Software Development

Specialist software developers are less in demand than versatile generalists as applications become more sophisticated and complex. "In the old days, applications were often standalone," notes Corticon Technology executive David Straus. "Today we are trying to develop applications into component services which are orchestrated by some [software] layer. We want these components to be reusable and well orchestrated." Trends are unfolding in the three biggest integrated development environments--NetBeans, Eclipse, and Visual Studio--that are easing the accommodation of different data types, the establishment of connections with an assortment of SQL databases, and the masking of the complexity of esoteric SQL syntax so that working visually with tables and rows, or even with higher-level entities, is possible. "While broader database and middle-tier skills are a big plus for a developer, in addition to expertise in the presentation layer, the [database administrator] as a specialty is still a necessary ingredient for architecturally complex projects," says RTTS division manager Jeff Bocarsly. "It might be good to have players who can cover either shortstop or left field on the team, but your closer is still going to be your closer."