I'm noticing that a lot of the expectations / requirements are a lot lower. Most are "up to 2 years" experience.
Last time I was job hunting, everything was asking for 5+ years experience in one software stack and multiple frameworks. Sometimes 5+ years in multiple fields. What changed?
What changed over the last 50+ years in computing that might raise expectations for programming experience? The personal computer "revolution" of the 80s and 90s would like to have a friendly word with you. :)
Computing as a whole has changed. We are comparing a time (then) when physicians and mathematicians were the ones laying the ground work for what we have today to a time when people start programming to make video games and cool websites (today).
Also, getting experience back then was fairly difficult. Just getting your hands on a computer to get the experience would have been a challenge. Compare that to today where there are kids, literally kids, programming at home right now. For example, I started programming when I was 17.
I don't know. Essentially every place I've contacted I've asked about that clause. Not one actually expected to find it, but they all listed it.
5+ years seems to me to be a strange expectation. That would mean you've had either multiple failing jobs and might be an undesirable, or you've been somewhere for 5+ years. If you've been there for 5+ years, what's motivating you to leave? Where do people expect to find these vast pools of highly-skilled jobless people who have experience with <software stack X> in <field which employs a couple thousand people nationally> within <narrow time window>? That they never find any seems to underscore how irrational the 'requirement' is in the first place, but I see it everywhere.
I remember reading a job ad back in 2003 that wanted someone with 5+ years of C# and .NET experience. I assume the position was filled before 2006. (It's possible but unlikely that they were solely looking to poach Microsoft employees.)
I think it's similar to the over-education problem. Oh, everyone has a bachelor's (2 years experience) now we need everyone to have Master's degrees (5-8 years experience).
I'm actually curious if one day there won't be a reversal of the trend...I would think it would be at the point where supply no longer meets demand. But really, who knows.
Last time I was job hunting, everything was asking for 5+ years experience in one software stack and multiple frameworks. Sometimes 5+ years in multiple fields. What changed?