Donald Sears

Computer Economics has put out its latest research on IT spending and staffing, and the numbers are mixed. The research—2009/2010 IT Spending and Staffing Benchmarks—looks at 18 different industry sectors and subsectors showing metrics that can be used for budgeting and to get a wide snapshot of the IT landscape of your peers. Some of […]

Whatever your opinion on H-1B visas and foreign workers–and for many, this issue gets under people’s skin–please understand this: The law around these temporary worker visas is complex and not without its issues in understanding and enforcement. A recent CIO Insight article written by an immigration lawyer gives a pretty full picture of what an […]

Want a break from the recession? Me too. How about the Department of Labor take a few weeks off and report on these things a whole lot less frequently, because this careers blogger is getting tired of having to report the crap-tastic news every week. That would be awesome. But, no, Wall Street and economy […]

Oh, social media. You’re taking up so much of our time and energy that companies need to tell us how to behave. On one hand, it seems silly. Most of these guidelines are common sense, but common sense may not be enough where personal opinions and legal and human resource departments collide. I don’t blame […]

When the economy turns around–which could take a lot longer than anyone imagined–will you stay at your current job, or will you gladly try and get out as fast as possible? A study from Adecco Group appears to be showing that most people want a new gig and more money, and have no sense of […]

Looking for work or would like a new gig in technology? Too often the resume for the technologist is a grocery list of skills, certifications and acronyms. What about your impact on the business, a project or a team? As told in the article Searching for an IT Job: The Do’s and Don’ts: “Applicants “tend […]

There’s no way around it. While certain indicators are down, which is good news, state unemployment levels—based on the latest government numbers—are just plain ugly. It’s particularly bad in the West. Take a look at this (via the AP): “The Labor Department reported Friday that 48 states and the District of Columbia saw employment conditions […]

The Detroit Free Press recently interviewed Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer who asked him why Microsoft in 2007 built a research and development facility in Canada–over the border in Vancouver–not that far from Microsoft’s quarters in Redmond, Wash. Why not build it in the United States? Ballmer’s response: “While the Canadian R&D credit may have been […]

It’s pretty interesting to read a news release trying to give a gender spin to a recession that has impacted everyone so deeply. I realize Father’s Day is coming up, but is this really news that there are more men than women unemployed right now? Maybe. But it feels kind of forced. Here’s how outplacement […]

The engineers who work on simulated models and environments are getting a nice profile in a NY Times article. The news is that there is a growing need for creating simulations to help avoid risky endeavors for businesses and major catastrophes for the government and military–anything that has a large price tag and could involve […]

There are plenty of companies–including Dell, HP, Nokia and others–who have used work furloughs to help reduce labor expenses and avoid more layoffs these days. Given the state of things, it would seem that given the choice, most of us would take the unpaid time off rather than be thrown into the ocean of unemployment. […]

I think the answer on how technical an IT manager should have to be is dependent on a whole slew of issues, and open to a lot of discussion. But it also depends on the actual management the job requires as well as the state of your company in these challenging business times. Many managers […]