As the great Joel Spolsky have once said, the best way to recruit passionate Software Developers is through an On-the-Job trainee program.

Any ideas on where I can find the awesome developers I’m looking for?

I think your title is kind of misleading

It’s play on words. Like Joel Spolsky’s blog titles.

However, it’s not only people who are trying to get a decent job who should do something about it, instead the more important player should be the people in the industry who’s responsible for hiring them.

Agreed. However, as I grow older (and become less naive), I came to understand that employers don’t always need the best of the best (or the most passionate for that matter). For instance, a certain employer only needs a guy to fix the UI bugs, he won’t hire a very passionate developer that cost 80,000 PHP a month. He would just hire a fresh graduate who’s a lot cheaper… it doesn’t even matter if he/she is passionate or not.

let’s not blame the high salary that most of us are being offered

I am not really blaming the high salary directly (who doesn’t want to get tons of money?). I am just saying that due to the particularly higher-than-average salary of Software Developers, parents usually coerces their child to opt for IT related courses. The real problem, I think, has more to do with our culture and society than the salary.

Thirdly, I don’t believe that a course or a degree should justify if you’re fit for the job.

Me too. In fact, some of the most brightest programmers are not Computer Scientists.

This only contradicts what you said about going for what you really love to do. Let’s give chance to people who only realizes what they really want to do after they graduate.

All I was saying is that Kids going to college should have the guts to fight for what they’re passionate about. I mean, if a Kid is not sure what to get and the parents suggested IT, fine. However, if the Kid wants to be a Musician, but the parents wants him to be a Software Developer, the Kid should have the guts to go against his parents.

During my time, I’ve decided that if my parents were to go against my will to opt for a Computer-related course, I will just not go to college. I believe that people should have that kind of commitment.

Thank you for commenting.

One should go for the job he/she has the passion for(I’m a software developer and creating something with a computer is my passion since grade school), but we should not also forget the fact that survival comes first, which you point out and which I also agree should stop. However, it’s not only people who are trying to get a decent job who should do something about it, instead the more important player should be the people in the industry who’s responsible for hiring them.

Also, let’s not blame the high salary that most of us are being offered, it’s only right that we should be compensated for what we do.

Thirdly, I don’t believe that a course or a degree should justify if you’re fit for the job. This only contradicts what you said about going for what you really love to do. Let’s give chance to people who only realizes what they really want to do after they graduate. And in fact, you also stated that most of the people who goes for Computer Science as their course only got it for the money. Moreover, there are a more of graduates who have IT-related courses who do crappy software than what you call non-technical graduates. If in the future I get lucky and establish my own software development company I will hire people not highly based on their degree or their highest educational achievement but based on their character, their passion and willingness to learn and improve.

Lastly, the IT industry in the Philippines is quite young until now compared to other countries so let’s give it time and I’m sure skills and technical know-hows of Filipino IT professionals will improve and progress. Also, instead of blaming those crappy people, let’s try and help them do their job better, if not at least make them realize that they can do much better in other fields, of course in a good subtle way.

Cheers!

The best software in the world were not written by bricklayers; they were written by rockstar programmers.

I’m a recent HS graduate and soon to be a BS Computer Science freshman at UP Cebu (Hopefully!), and I’d really like to say that your words here hit home. Out of 189 of us in our batch (all girls, mind you XD), only two of us aspire to get into the IT field — not because of the money, but because it’s where we think we belong. Been computer geeks since our elementary days, and proud of it.

It just saddens me to hear that most of my batchmates are going into Nursing/MedTech, not because it’s what they want to do (or what they love to do), but it’s due to the insistence of their parents — with the belief that their daughter’s chosen course is a surefire way of getting a free work pass abroad. Sayang talaga, because some of these friends are really intelligent, and could excel even better in fields that they wished to go into. :’(

I’ve also realized that I’m blessed to have a family who supports me in this endeavor of joining the IT industry, partly because I would be the first in the family to do so, having come from a long line of educators and teachers.

So, yeah. Just a little sharing. :’) Thanks for this mind-opening post! I’ll be sure to share this with other friends who’re lost and confused on what to pursue in college.

And now off I go to read more of your past blog entries… I love the content you post. I haven’t seen bloggers who present with content with a caliber such as yours since 2006. o.o;

Cheers!

– Joanna

Yeah, I feel your pain. I’d love to do the job I’m MEANT to do. I just don’t know how what that is yet.

Passion is a capricious emotion, but work ethic is constant. As professionals, we should strive for the latter.

Another thing. Sadly in this country, not everyone has the luxury to “pursue his/her dream”. For a lot of people, having a decent job that feeds the kids and pays the bills is a great blessing already.

as they say, in order to work well, you first have to eat well. but this applies to the extreme portion of poverty. i guess what you wrote applies for the people who have enough resources; and for the people who are too much busy thinking how to get RICHER.