I am a .Net software engineer which is very high in demand. I have cumulative 8 years of experience and yet, every job that I have applied to, some idiot HR or Hiring manager is considering that inadequate for a mid-level position. They consider 10 years or more to be optimal. Are these people crazy? These companies, including the one I am currently at, are crying and complaining that they can’t recruit enough people, .NET is already a high demand field because so many companies utilize Microsoft based platforms and most entry to mid level engineers do not have any knowledge of .Net since it is not taught in Universities, and yet, they are throwing out resumes because of ridiculously unrealistic expectations.
TDLR: 50 percent of the Software engineer shortage is real due to inadequate STEM focus and teaching in this country, the other 50 percent is totally artificial and caused by companies acting like choosers when they are in reality beggars.