I enjoyed reading Stan Gibsons excellent opinion article in the June 27 issue of eWEEK, “Keeping IT Skills Sharp Pays Off.” I have witnessed firsthand the loss of hundreds of programming jobs due to a decision to move development to Bangalore. Indeed, my job was originally one of those lost, but the company changed its mind about me and I am still here.
I have been working as a programmer or software engineer since the early 1960s, at companies large and small. Never in all the 40-odd years of my career have I seen anything more than lip-service paid to training for programmers. I have been told in annual reviews that it was my responsibility to get training, on my own time at my own expense.
Bob Sander-Cederlof