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Recruiting IT Students?
spacemonk asks: "I teach at a community college and our enrollment numbers are down in our IT programs. We have found that many have the perception that there are few IT jobs. We feel this is causing many students, who might be interested in IT, to enroll in other programs. There is obviously a lot of conflicting information regarding the impact of off-shoring, and so forth, but much of what we have found indicates that the IT job market is improving, and IT is still a career that can offer job opportunities to students. For example, we have had internship opportunities that we have not been able to send candidates to, simply because we don't have the students. Needless to say, this is very frustrating. How would you honestly describe the IT job market to students considering this major? What can be done to recruit more students into IT programs?"
The Wallstree Journal has an article titled "Google Ignites Silicon Valley Hiring Frenzy". I suspect we can expect this to spread beyond Silicon Valley
I know a lot of students that are stuck in a chicken and egg experience problem: all the jobs they're looking require X number of years of experience on the job. Well, they haven't really had a job in their particular field (usually they've just been working at a restaurant, the college itself in non-field related work, or a department store).
I would bet you almost anything that you'll have students flocking to you if you state that you have entry-level/new graduate positions open.
// file: mice.h
#include "frickin_lasers.h"
What can be done to recruit more students into IT programs?
Advertise in India...
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
So you will only hire people with the technical skills you need already? I hate to break it to you, but training someone to come to work on time, and how to deal with customers is not training them. You want someone that already knows the job. You will not get that for what you are asking for. If you can not deal with the economic realities of the SV area, then perish and STFU.
Molog
So Linus, what are we going to do tonight?
The same thing we do every night Tux. Try to take over the world!
>> That's exactly the kind of "qualification" that is irrelevant.
This (SSH and Telnet) is not "qualification", this is very basic knowledge. On the other hand,
>> Do you know the COM3 default base port on obsolete PCs (0x3E8, INT 4)?
This is irrelavant.
>> I'm a computer scientist. What I need to accomplish the task, I learn.
Yes, your boss will give you time to learn. But no employers on the earth will allow you to learn EVERYTHING from scratch. Got it?
You have Java experience but not C#? Ok, give you time to learn.
You have MSSQL experience but not Oracle? Ok, give you time to learn.
You have AIX expereince but not Solaris? Ok, give you time to learn.
But if you look knowing NOTHING in the interview...uhmmmm, that's still Ok, just go home and learn.
There is no spoon.
I completed the same course 9 years ago and it was enough to get my first programming job and move up. A degree wasn't essential, but I'm sure if I hadn't had that first opportunity then a degree would have been "essential". It's all luck of the draw, I was employed by my IT lecturers who were setting up a startup. That kept me very occupied for 7 years and gave me some great experience in IT and management. I've now hopped over into local government where I'm Security Officer.
I'd thoroughly recommend getting into local government IT in the UK as they are usually underfunded with poorly trained "lifer" staff, yet have stupidly large WANS and a ridiculous amount of different applications to develop and support all with a relatively small actual user base (150 locations/offices, 150 servers, approx 300 applications, 2000 users, Cisco, Windows 2003, Solaris, SCO, Linux, BSD, SQL Server, Ingres, Oracle). It's certainly worth keeping an eye out for even very poorly paid low-level jobs in your local council, just be sure that they are within their IT department and not an Information Officer in an actual department. It would be very worthwhile taking on summer / work placement type stuff and I'm sure they would be receptive to this.
If you are still not getting anywhere I'd suggest getting your tesco job back and perhaps follow up with a part-time HND, make sure you take the CCNA exam if it is also offered. Also while your doing that try and get some sort of work placement.
Good luck!
Jason.