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Subject:
From:
Michael Pickett 3468 <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Michael Pickett 3468 <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 7 Jun 1999 12:23:23 +0000
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Richard Stuckey said:
>
> Dean Esposito said:
>
> >> We have a real problem with the MYTH that becoming an Ada developer
> will limit your career choices in the future
>
> Well, here in the UK it is sadly true that it DOES limit your career
> choices.
>
<snip>
>
> Unfortunately, I don't see any hope of the situation improving here -
> apart from some defence-related work, Ada's market penetration is
> minute, and seems to be dwindling all the time.
>

Well, as a worker in the UK defence industry, I can say that we have
opportunities for Ada programmers that we really find difficult to fill.

A regular part of my job involves interviewing "experienced Ada
programmers" to top up from our intake of graduates. There are two
problems: the agencies seem to have difficulty in finding us people to
interview, and too high a proportion of the people they send are not
what I would classify as "Ada programmers". It is true they may have
"Ada" on their CVs, and possibly several years of experience, but sadly,
these people are coders who have used Ada. They do not discuss Ada in
any way that indicates that they really believe what Ada can do. The
best they offer are a few simple coding guidelines, like never using
'use' clauses. I have reviewed lots of code written by people who see
Ada as just another programming language, and it is depressing to see so
many opportunities missed.

Is it possible that there seem to be so few opportunities for Ada
programmers because there are really too few good Ada programmers on the
market to interest potential employers in adopting Ada?

If there are any good Ada programmers out there who are happy to work in
the UK defence industry, and are looking for a job just south of London,
easily accessible from most parts of SE England, email me a copy of your
CV, and  I will pass it on to our HR department.

--Michael Pickett--
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