Increasing Opportunities, Lowering Possibilities: The Harsh Reality for CICTzens
In our current state as a society Programming and its related jobs have become widespread thanks to the necessity created by the increase in popularity of technology. It’s now well known in the newer generations that the latter jobs have it easy- usually staying at home with great pay.
And as CICT students we have access to this cacophony of easy well-paying jobs. But it might not be as sunshine and roses as the public perceives it. There has been a balloon in the number of graduates from computer-related courses in recent years. There may be more jobs available now, but the number of competition has greatly increased as well as the skills and knowledge required, skills and knowledge not every CICTzen might have.
If you browse through LinkedIn and Indeed, which are some of the most used job-hunting sites in the world, there are a lot of programming and developer jobs available. And oftentimes, these jobs have great pay relative to other jobs from different fields and excellent benefits, with the biggest one being able to work from home. This is one of the major reasons a lot of my fellow students have been taking computer-related courses, allowing us to have the opportunity to learn the knowledge to apply for these types of jobs.
But as time passes a lot of fresh graduates and college students realize the harsh reality of the workforce. Graduating from a computer-related course does not guarantee you the jobs that we’ve been told about online. If you’re simply an average computer science or information technology graduate your best-case scenario might be a desk job with a 15k payout every month.
Not to mention that there is now an extreme disparity in the amount of graduates coming from a computer-related course that could easily take your opportunity. This is the unfortunate truth that my Manongs and Manags have to wrestle with when they finally graduate. The jobs that are being paraded on the internet, though common require you to be above the creme of the crop even quality for an interview much less guaranteeing getting the job. So even though there are more jobs available to they, the possibility of being chosen is lower than ever.
As scary as it may sound, all is not lost. There are still dozens of ways that you can make yourself look attractive in the eyes of companies. One of the ways is to upskill. There are multiple ways to upskill, like taking programs and classes that are available online and face-to-face to learn a new language or to further improve your current knowledge.
Another way is to network with people in the industry and hope they can provide opportunities your way. Lastly, you can always pursue further education, but you do have to shoes between work experience and master’s degree
The programming job market, while abundant, demands more than just a degree. Competition is fierce, requiring continually learning new things and further developing your skills. Don't be discouraged, my fellow CICTzens! Embrace lifelong learning, network actively with your peers, and consider further education to stand out. By taking these steps, you can transform this "cacophony" of opportunity into a beautiful symphony of success.
