Discuss: Beware. There is no job guarantee in programming

They say programming will be the job of the future. But despite what anyone tells you, there is no job guarantee in this profession. The fact is, there are unemployed programmers today. They may be unemployed for any number of reasons, such as geography, the health of the local economy, their inability to relocate, offshoring, and ageism (yes, this phenomenon applies to tech as well).

There is also a very real possibility that automation may begin to affect this profession in the next decade or two. We just don’t know. Too many people in IT are quite smug about their job security (based on the past 30 years), so they dismiss this possibility. But they may be in for a rude surprise down the line.

My advice is, be cautious. Majoring in CS will probably give you an edge, but it’s not a given. If you like programming, then go for it. If the future turns out differently than what you expect, adapt.

The truth is, there are no guarantees in life. Make a decision and take your chances.

This was first published on Quora.

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