Tech employment slips in January | CNET News.com

Tech employment slips in January After adding 57,300 jobs since Dec '03 only having a 300 job decline is more like holding steady that any real decline.

As the article also points out, there might be some areas within the IT sector which are being left behind. That always happens; everyone never sees the same growth that everyone else sees. The points to be aware of are which skills are in demand and which skills will there be a continue demand for.

Some of the skills which are in high demand is networking skills, along with Linux skills. There is a move to improve the network structure within America and the need for networking skills will be strong for several years to come. The need for Linux skills will be moderated by the fact that unix workers will be migrating from a Unix system over to Linux. The thing to remember though will be the demand for Linux skills will increase more than what this migration can fill.

Overall I think the next several years will be very exciting for anyone who is seriously involved in the IT environmnet. Much better than a couple yuears ago where companies where looking for someone with 5 years experience with Oracle to accept a Jr. Oracle DBA position.

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UPDATE

Linux Pipeline has picked up on this story and goes into the numbers a little bit more than what the CNET article did. I think it will still be interesting to see where the IT industry goes from here.

One point for anyone who might be struggling and wondering if they should stay in the IT industry: For those who stayed with the IT industry from the late 80's to the early 90's were rewarded very well with high paying jobs or with a respected position within the company they were with. The key to preparing yourself for the next big boom time in the IT industry is to expand your skill base and look for what technologies & skills companies will be looking for in the next ten years. Also think about what services you might be able to offer as either side jobs or as starting your own company.