Dear Joyce: I graduated in June with a computer science degree from a college that's not world famous. A few substandard offers have come my way, but they aren't what I want. Why do employers seem to want applicants with a few years' experience over new graduates? -- J.J.

Dear J.J.: Employers might want a few years' experience on employees for the same reason you might wait a bit before buying a new software release -- the desire to have the product debugged at someone else's expense.

In a study of graduating students (all majors) on more than 50 campuses, www.webfeet.com, a career Web site, says 75 percent expected their first job to provide training for subsequent positions. The same study says new bachelor's degree graduates sought to tack on a $50,000 price tag, and MBAs expected about $93,500 with a $37,000 signing-year-end bonus figure.

At those hoped-for-and-sometimes-realized rates, it's little wonder that employers deem a few years' experience as a somewhat safer investment because not only are raw edges smoothed, but you've shown what you can actually do in the workplace.

Concerning the techie world specifically, Janet Ruhl's new "Computer Job Survival Guide" (Techinon, $24.95) is very specific about how to find your first computer job, even when you lack a four-year degree or have strong skills but weak credentials.

The book isn't in stores yet, but you can order it on her Web site Realrates: Resources for Computer Consultants. Her site is must-viewing for its up-to-date contract consulting rates.

Ruhl, who has written several hot books about computer careers over a decade, makes a critical point about the contract consulting business which is so pervasive today:

"The demand for (IT) contracting services is extremely cyclical. It rises to peaks as it did in the mid-1980s and late 1990s, but these peaks in demand are followed by collapse in the contracting market, as happened during the early 1990s and, it appears likely, the early 2000s." Be warned.

Ruhl also emphasizes that the shortening technology life cycle means that you, not your employer, are ultimately responsible for keeping your training updated. Because training can be costly, you might want to try a new wrinkle from www.techies.com -- a reverse auction place for technology training.

Featuring instructor-led classroom technology, the new training venue allows you to set the price you're willing to pay for Microsoft, Cisco, Novell and Lotus technology training classes. When techies.com receives your asking price, vendor-certified training centers in your geographic area bid against each other to win your business.

The theory is that reverse auctions will provide training at big discounts because the process fills seats that otherwise would have gone unsold. Investigate reverse-auction pricing by accessing the techies.com site, click on training, then click on classroom training.

One possible silver lining for beginners who are having trouble busting through their first IT door: the shrinking pool of tech workers is springing a leak and replacement needs could give you a better chance.

Reports are filtering in that some IT workers have had their fill of techiedom and are fleeing to less chaotic posts, sometimes at bookstores and coffee shops.

Termed "silicon exiles" or "expatriate Netizens," the IT leavers say the long hours, high stress and isolation are a recipe for depression. Their departures are likely due to initial bad career matches in which the leavers chose work they thought would allow them to pursue million-dollar dreams instead of figuring out what they really wanted to do in life.

To glimpse the dark side of IT, visit Netslaves.com (netslaves.com), where individuals reveal high-tech horror stories. I'm certainly not trying to discourage you from pursuing an IT career, but I am suggesting that you might not have enough information on which to base wise decisions.

© 2000, Los Angeles Times Syndicate