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Mar. 16, 2010

Overall, there still is some unmet demand for mobile apps developers. The latest job outlook report from the U.S. Department of Labor indicates that computer software engineers are poised to be among one of the fastest-growing occupations.

The field is also expected to add some of the most new jobs over the next ten years stretching from 2010 to well over 2020.

Much to the chagrin of software and mobile apps publishers, the number of qualified candidates for these jobs is still far short of meeting their rapidly growing demand. Not only is the pool of qualified developers way too small, there also continues to be frustration with the level of talent coming out of our high schools, trade schools and universities.

The numbers, which were last revised in December 15, 2009, projects the computer software engineer workforce to grow by a staggering 32.4 percent, adding well over 295,000 new jobs during that period. Also, computer software engineers in applications are expected to see a job growth rate of almost 35 percent on average, adding over 175,000 jobs by 2018.

Combined, both groups stand to reach a total workforce of nearly 1.9 million if the government's projections stand true. In 2008, the last time the agency compiled data, the average annual salary for a computer applications software engineer was over $85,400.

A rather large wall currently exists between what employers in the IT and wireless industry need and what many schools are doing to prepare graduates for the immense opportunity. So it begs the question: If unemployment is so high, why isn't more being done?

How much of a dent could be made in the total unemployment numbers if these jobs could all be filled with highly trained programmers and software developers from within our own borders?

In the past two to three years, Colleges and universities have become rather efficient at training world-renowned computer scientists, but they've yet to convert that success on any large scale with developer talent.

Just like most other industries that could be grouped under the umbrella of technology have experienced this vacuum, America's education system has failed to produce what these companies need on any scale.

Even with top executives pleading their case regularly, the federal government has been reluctant to expand the number of international visas allowed for these jobs.

Overall, schools at every level across the U.S. are adding degrees and certificates in digital media and software programming to their curriculum, but the workforce-talent pipeline still looks more like bottleneck than a flourishing ecosystem.

The rather slow pace of change within academia, particularly when it comes to curriculum, is only compounding the problem.

Needless to say, companies that produce digital media don't work under the same restrictions. Academia isn't always interested in change and yet change is the name of the game in the developer community.

Innovation should not be hampered so much by traditional lines of thinking, especially in an industry that's anything but caught up in its own little issues.

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Source: Y.M.T.T.