Gates On Future of CS Education

lilrowdy18 writes "In an interesting article from Eweek, Microsoft chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates talks about how the lack of spending in research and development is 'kind of a crime'. He also talks about future problems that are facing the computer industry including outsourcing and the speed of upcoming processors." From the article: "Microsoft taps both native-born talent and foreign talent, but Gates said he is frustrated that more U.S. students are not going into computer science. 'The fastest growing major is physical education,' he said. 'The Chinese are going to wake up and say we missed this opportunity,' he joked."

Comments

The difference is

[overshoot]

Microsoft and others are hiring in China.

In the USA, they're not only laying off IT and CS staff, they're even letting H1-B visas go unused, not that that's keeping Bill and others from lobbying to raise the H1-B cap anyway.

Re:I was considering majoring in CS, but...

[Synbiosis]

2) Going through Microsoft's dehumanizing interview process

I don't know where you got that one from. Sure, they ask strange questions, but they treat you quite well when you're interviewing.

I've had two friends interview for internships with Microsoft, and a third who got a job there after college. All three of them made it a point to brag about how well MS treated them at the interviews (despite the bizarre questions asked), and how well they treat their employees.

Re:the answer lies with him...

[Monkelectric]

Very good. Now here's the *REASON* he complains about there being too many programmers when he uses h1b's etc etc:

Bill Gates *WANTS* the market of programmers to be flooded. The glut of CS students during the dot com boom was fabulous for software companies who were hiring programmers for 35k a year *AFTER THE BUST*. The economy is starting to heat up again (until oil prices kill us, a story for another day) and wages are starting to pick up again, and companies don't want to pay them. Believe me, bill gates does nothing but serve himself, if he says we need more programmers, we most surely don't.

Re:I was considering majoring in CS, but...

[wirelessbuzzers]

Let's see here:

1) Four years of one of the most time intensive majors in colleges

2) Going through Microsoft's dehumanizing interview process

3) Getting free soda in exchange for 80 hour work weeks at minimum wage

4) Getting fired at age 28 for being too old


Funny. I work at Microsoft as an intern, and I didn't find their interview process dehumanizing. It was mostly tests to see if I could solve problems, design as part of a team, and write clean, bug-free code. Sure it was a pain to fly to Redmond, but they paid for the tickets so I can't complain too much. And I work only 40 hours a week, for something substantially more than minimum wage. If my product were about to ship, I'd work longer hours for a few weeks, but that's not the case. I also haven't heard of them firing people... well, for just about anything, but particularly not for being "old."

It's also one of the nicest jobs in any industry: interesting work, no heavy lifting, flexible hours, air conditioning, great office machines, free soda, good view, mobility within the company, lots of benefits, good pay, minimal dress code (anything not revealing or offensive).

I'm not sure what more you could ask for other than a northern California location or free money. Or more women. But I have a girlfriend, so I don't care that much. (And yes, trolls, she's a female human, unrelated to me, about my age, and she dates me without any chemical, physical or monetary persuasion.)

Perhaps it's just a trap, and if I come to work here full-time, I'll see what it's really like.

Perhaps not. Current employees seem pretty happy with it. Maybe they put something in the free soda?

Point #1 stands on its own, but many interesting jobs require a lot of education to get.

Ok, I will troll a bit...

[orzetto]

the most technologically advanced nation in the world

I thought too that the US were a long way ahead in technology. I came for a conference in Austin, TX last November, and on the way back I stayed for a week in NY. I was disappointed in some ways:

• How comes that I can't bloody call Europe from a payphone in Chicago airport? And where are the credit-card phones? It's an international airport, not a café! It's not that I did not try, and I tried the week later too. Yes, I know you use 011 instead of 00. It finally worked on Broadway by the 50th street.
• Why doesn't my damn GSM mobile work? What's the fuss with multiple standards over here? (Yes, my phone is a triple band and was supposed to work in NY and Chicago, though not Austin). Damn, these work in Thailand, why don't they work in the US?
• The conference in Austin was AIChE 2004. Number of participants: about 5,000. Number of complimentary internet connections: 0. Luckily there was a nice café at 6th/Congress with free access to Macs.
• My Diners stopped working for a couple of days, and the Visa was dead. It would work early in the morning.
• (This one is getting flamed)The statue of Liberty is small!!! I can't believe it's taller than the one in my town.
• Why are still stuck in the stone, pound and foot age?
• Times square: it's not square to begin with, and it's ludicrously small. It looks so big in the images from new year's eve...

Ok, ok, I have to compensate with some positive points...

• Ok, there are people who speak other language than English. I expected worse, on the plane to New York I was sitting beside a girl who completely by chance spoke Italian (and not bad either!).
• Ellis Island more than compensated for Liberty Island. The museum there was cool, even if I did not find my grandfather's brother in the archives.
• Food is nowhere near terrible as in England, and because of Mexico food in Austin was actually quite good. Que vivan los migrantes!
• I happened to hear the Veteran's Day speech at the Texas capitol. Sorry for the people governed by these beasts, but for me it was an experience to see the closest thing to a Nazi rally I will ever witness (I hope).
• Prospect park in NY rules!
• Now, when I see "Venner for livet" (Friends) or "Sex og singelliv" (Sex and the city) I actually recognize the places!

Anyway, back to the point: the US are not as advanced as many, Americans and not, think they are. At least not in the level of technology the citizens are exposed to, I have definitely seen enough to deem it unlikely that I was victim of a long series of unlucky coincidences.