It pains me to read a comment such as this. I've been programming for 15 years (python, js, c - based out of the US west coast) and have been out of work for most of 2014. The reason appears to be the 2 years I took off to stay at home with the kids when my wife became sick (she's fine now). I've kept up with tech changes and what not, but employers just can't see past it. So no, I can't say I've seen the market for decently competent programmers.