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Thread: Will jamaica Ever be big in Software industry?

  1. #1
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    Default Will jamaica Ever be big in Software industry?

    With how easy(meaning just need skills and a pc) it is to get into making software: I am wondering if Jamaica will ever be recognized on the map for an important software people/businesses use.

    People in North America using software made by persons/people in Europe etc.

    Will Jamaica ever get there?

    As I child I use to make Symbian themes and always tried to teach myself new things.

    I have a plan that I think will change the world under the software front that I am working on. Not sure which country will get the title for my work though, but will see

    I am sure there are more Jamaicans, working on secret projects that are just taking a lot of time.

    But majority is only concerned about the hype and the in thing, instead of making the in thing.
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    Depending on how you define "big". If by "big" you mean a software dev powerhouse/culture like Europe, China or India then no, simply because we don't have the population size like an India where they pump out University graduates so we won't have the volume of software devs. However, if you define "big" as making a name for ourselves based on unique and identifiable talent and industry icons then YES, we can do it!. My analogy would be athletics. Compare Jamaica with some of the other larger countries like USA, UK, China, etc at the Olympics. Jamaica had no where the team size as those countries but the few events (especially track) that we're in we rule!
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris View Post
    Depending on how you define "big". If by "big" you mean a software dev powerhouse/culture like Europe, China or India then no, simply because we don't have the population size like an India where they pump out University graduates so we won't have the volume of software devs. However, if you define "big" as making a name for ourselves based on unique and identifiable talent and industry icons then YES, we can do it!. My analogy would be athletics. Compare Jamaica with some of the other larger countries like USA, UK, China, etc at the Olympics. Jamaica had no where the team size as those countries but the few events (especially track) that we're in we rule!
    Yes I agree. I meant big in both sense. But taking the population size into account and will say big as in making a name.

    Not all software developers went to school. Most don't. just need interest and problem solving skills.
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    Quote Originally Posted by pezz View Post
    Not all software developers went to school. Most don't. just need interest and problem solving skills.
    Agreed, and some of the better ones are self taught. However, in some of the countries that I mentioned it's a cultural thing to produce software devs in University so that they populate the coding mills. Jamaica needs to move from the level of producing farm workers and call centre operators to that of creating coding mills so that we can start competing (not necessarily to win) in the numbers game and then off-shot into unique talent. Everything takes time and right now I think the focus has to be on building a stronger education system especially in the maths area that's struggling. Maybe teachers at certain levels with specific experience should pay a lower income tax rate?
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    We don't care about our teachers so they will eventually leave the country to make a living. Lower taxes won't help as they still have to purchase goods like everyone else which is where the rub is.

    At the University level, Professors generally stay until they have tenure so they aren't being replaced in the near future so a teacher at the PhD level also has to find another work likely in the private sector.

    I have met many good coders over my lifetime and guess what almost all of them have migrated to greener pastures. Jamaica just doesn't have the culture of sustaining big business unless you are an already established one. Software developers are the ultimate form of hustlers as they can market their skills anywhere but those that excel need to also have business acumen as at some point their customers are going to want a certain degree of professionalism. That means reliable support, fixed pricing and meeting deadlines.

    I have the ultimate respect for teachers as many of my family members are a part of the profession at various education levels but they all have had to either make sacrifices or make investments or start alternate businesses to survive.

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    Quote Originally Posted by psilos View Post
    We don't care about our teachers so they will eventually leave the country to make a living. Lower taxes won't help as they still have to purchase goods like everyone else which is where the rub is.
    Agreed, however change starts with the first step. There's no single solution that will solve ALL the problems in the Jamaican teaching profession especially with economic constraints that all governments face, but we have to agree to make a change and start somewhere.
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    I wrote an article but I shelved it because it is apparent that no one understands the software industry enough to do anything but speculate on "the future". To be big in software you need "platform control". Fast internet, free tools, tablets, android apps, iphone apps, facebook pages are just platform traps. Even the media has already sold the population over to facebook and twitter. The fact is everyone cannot code and there are even less coders in Jamaica.

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    So I see it is caused my many things as you guys say.

    But outside of that the individuals need to want it. I have tried collaborating already and because it is not quick money no one wants to do it.

    everyone wants a flappy bird.

    I don't think android apps, iphone apps, facebook etc is a trap. You just have to be smart and know you are in someone else's eco system and they ultimately control what you do. Each of those platforms has the potential to make a programmer live good forever.
    SLAPPA Phenom II AM3 Overclocking Essentials
    I HAVE HIGHEST OC ON TECHJA 4.2ghz
    4890oc beats gtx 285
    PS3 FAILCAKE
    ps3 only advantage is bluray
    4890 oc roundup
    http://miniprofile.xfire.com/bg/sh/type/0/skugpezz.png
    Mi know dem fear mi!!!!! Gigabyte 790x ud4p
    phenom 2 955@3.8ghz 24/7 stable , 4GB ddr3 1333@1.5ghz ,3850 256MB (temp card) (4890 soon),700 watt dual rail psu, (overclocking rules) my avatar represents my personality

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    Check out http://apple.com/education/everyone-can-code

    "This Teacher Guide, a companion to the App Development with Swift course, is designed for you to use with high school and college students new to programming. It will align to various national and international curriculum standards for computer science, and it includes lesson activities, reflection questions, and journal prompts."

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    I often think about questions like these and wonder if Jamaica is a good place to get into software development as a business. I mean, how active is our start-up scene? Where are the success store for businesses offering SaaS and such to Jamaican clients?

    As best as I can tell the software industry in Jamaica is sluggish and its due to its relatively small population.
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