Microsoft, Amid Dwindling Interest, Talks Up Computing as a Career

New York Times ^ | March 1, 2004 | Steve Lohr

[techie12]

By hiring H-1Bs and offshoring, the industry has done a great job of dissuading college students from majoring in computer science. Now Bill Gates comes in and say, "Hey, guys, don't run off, the computer industry needs you.

Typical of the chutzpah of the ITAA and its open border backers, - no shame. The old story about the quintessential demonstration of chutzpah - the child that kills his mother and father, then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he's an orphan - comes to mind.

Soon the immigration backers will be crying in likewise fashion that increases in H1-B are needed because 'Americans just don't seem to want to do these jobs'.

[Prime Choice]

Microsoft, Amid Dwindling Interest, Talks Up Computing as a Career

"I am rapt with attention, Mr. Gates. Please tell me more."

[techie12]

Immigration Bump

[neutrino]

Now, even at elite schools like M.I.T., the number of students choosing to major in computer science is down.

Proving that they're smart. Given the trends in outsourcing, the use of H-1Bs and L1s, getting a technical degree represents a big investment with little or no return.

Of course, this means that America will lose the ability to do technical work of any sort...but that's OK. Free trade is the key. Makes us all more prosperous, don'cha know.

C'mon, free traitors. Let's outsource more jobs!!!

[international american]

I would tell my kid, I will lend you 100 grand to buy a apartment building....(tuition) You pay me back in 10 years. In the meantime, get a real estate brokers lic. and buy forclosures!!

[Wheee The People]

By hiring H-1Bs and offshoring, the industry has done a great job of dissuading college students from majoring in computer science. Now Bill Gates comes in and say, "Hey, guys, don't run off, the computer industry needs you.

Word!

In their drive for the cheapest labor, (which means foreign) the High Tech industry has slit the throat of the domestic pipeline. Good students suddenly are attracted to banking, law (shudder), business, engineering or anything except computer science. Hello Mr. Gates...Econ 101...

[RightWhale]

There are enough general purpose computers to last forever. The next thing is microcontrollers, which is like devolving back to 8-bit processors. The challenge will be to see where a microcontroller is not and put one there. How many microcontrollers in your car?

[reed_inthe_wind]

Gates is right. There's still alot of cool things to do with IT. But, if I were starting over, I would have to take a close look at Bio-tech.

[iowaboy]

No doubt. I've been a software developer since 1988, and the job market is terrible. Companies are no longer willing to pay the big bucks anymore for guys like me. Over the past 12 months I've actually considered a change of careers.

[techie12]

I think if you look closely the same situation appliesthere also. Biotech is also very heavily H1-B, J-1, L-1 impacted.

[RightWhale]

a change of careers

The job situation is not improving in general, so a total change of thinking is required. Rather than thinking job, think business. That's what Gates did.

[reed_inthe_wind]

Foreign talent alone is no reason to spend your life analyzing fixed income securities. However, if the accounting rules force firms to expense stock options, and the profits from technological improvements will not be shared with creative employees, then it might make sense for young talent to follow the money and go to the Street.

[FoxPro]

Man, I have been having one hell of a time getting contracts for my 60 Russian programmers doing Oracle, SQL Server, .NET and JAVA. And they work for less than $20 per hour.

The computer science departments in universities here are doomed. I give them all 10 years.

Anybody majoring in computer science needs to have their head examined.

Anybody paying people to program in the US for a decent US wage is essetially commiting a fiscal fraud on their company.

[goodnesswins]

Ahem.....Microsoft is LAYING OFF Database Administrators RIGHT NOW.....telling them they have 6 weeks to find a job within (or without) Microsoft......They are outsourcing to India....our friend just got his notice....and his boss didn't even have the guts to tell him....made HR do it. MSFT is a weenie company!!!

[goodnesswins]

I'm with you....what resource never grows? Land....invest in land...good land/property.....early on, and you will do well....I think we'll be doing the same as you with our Grandson....we're NOT paying for a college degree, unless it's business....just so he has a base of info.

[Dark Glasses and Corncob Pipe]

I recently asked a college student, who had changed his major from engineering to accounting, about job prospects for graduates in his field. He said that a recent accounting grad had landed a job at UPS - as a clerk.

[neutrino]

The computer science departments in universities here are doomed. I give them all 10 years.

And I suspect that you, sir, are an optimist!

[RightWhale]

we're NOT paying for a college degree, unless it's business

We were discussing this in Ethics class just yesterday in connection with Rawls' Savings Theory. When asked what a level of intergenerational savings should be, paying for college for example, I said zero and the class was stunned into silence. But then they decided that was a reasonable number and we discussed the issue of zero. I pointed out that Harvard has just begun to allow students from poor families [less than $40,000] to attend Harvard for free. So if the student can get into Harvard they can do what they want, and if they can't get into Harvard maybe they shouldn't be going to college anyway.

[TSgt]

"Anybody majoring in computer science needs to have their head examined."

I'll graduate in 2 years with a Bachelors of Science in Information Engineering Technology. I agree that software development isn't the place to be however there are some things with technology you just can't outsource. Hardware maintenance, Information Technology Security and sensitive Government IT departments are several examples.

I am currently employed and have 8 years of Windows server administration but I'm looking for another job because I loath the company I work for. I've gotten several calls and although it is not like the 90's there are IT jobs out there.

I would prefer however to run a gift shop in Gatlinburg, Tennessee but that is another story.

[RightWhale]

Engineering is about the only true job training left in college. Music might be a possibility, but you know there are few music jobs at best--high school band director. What else is there? Major in English and write perfect inter-office memos?