Why We Will Never Have Enough Software Developers

To conclude, I emphasize: highly skilled people prefer highly stable careers in the long-run. This lets their relative ability and human capital advantage compound over time. Rapid deterioration of skills continuously levels the playing field, preventing the best from separating themselves from the pack. In such a situation, it makes more sense to ... See more

Software engineers never escape the skill-change vortex, even many years into their careers. Experienced engineers must learn and adopt technologies that didn't even exist when they started out. Developers must constantly retool themselves, even well after their formal education ends.

Programming-related jobs have high rates of skill turnover. Over time, the types of skills required by companies hiring software developers change more rapidly than any other profession.

In contrast, engineering and computer science majors who join unrelated fields upon graduation retain at much higher rates, with only 10-15% switching out after the age of 26

At age 26, 59% of engineering and computer science grads work in occupations related to their field of study. By age 50, only 41% work in the same domain, meaning a full ~30% drop out of the field by mid-career

Software development has a serious retention problem: