Is there really a shortage of software engineers?

Yes ! There is really a shortage of software engineers and this shortage is going to expand up to one million by 2020.

It is not for all types of engineers. Only for a specific type.

Today there are many good engineers, mediocre engineers and even bad engineers, there is no shortage of them, for them the supply outweighs demand.

The shortage is for talented software engineers. Here demand outweighs supply. There is an acute shortage as per industry experts.

The talented software engineer.

He is a genius or great, whatever adjectives we want to use, but this talented software engineer is in short supply.

They are very few in numbers.

He is someone who is passionate, builds great software, is totally immersed in technology.

Every moment of his existence is devoted to building software that is robust, cutting edge, disruptive and innovative.

He is constantly challenging the limits of technology and pushing it beyond the limits thus expanding technology beyond our imagination.

Such engineers are few in numbers and they are the Usain Bolt or Tiger Woods or Beckham or Sachin Tendulkar or Serena Williams or Sania Nehwal of the software industry.

A talented software engineer is the one that Mark Zuckerberg the Founder of Facebook and every other CEO of the best software companies want to hire.

And this is what Mark has to say about them,

Our policy at Facebook is literally to hire as many  talented engineers as we can find. There just aren’t enough people who are trained and have these skills today, says Mark

So the shortage is of this kind of talented software engineer. And it is not easy to identify them because there is no standard definition of him anywhere in the world.

No one can clearly define him, so there is this scarcity.

Every company has their own definition of this engineer. They use it to find them, hire them, and retain them. But it can vary from company to company.

Even the capabilities of these talented engineers can differ across companies depending on technologies they work on and the environment they get to nurture their skills.

Many believe this scarcity is a perception. But looking at the requirement's across the software industry and difficulty in hiring, this shortage is not just a perception, it is for real.

How big is this shortage?

In the coming years, there will be a shortage of more than one million software engineers in America alone. If you combine the shortage in all countries across the world then this shortage will multiply many folds.

John Fallon, CEO of Pearson, articulates this shortage in one of his interviews.

By 2020 there will be a shortfall of more than one million computer programmers in America alone. So I’m encouraged by any initiative that gives young people the skills they need to create, build, and be competitive in the 21st-century workforce.” says John.

Success Factory - Turning Imagination to Reality.

In one of my articles recently I mentioned about this shortage and that the software engineer’s need to break out from good to become great. Great means becoming so talented that the industry treats you no less than a Genius.

After working in this industry for 20 years and building software development teams, I have made this my mission to help software engineers become great. I want to help them go from good to great.

If you are a software engineer,

I want you to advance in your careers 3x to 4x times faster than you are doing today. I want you to become 10x times talented so that you become indispensable.

I don't want you to worry about your current job or the job you want to pursue in future.

I want you to work fearlessly and scale new heights in your careers. Such that exists only in your imagination but very clearly in my vision for you.

Each one of you can do this, whether you are a good engineer, a mediocre engineer or even a bad engineer, you can become talented enough to go from good to great.

I know many engineers who have taken the leap to become great while others who got left behind.

So I want you to take the leap to become great and avoid getting left behind.

War of talent & Industries fighting for them.

Let us come back to the topic of developer shortage.

Can you see how this shortage is created? Every leader in this industry is talking about it. It is a war of talent. Every company is fighting a daily battle to get the best engineers.

Today the because of software, businesses have totally changed. We are in an idea or knowledge economy. The real asset for a company is not machines but humans who are talented, who have ideas, who have the knowledge. For the software industry, this means having more talented engineers than their nearest competition.

You can already see how the top companies like, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Apple, are competing with each other. But this is no small competition, it is a war of talent.

Companies that can find, hire, retain and grow talented engineers will ultimately win.

Ask yourself a question, What are the industries where a software engineer can work today? The answer is, Every company in every industry needs a software engineer.

Banks, Logistics, Transport, Aviation, Oil and Gas, Education, Recruitment, FMCG or Retail, Fashion, Telecom, well I can put every industry out there and they all need software engineers. This is in addition to all the software companies who are also frantically looking for software engineers.

Senator, Marco Rubio, puts this very clearly.

Computer programmers are in great demand by American businesses, across the tech sector, banking, entertainment, you name it. These are some of the highest-paying jobs, but there are not enough graduates to fill these opportunities,” says Marco.

Reason to celebrate or problem in disguise.

Do you have a reason to celebrate if you are a software engineer?

Yes ! This is a good news you will be in great demand if you are a software engineer. This demand is not going to come down in foreseeable future.

It is not going to die.

But what about you,

For you, this depends on how you play your cards correctly and how that shapes your career as a software engineer. Shaping your career is in your hands.

But there is one tiny problem and we need to address it. The problem is about the quality of the software engineer.

Today in this uncertainty and chaos within the software industry even the good engineers are struggling. Forget about the mediocre or bad engineers. They are all in the worst state of affairs.

This is similar to any industry and any profession. The best will shine while the rest will cry and whine.

This final quote sums it up for you.

The competition for key skills and experience has become a global war for talent. Large vendors are expanding to regions beyond their typical recruitment grounds in search of top-flight engineers, programmers, and executives.” Mark McCaffrey, global software leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

This war of talent is for real. While the companies battle it out to find talented engineers, you will have to relentlessly improve your skills so that you can work for the best companies.

How to become 10x times talented and indispensable as a software engineer?

“Is there really a developer shortage?” This is not the right question to ask.

If you are a software engineer then the right question to ask is, How can I become 10x times talented as a software engineer?

When you start asking this question, you will find the answers and if you take action, then your career will see exponential growth. You will advance in your career 3x to 4x times faster than you are doing today.

Whether you are looking for that next promotion or want to work on cutting edge software or build the next disruptive technology or get paid 4x times your peers, or any other goal you have in your mind, you can achieve that.

You can turn every imagination to reality. Every dream that you had seen when you enrolled to become a software engineer.

These dreams are not difficult to achieve. Just look around. You will find some engineers who is talented and already achieving them. If you find someone around you, then pay attention. See how they work. Have a conversation with them. Learn from them. Model their success. Become talented like them or more than them.

It is proven that a curious student always surpasses his mentor or teacher. So become that student and study relentlessly what it will take to become great.

In case you don't find anyone who can help you become talented then Sign Up to my Newsletter at Success Factory: Turning Imagination to Reality. I will take you on a journey to from good to great.

Whatever level you are in your career to you will become a talented software engineer. The same one that Mark Zuckerberg is looking for.

Whether you want to join Facebook or any of the best software companies, one thing is for sure, you will never have to ask this question again because once you know the secret to unlock your potential you will become one in a million.

So what do we do next?

1. Leave a comment : What do you think about this shortage, is it real?
2. Share this page with your friends and to start a conversation.
3. To advance your software development career 3x to 4x times faster Sign up for my FREE Newsletter on Success Factory: Turning Imagination to Reality