RM-COBOL.
    000800 OBJECT-COMPUTER. RM-COBOL.
    000900
    001000 DATA DIVISION.
    001100 FILE SECTION.
    001200
    100000 PROCEDURE DIVISION.
    100100
    100200 MAIN-LOGIC SECTION.
    100300 BEGIN.
    100400 DISPLAY " " LINE 1 POSITION 1 ERASE EOS.
    100500 DISPLAY "I'm not dead yet!" LINE 15 POSITION 10.
    100600 STOP RUN.
    100700 MAIN-LOGIC-EXIT.
    100800 EXIT.
    • mancat, on 04/21/2008, -0/+4Do you have gray hair?
    • hysterix, on 04/21/2008, -1/+0If you are, "not dead yet" as line 100500 claims, could you please do so already? (not you of course, just cobol)
  • stikkitjim, on 04/21/2008, -0/+4hmm... from working in a banking environment where IT departments are about 1000 people strong.. this isnt true.

    Most huge organisations still run a lot of critical services on legacy technology - just because it still works and does the job it's supposed to! In fact, in some cases hacing in depth knowledge of older technology can even get you a much bigger salary (I've seen COBOL contractors secure 12 month contracts at £800 a day ($1600. €1200)
    • taala, on 04/21/2008, -1/+0Your euro exchange rate is a bit outdated.. £800 is merely €1000 nowadays.
  • tweetsa, on 04/21/2008, -2/+3BSG will make it to earth. I also can't wait to see how this inter cylon war turns out
  • ZachDeLaRocha, on 04/21/2008, -6/+1If you put HTML on your resume and can't back it up with something like PHP or ASP, you probably suck.
    If I see someone touting COBOL skills, they either suck, or I know I either can't afford to pay them what they want, or they're 100 years old and won't be a good fit for us.
  • mercnboy3, on 04/21/2008, -5/+1i am so glad that I don't need to know any html for my web 2.0 sites. jeez, I hate people that say crap like that. They obviously have no idea what that means. That being said, I do not list HTML on my resume, everyone knows HTML.
  • cubicledrone, on 04/21/2008, -3/+15Further proof that the people who make hiring decisions do not understand computers, have never understood computers, and are absolutely committed to never ever learning anything useful about computers. They prefer to make fun of geeks, call computer programmers losers, question their ability to find girlfriends, make jokes about living in the basement, make more jokes about being overweight and so forth.

    The entire ***** economy runs on computers. Why is it so difficult for IT people to find work?

    The fact that a misconfigured video card shuts down an entire division for a day and costs their company $145,000 in lost productivity leading to layoffs for ten employees and an insurance claim isn't really important, because they're just so much ***** better than you are because they refuse to understand what a memory address is.

    The only skill that will boost your salary is recognizing that companies want top-level talent for free. If they can't have that, they'll hire someone 11,000 miles away sight-unseen with not one shred of proof they know how to spell "computer" and pay them thousands a month because it makes them look like a hero in the catered powerpoint festival management meeting.
    • stretch611, on 04/21/2008, -0/+6I do not know why the parent is being dugg down. He speaks the truth even though it is with an obvious (and justifiable) cynical attitude.

      Every big company relies on computers, yet none of them want to pay for good help. They will pay however lower then minimum for people that do not know what they are doing and could make the problem worse.
    • flipmeat, on 04/21/2008, -0/+5It is unwise to work for execs with the judgement of drunken lemurs.
    • norcalscan, on 04/21/2008, -0/+3I love those catered management meetings. Show up with laptop and projector, set it up, get their powerpoint presentation running, grab lots of goodies from the food table, nod to the paycheck writers and take off for 2 hours, knowing they would never notice you missing while they are in the meeting.
  • blang, on 04/21/2008, -0/+3Netware demand is low but I have to say that Netware skill supply is even lower. Many CNEs have been in the IT field long enough to demand higher salaries due to the cross experience with other products so it is very rare to find a Netware guy that would not have to be compensated for their other skills as well. Finding a junior level MCSE that knows nothing about Novell is not that difficult, but most up to date CNEs have Windows and Linux experience and expect to be paid for it. Also, if you are able to find someone experienced with Netware they probably have chosen to learn other skills in place of mastering the newer Netware OES services so high level expertise is also very hard to find. Not to mention, beginners read articles like this that focus on the demand side so very little supply is created. Finally, because Netware is big in schools and government turnover is less than in corporate so Netware guys are not leaving their current jobs. I know from experience that even though Netware's market share is small, the skilled pros required to manage these networks is even lower.
    Remember that demand is just one side of economics.
    • blang, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1tomorrow'slso add that the failure of this article is that it looks from the Macro level instead of the Micro level. If you work for a company using Netware, getting a salary bump for gaining Netware expertise seems like a smart decision regardless of what other businesses are wanting. Overall demand does not always show the best way to get a salary bump for an individual. An MCSE in a Netware only environment will not be as needed as a CNE even though the MCSE certification is "tomorrow’s must-have talent"
  • akilleen, on 04/21/2008, -0/+4I call BS. Certain old technologies can help you get jobs, especially if there are places looking at moving off of them. I have got a few jobs because of having Netware experience.
  • kennethmci, on 04/21/2008, -0/+3HTML = required - if you dont know any HTML, id love to see you try manipulating the DOM with javascript and a server side technology ( ajax )

    Old programming languages irrelevant. If you can program, the languages you know are irrelevant - because you can EASILY learn new ones. im a web developer/programmer - and i know DOZENS of languages - even old ones. how things work is programming - the rest is just the syntax - which can be picked up quickly.

    should have been an interesting article- but it lost me on the first point!
  • cubicledrone, on 04/21/2008, -1/+5"There is still a lot of C and Cobol around, though these skills are worth very little paywise"

    Says it all. A solid C programmer can write anything in any language. IT management is spitefully and deliberately making things difficult for computer programmers because they think "nerds are losers" and are determined to keep it that way.

    In the process, they are costing our economy trillions of dollars in lost productivity and are destroying the educations of an entire generation of people. The end.
    • bubbadoo989, on 04/21/2008, -1/+3Um, I don't think IT work difficulties are being caused by IT managers who '...think nerds are losers..." I think it has more to do with cheap labor being plentiful now that Bill Gates goes before Congress to cry for more h1b visas.
  • kennethmci, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2HTML = required.

    id love to see someone manipulate the DOM with javascript - and no HTML knowledge. I wouldnt put HTML on my CV though, because i see it as such an obvous thing you should know, that it goes without saying for a web developer/programmer.

    also, knowing an old language isnt a bad thing. programmers are programmers - the languages they know are the easy part! i know dozens...around 4 or 5 REALLY well. so on my CV i usually list them all - not to boast, just to show that i can adapt and learn any language thats put down to me.
    • brianjlowry, on 04/21/2008, -0/+2I hope your resume doesn't read like that; because if it does, HTML will be irrelevant.
      • kennethmci, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1lol

        well, in my defence - i lost part of my sight two weeks ago ( my left peripheral vision ) so i find it quite hard to read/type etc. but fair point!
  • hadak, on 04/21/2008, -0/+4won’t eh?
    • hysterix, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1They didn't need an html coder remember?
  • SonicEarth, on 04/21/2008, -1/+3Incorrect, COBOL is still being widely used, especially in the financial market. My friend is interning at Discover Financial Services for COBOL. I got lucky and get to to Java. ^_^
  • CYG101, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1Im confused by that article... ** scratches < head > **
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 89 of 89 discussions
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.