From: "M. Edward (Ed) Borasky" <znmeb@...>
Date: 2007-12-11T13:46:13+09:00
Subject: Re: ruby certification

Gregory Seidman wrote:
> Part of the reason for working on/with leading edge technology is to be in
> demand. The market for Java or .NET programmers is largely saturated, and
> typical (note I said typical, not all -- your anecdotes have no power here)
> compensation and working conditions are what they are because of
> simple supply and demand economics. Other pressures level the field to an
> extent, in that differences in competence have a relatively small effect on
> compensation and working conditions. Likewise, with demand
> outstripping supply for Ruby (and particularly Rails) developers, I can
> expect to find work I like with compensation and working conditions to my
> liking because I can pass up less appealing opportunities without running
> out of options. As long as you are competent and can show your competence,
> the same applies to you; certifications won't help with that.

Well ... such "demand outstripping supply" tends to evaporate rapidly, 
and someone who wants to ride the waves needs a pretty good sense of 
where things are going and be able to become a *world-class* user of new 
technologies very quickly. I think I can pretty much name the top twenty 
to fifty Ruby programmers in the USA, and the projects they're working 
on. Unless you're one of them, expect to find that it's an employers market.

And Austin, you'd be one of them if you came back to the USA. :)