Re: “Garbage. Only people who can’t code are evicted. I’m 60 and I still get offers for everything from COBOL to Groovy/Grails.”
Just to clarify, are you claiming that your coding skills are completely average?
Please note that my advice was directed to “average” American college students.
In any event, how does your current pay check compare to the check you received 20 years ago?
Unless you are an elite coder, you are lucky if your pay check has kept up with inflation since 1998.
My paycheck is irrelevant. I took a massive pay cut to get this job. I work for the government which means I work for a fat pension, not a fat salary. We are grossly underpaid compared to corporate programmers. That’s why people come and go from here so much.
When I retire, the government will pay me while I work at another job. My salary doubles when I retire. Meanwhile, the government allows me to learn any language I want, including the highly marketable ones.