Networks are hot. Are you thinking of getting into them?
Take this week’s poll on the Dice front page
Reports that China and Russia inserted malicious code into U.S. electrical grid control systems prompted us to poll users on whether the news could boost the need for IT security jobs. Seems like people think so:
As one user said, “We don’t solve a problem until there is a crisis.”
Click here to participate in this week’s Dice poll.
Apparently, not a lot of techies care about Facebook. We polled users, asking them what they thought of the social networking site’s new design and a majority of the 1,252 respondents just don’t give a darn. Here are the results of last week’s poll:
Click here to take this week’s Dice poll.
Universal healthcare? Absolutely. Would you pay more taxes for it? Not so much. When Dice asked users whether they’d pay more taxes in return for guaranteed health coverage, the results were telling:
About 5 percent offered some passionate comments. Said one user: “I don’t believe we can afford to provide universal healthcare, at least not funded by the government. Britain and Canada have already tried and failed. Instead, they have only succeeded in rationing healthcare, meaning everyone is equally under-cared for unless they have the money to pay for it.”
Another said: “Healthcare is a service, not a right.”
A third was firmly in the “pro” camp: “Medical care should not be ‘for profit.’ The system we have now is failing to many Americans. It’s time for a change. Preventive medical care will lower the overall cost of healthcare in the long run and also provide a better quality of life.”
What do you think? Post a comment below.
If you were laid off, would you consider starting a small business? Dice users who responded to our poll last week were pretty much split between those who thought they have no choice, others who believe it’s too risky, and still others who are waiting for the economy to perk up. Specifically:
One user wrote in to say, “I am strongly considering starting my own business not because I don’t have a choice but because I am fed up with the way corporations are running their businesses.”
How about you? Post a comment to let us know what you think. Also, click here to take the next Dice survey.
Lately, a lot of recruiters have said their clients are seeking more contractors than permanent hires. So last week we polled Dice users to see if they’re are finding more contract work available. A majority of the 740 respondents are finding the market for contractors is tight. Here’s a breakdown:
There could be a lot of reasons to why two-thirds are having trouble. They may not be focusing on the right jobs, or their skill sets may not match market demands. At the same time, some users said things like, “this market is the worst I’ve seen it in 30 years.” Another wrote he’s been out of work “for three months and hardly any jobs or calls in this economy.”
Click here to participate in this week’s Dice poll.
I think we can say with some certainty techies would will be working instead of watching college basketball during March Madness – at least during business hours. When we surveyed Dice users last week, more than half of the respondents said work time is not entertainment time. Asked if they watch the games at work…
As one user noted: “Sports are for playing not for watching, particularly at work.”
Click here if you want to take this week’s Dice poll.
Last week I received an e-mail from an IT worker who was looking to transition from the help desk to another area of IT after her job was outsourced. There’s no doubt in my mind a lot of others will consider jumping into new specialties as they try to be flexible. But believe it or not, there are areas in IT that remain strong. For instance, IT security and IT healthcare each offer opportunities. One source told me recently the insurance industry is desperate for IT security specialists.
Last week, we Dice polled users about which areas they’d be most likely to transition into. Nearly 1,000 people – 974 – responded.
Others offered suggestions that are perfectly viable – data warehousing, quality assurance engineering, energy management, cold fusion and bioinformatics. Of course, we got a few cynical suggestions, like one user who’d consider being a bailout CEO banker: “$500,000 a year is fine with me,” he said. Big of him.
One of the most difficult aspects about being laid off is trying to put some structure into your day. You don’t realize how much a job serves as a framework for life until it’s gone. When you wake up facing an entire day to fill, it can be easy to slip into aimless worrying, or – as the experts call it – “mental rumination.”
Dice polled users to find out how they’re spending their time if they’ve been laid off. Of the 1,378 respondents, almost half are completely focused on looking for their next job:
Some users had some helpful side comments. For instance, one is spending 30 percent of his day job-searching:
I’ve been through this before. If the theater is closed, there is no sense in purchasing a ticket. Find the areas of focus with the highest chance of sucess. Networking with other unemployed people doesn’t work. They are waiting for a show to be listed as well. Best to take care of all those things you were too busy to take care of during the other part of the time. Don’t beat your head against a door where there is no opportunity.
Valentine’s Day is coming up, so we decided to poll users about what they’d want in lieu of chocolates and flowers (assuming, of course, that security gets them all hot and bothered). No surprise, most want more people on their team. Here’s a breakdown:
