Duers know anybody that has dropped out of the workforce?

[jeff47]

31. CS, like many jobs today, requires constantly re-training

I'm going to speak about the programming side, since that's what I understand. The IT side is vaguely similar, but with lots of different details.

The thing about working as a developer is you can never be "done" with your education. You have to constantly learn what "new" language and technologies are coming out. Now, that training usually doesn't require classes - the idea behind that CS degree is to learn the fundamentals well enough that you can apply them to a new language or technology without taking more classes. After learning about 3 languages picking up any new ones is pretty easy.

But that only gets you through mid-career.

Then you reach the "40 cliff" that others here were discussing. There's a kid 10 years younger, and 10 years cheaper, who can write the same software. As a result, being "yet another programmer" is a problem when you get 40+. To be well-employed 40+, there has to be another reason to hire you.

There are various options for doing that, depending on what the individual wants. Most obvious is to be the expert on an archaic but still critical system. Problem there is that system will eventually be replaced.

"Consultant" can be quite profitable, if you are good at coming in and "saving the day". But employment is not consistent so you need to command top-dollar when you are getting paid.

Leading development teams and technical management is another fairly obvious path. And those two things are different - the person who does annual reviews is a manager. The person who tells you how to write the software is the technical lead. They do require different skills, but some companies try to combine the roles into one person. The problem here is there's a roughly 1 of these leadership positions for every 10 "regular" developers. So you're going to have to stand out as a lead or manager in order to make that work.

My previous advice for people who just wanted to write code all day was to burrow themselves in at a government institution. However, that doesn't have much job security anymore. It's still possible, but it's not the strong safety net it used to be. A slightly less-stable version of that is to get a security clearance - your job can't be outsourced and you'll likely always have employment opportunities in the DC area.

The least-obvious path is to start their own company. Through their years writing software, they're going to come up with plenty of ideas for something new. So do it. Requires a bit of a "nest egg" to get the ball rolling, but it's still possible to attract initial investors. It will require a lot of hours per week of work, and they should run their personal finances as if the company will fold (ex. keep paying yourself a salary). As an added bonus if the company fails, the experience is very helpful in getting a management, lead or consultant job.

Oh, and it's not possible for someone just getting their degree to decide which of these paths to take. It's going to take a lot of time and experience to figure out which one works for them. If any.

A CS career isn't a wasteland, but it's also not a guaranteed cash cow like in the '90s.