It's not. You'll find plenty of anecdotes outside the US. Even just outside SV is enough to put things into question, as salaries outside SV are way lower.
>Doctors and lawyers do a period of internship after and during the degree that perhaps mitigates the uncertainty around hiring.
Two problems with this.
For one, this is changing rapidly. Any institute of higher education is becoming a worker factory focusing on what the industry wants in candidates rapidly. Despite this, interviewers continue to complain about the most minor things which in reality are very easy to grasp for people with a degree and some projects.
For two, this problem still persists after having some years of experience under your belt. If an internship mitigates the need for other professions to go through this, surely having verifiable experience should do the same. But it doesn't, and it takes away a lot of time from people to build their own portfolio to get through interviews with too.
>It must surely boil down to the profession aspect.
I don't believe so. Hiring is plagued with perfectionism and idealism, looking for the perfect candidates and failing candidates over the most minor things. You could actually be the best candidate in the world, and you'll fail because you said something or did something in a way the interviewer preemptively labels as "unviable".
The problem is actually as you point out: hiring managers are pushing risks onto individuals in the name of "calling", and loads of developers are doing nothing to push back on it. Or worse, they are encouraging it. See also why the average junior requirements includes an entire IT department's worth of skills.
It's not. You'll find plenty of anecdotes outside the US. Even just outside SV is enough to put things into question, as salaries outside SV are way lower.
>Doctors and lawyers do a period of internship after and during the degree that perhaps mitigates the uncertainty around hiring.
Two problems with this.
For one, this is changing rapidly. Any institute of higher education is becoming a worker factory focusing on what the industry wants in candidates rapidly. Despite this, interviewers continue to complain about the most minor things which in reality are very easy to grasp for people with a degree and some projects.
For two, this problem still persists after having some years of experience under your belt. If an internship mitigates the need for other professions to go through this, surely having verifiable experience should do the same. But it doesn't, and it takes away a lot of time from people to build their own portfolio to get through interviews with too.
>It must surely boil down to the profession aspect.
I don't believe so. Hiring is plagued with perfectionism and idealism, looking for the perfect candidates and failing candidates over the most minor things. You could actually be the best candidate in the world, and you'll fail because you said something or did something in a way the interviewer preemptively labels as "unviable".
The problem is actually as you point out: hiring managers are pushing risks onto individuals in the name of "calling", and loads of developers are doing nothing to push back on it. Or worse, they are encouraging it. See also why the average junior requirements includes an entire IT department's worth of skills.