I know why kids in the USA do not want to be software engineers

From i indian prespective this seems overly exaggerated , but if this is the case than US should start doing something about it because imagine when this generation will be parents ! what they will teach to their kids.

• On the ending note even kids from indian big cities are now no longer interested in studies ,forget about maths and science.

Let me get on my soap box <step>

Having left collage a short time ago, I witnessed this decline. It was actually much worse in our bachelor's program. You had individuals who were totally overwhelmed by the subject matter. However, it was not just IT! I witnessed this in basic writing classes, math, science, philosophy and other subjects. I tried to find out what was going on.

The key is not so much what you learn in the classroom as to what you learn and apply outside of it. It was amazing to see how many people were copying other's homework and expected that the classroom should be the only place they have to learn and study. Homework is considered just that, something I get done to get done. There is no study factor, no learning.

One factor was key. As kids, sports were preached, television was watched, but there was no external study. I always asked the question "Sure your parents helped with your homework to answer questions, but did they take the time to help you study? Did they try to first understand the material, then assist you?" The common answer in many cases was no. I see this getting worse. I now see my friends with young children and they are passing their bad habits right down the tree.

Parents must start making external education a part of their mission. Foster learning outside of the classroom. Younger people are not steered from just IT, it's a much broader problem. Until we and the education system take the next step and start EDUCATING OUTSIDE THE CLASS, we will continue to see a decline in more difficult and mind challenging jobs and an increase in mindless, brainless jobs, such as stocking shelves, bagging groceries, asking me if i want to super size my meal, sweeping floors, the list goes on.

I hope more people follow this like me. Hopefully we can change this system before the deconstruction of America gets out of control.

Okay, Im off the soapbox <step>

IT has never really been a glamorous profession. Only in the 90s when people thought they could get rich quick did it have any attraction. Now it is back to the being the "in the basement" profession that it always was before - strictly the territory of geeks and nerds. Of course with salaries dropping like a rock, it's even less desirable now. I've been in IT since 1991, and doing fairly well even now, but if I had to start all over again, I would not pick IT.

I would think that the press about unemployed programmers would have something to do about the lack of interest. Nothing like going to school for 4 to 6 years in engineering and having to take a job in another field. I have seen friends in Construction, Petroleum, Mechanical, Automotive, Electical and Computer Engineering go through this cycle.

Having substitute taught for an interim job in Columbus OH and Arlington VA, I can tell you most kids can add and multiply. They are pretty worldly, they know what's up: style, music, games, war and disaster. Why would they want to spend all that effort on a career that forces then to find a new job every 2 years. The market-place economy has introduce so much more uncertainty that it is difficult to plan to far down the road. The prosperity of the "Greatest Generation" will be supplanted by the getting-by of the "X Generation".

Here we have a field that requires you to update your skills every few months or so. You have to constantly buy books, magazines and attend seminars just to be able to stay employable let alone get a raise. The other issue with IT is the glass ceiling. Your VP speaks French, your business manager also speaks French. You speak German. Guess who's going to get the big promotion? At some point, it becomes evident that no matter how hard you work, how much technical know-how you have, how many hours you put in ... you will never get paid like other professions such as medicine, sales, etc.

So, if you are bright and ambitious and want to achieve financial independence, you better stay away from IT.

Any occupation whose work product can be sent over a network will see its level of compensation move to whatever the worldwide market level is. Areas like Info Technology, almost all branches of engineering, mathematics, and medical professions such as Radiology are a few examples. Areas of the world with very low costs of living (and compensation levels to match) will be the primary beneficiaries of this, and areas of the world with high costs of living will suffer. The only occupations that will be immune to this are those that require direct physical presence (that is, where the work product cannot be sent over a network). Medicine (the branches involving direct patient care), Law (where country- or language-specific skills involving direct physical presence are essential), and "physical" trades such as electrician, plumber, mechanic, truck driver, etc.) are in the latter category.

To expand on my remarks above a little...the "stickiness" of locating a job in a particular area of the world depends to a large extent on the cost of transporting the occupation's work product to where that work product is consumed. Of course, IT is not the first occupation to be affected by this: manufacturing was impacted by the move to low-cost areas of the world long before IT. But different areas of manufacturing were affected to varying degrees depending on the cost of transporting the finished good to the consumer. Products with high transportation costs (e.g. finished autos) seemed to be affected to a lesser extent than those with low transportation costs (alarm clocks). In the extreme, the transportation cost for a work product that can be sent over a network is essentially zero. Once worldwide data networks became reliable and relatively cheap, it was only a matter of time before a big push would come to produce those work products that are "network transportable" in the world's lowest-cost areas.

High school and college students today (and those who help them choose a career) can certainly see the employment and salary trends caused by this situation, even without understanding all the reasons behind the trends.

Twenty years ago, I graduated with a M. Sc. in mathematics from one of the top universities. Then reality hit and I had to find a job. The closest thing to my training turned out to be mathematical software development. Over time, I began to realize that there was more money to be made in "generic programming" rather than scientific software. Last year, I interviewed at UNC for a graphics programming position paying $40K/yr but the interviewer thought that it was about half of my expectations. It was. Last year, I met a friend who is getting $25/hr (via a pass through contract) from the grant office doing real mundane work. Hence, the university must be shelling out $50+/hr for his work. While as my friend is a nice guy and I don't begrudge him anything, I really see how the world works. I have seen so many pass through contracts it makes me laugh. All of these middlemen are making money on my efforts. Last year, I saw an posting for Manpower for a position for Empire State College in Saratoga, NY. This really blew my gasket. University positions are really low paying, yet they have the money to pay Manpower Temps the overhead, on top of other costs. I left the perm job market because I thought I could make more money working directly with end clients and avoiding the middlemen. Unfortunately, there are more middlemen in the contracting world then there are elsewhere. The arguement is made that companies don't want to take the risk of firing someone. Well, doesn't the contracting agency take that risk?

Dear Mr Fain,

I am Anupama from India. The technical content of this site is not just filler but intelligent. Also though I disagree with whatever take you have on India, atleast u r honest. You have just earned my respect for your great articles. Meanwhile it's survival of the fittest. Only time can tell where all this will go. May the hard& smartworking win...beat you to it

warm regards, Anupama

IT may be a boring field for the US people but here in INDIA it is booming. More and more people are opting for cs because there is a huge demand. Here first comes the job security and then interest.Especially top rankers are opting for cs only. In all top varsities top rankers are in cs.It is not like that people do not know simple arithmatic, an uneducated indian can do that in seconds believe me. I am to in cs at NIT institute.My class mates are highly talented, rise brainstorming question in class...so if you want talent to know talent in diverse field come to india.

The sorry state of US education (higher and secondary) are one problem, but US business' attitude toward tech workers is the other. Currently, nearly 50% of all US college freshmen need to take remedial mathematics or writing. On the other side, it's so difficult to start and maintain a tech career in the US now that most undergraduates must be asking themselves if it's worth the bother.

Incidentally, my daughter in 7th grade is acing her courses in algebra and language arts, but I can assure you that she will not consider a career in IT.

Eric, you say it's too difficult to start and maintain tech career. What's easier? Can you name me one profession that will secure you $50 a year right off the college with such a high return on investment as in computer programming?