It’s been normal since software and the internet started to become an important part of every area of society. But that’s how economies progress. There was a period in recent history when demand for manufacturing labor greatly outstripped supply. Our skills are simply in demand by the fastest growing areas of the economy right now.
Personally, I wasn’t surprised by this outcome. Temporary instability is what I was predicting. For demand for software engineers to actually tank, demand for software and software services would have to tank. I figured this was possible, but would require the entire global economy to collapse. So I figured it was unlikely, and in either case declining the offer I had to go full-time last year (when my employer at the time said they were terminating all their contractors) was most likely to be the correct decision (because full-time employment wasn’t going to protect me from global economic collapse).
The thing that I didn’t predict at all, is how long travel restrictions would be in place. Which has turned out very well for software engineers in developed economies, because all developed economies import software engineering labor from developing economies.
Sure. Also, we were the industry with the most experience and tooling to work remotely, not to mention the best format for that. That couldn't have hurt.
Personally, I wasn’t surprised by this outcome. Temporary instability is what I was predicting. For demand for software engineers to actually tank, demand for software and software services would have to tank. I figured this was possible, but would require the entire global economy to collapse. So I figured it was unlikely, and in either case declining the offer I had to go full-time last year (when my employer at the time said they were terminating all their contractors) was most likely to be the correct decision (because full-time employment wasn’t going to protect me from global economic collapse).
The thing that I didn’t predict at all, is how long travel restrictions would be in place. Which has turned out very well for software engineers in developed economies, because all developed economies import software engineering labor from developing economies.