For programmers considering a career path, employers seeking Java and .NET skillsets greatly outnumber those who want a ColdFusion programmer or developer.
I follow stories on programming jobs, and a certain pattern always follows. First the story appears, in a highly visible mainstream media, extolling the job market in the US while playing down the devastation outsourcing has played on the domestic market for programmers.
Shortly after publication, an email from Dr. Norm Matloff at UC Davis arrives. To say that Dr. Matloff follows outsourcing issues is akin to noting night follows day. Invariably, he debunks the story, frequently point by point and usually with references to where he has previously covered the so-called research associated with the story.
A stroll through his newsletter archives should be required reading for any outlet reporting those studies. Are you listening, Wall Street Journal?
Anyway, this is a ColdFusion story. Unlike the C Programming job trend, ColdFusion and the job market do not have the same prospects.
In checking at online job search site SimplyHired, a lot more firms want Java and .NET programmers and developers than they do ColdFusion workers.
A cursory and unscientific search for ColdFusion, Java developer, and .NET developer returned the following lists of total results for each term, and how many of those results were for full-time positions:
ColdFusion: 2,881 matches, 1,047 full-time;
Java developer: 32,967 matches, 12,447 full-time;
.NET developer: 18,057 matches, 7.025 full-time
Although ColdFusion was among the earliest options for web application development, Java’s growth and the genesis of .NET have moved ahead as the option of choice for many applications.
ColdFusion programmers may find themselves working more with the product to build applications integrated with Java or .NET environments. Adding either of those skillsets to one’s ColdFusion rsum could help tip the job market balance in favor of the seeker.
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David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
