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MS Tackles CS Education Crisis With Popularity Contest
theodp writes " The lack of education in computer science is an example of an area of particularly acute concern,' Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith told Congress (PDF) as he sold lawmakers on the need to improve 'America's access to high skilled foreign talent'. Smith added that Microsoft also wants to 'help American students and workers gain the skills needed for the jobs that will fuel the innovation economy.' Towards that end, Microsoft will award $100,000 worth of donations to five technology education nonprofits 'who teach programming and provide technical resources to those who might not otherwise get the chance.' So, how will Microsoft determine who's most worthy? With a popularity contest, of course! At the end of October, the top five vote-getting nonprofits — only Windows AzureDev Community members are eligible to vote — will split the Microsoft Money. By the way, currently in second place but trying harder is Code.org, the seemingly dual-missioned organization advised by Microsoft's Smith which has reached out to its 140,000 Facebook fans, and 17,000 Twitter followers in its quest for the $50,000 first prize."
Doesn't even pay the tuition plus living expenses for an *average* college.
There's no shortage of skilled CS workers, just a shortage of companies willing to pay them decently.
The goal of this effort and similar ones like FWD.us (Facebook's Wealth Demands Unlimited Slaves?) is to make sure every kid can program when they leave high school, so that you can pay entry-level programmers the same as gas station attendants.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
CanI suggest a new name? How about: America's Next Top Windows-Based Educational Nonprofit.
not trying to bash computer science but - the CS diploma at my local university requires several courses in college level math like pre-calculus and trigonometry. i ended up getting a degree in information systems because i wasn't getting good grades in the college level math courses.
Click: "Next". Next,Next....I Agree, and Finish; until the damn thing stops.
Blindly download Service Pack, and pray everything works out okay.
Be very terrified of the Command Prompt.
With Windows 8, it's gotten even dumber. I hear that to get a programming job at Microsoft, you preferably need skills programming on Linux environments. Delicious irony.
If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
Does anyone else find someone in Microsofts' employ using the term 'innovation' to be rather....ironic?
Especially considering Microsofts' continuation of the patent wars, plus the fact they generally do not innovate - they purchase.
There is a glut of underemployed and unemployed software developers now. That's the crisis. Why do we want more?
What the hell are the super-rich board members of these multinational monsters doing with all their money: building indoor ski-slopes with mountains of cocaine?
Fix the imbalance with minimum wage H1B visas and US unemployment rate. Also, stop offshoring your entire freaking business.
Join the Slashcott! Feb 10 thru Feb 17!
maybe if corporations (like Microsoft for example) stopped the practice of refusing to hire developers with 25 years of experience (like myself for example) with 13 year-old drug-possession felonies (like myself for example) they wouldn't be so desperate to hire foreigners...
never bring a twinkie to a food fight.
Why get saddled with a lifelong college debt when you have to compete with people half way around the world that make $6,400 a year and live a decent life making that little?
That is well below poverty line here. Anyone making that choice now here in the states is a fool. You would be better off working at McDonald's the rest of your life instead of trying to become a software developer.
If the NSA had America's interest at heart, it would make Brad Smiths conversations public?
All the things they want their employees to do does not require a computer science degree. At best, they need one CS degree designing things that ten coders will then implement.
They recently brought PM Man Bill "I have a charity" Gates our (again) to explain why he (and they) did not have to pay Tax...You know the sort of thing that pays for Education (and Hospitals..roads...etc).
This Disgusts Me
One technology education nonprofit at a time.
... "sold lawmakers on the need to improve 'America's access to high skilled foreign talent'. Smith added that Microsoft also wants to 'help American students and workers gain the skills needed for the jobs that will fuel the innovation economy" ...
When will they understand that the access to foreign talent has a direct relationship to American students NOT WANTING these now undesirable jobs.
When people come here from a country where they're used to a lower standard of living, they accept a lower standard of living when they come here. American students don't want that - they aren't stupid - they want to do whatever it is that the people driving around in the nice cars are doing. It's not the programmers driving the nice cars.
If Microsoft needs foreign talent so badly a portion of the US defense budget should be allocated to relocating Microsoft to India where it can get the talent it needs without violating US territory by opening it to one of the biggest populations in the world. Territorial integrity is an appropriate role for the Federal government and the Defense Department and MIcrosoft (and other companies like Facebook, etc.) that are clamoring for more immigration should be sent to India and barred from doing software development in the US at all.
Seastead this.
MS could pay its taxes.
stop whining and build something. if you really want better training and are even willing to sponsor it, then hire the people when they come out. don't go running to East Sub-Nirvana for code at pennies per day and then whine there are no programmers in the shadow of the CEO's mansions.
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
College CS is not IT and it's not lack of education it more of over load of theory that is lacking the more hands on skills as well the full load of other college filler / fluff.
The college system is not build for the fast moving IT field, 2-4 years pure class room is to long. lot of college professors have limited IT work back rounds. Parts of the theory are useful for low level work that most IT people do not need to know / are better off useing the same time to get more useful skills.
There is lots of hands on stuff in IT that you need to work hands on to learn an apprenticeship can be really good for that. also the tech / trades schools do a good job there as well. But the tech / trades are roped into the old degree system.
Maybe even at the extreme some kind of professional certification system (not the MS certs system (to much vendor based) as it is now but more like the architecture / engineering ones) is needed.
There is no "crisis" in CS education. There is a crisis in the United States for CS graduates keeping their jobs, or remaining in the middle class. This is more astroturf campaign stuff... shame on Dice Holdings.
Thank you, this is less offensive than the article.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
worth of donations?
Let me guess. $100,000 worth of Surface Pros and Windows Phones that retailers have been unable to sell.
Give me a break $100,000 is nothing. This is a problem that requires far more work.
Another term for popularity contest is democratic voting.
I just have to call bullcrap whenever I hear this stuff, as M$ has never been particularly concerned where the truth is involved. Everyone who has worked there, and who is honest, will know what I mean......
Hi I'm involved with CoderDojo which is currently in 3rd place behind Coder.org (which is advised by Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith). If you have a few minutes, please take the time to vote at
http://www.azuredevs.com/Programs
Thanks for your help.
... rather than accepting the US is behind and we should import more H1B visa people.
Of course, we all know that educating our own people, or paying them the going rate, is a waste of money; they'll just change jobs. Not like the people who are changing countries.
to make outsourcing more expensive, and require anyone working in the USA to make comparable salaries to others in their profession, which would undoubtedly lead to a whole new set of titles as corporations tried to scam their way into lower salaries for H1-Bs. "Programmer intern", "Developer in training", "Assistant Coder", "Beginning Application Designer", etc.
Of course this is all about money. There's no shortage of anybody in the USA. There's a shortage of anybody who knows 4 different programming languages and three different databases on multiple platforms along with domain expertise who's willing to work for $25K a year. Same old bullshit, year after year. And congress is just stupid enough to believe it, or pretend that they do to get that next campaign contribution.
If you are looking for a weird combo of product expertise and you can search the whole world instead of just the US, then your chance of finding a skills match for that weird combo goes up about 3 times.
I can see MS's perspective, but that's not the same as a general tech shortage. More STEM graduates won't create more weird-combo matches in the US because universities don't target specific product combos of a given company.
Congress is too naive (or too bribed) to understand this key difference. Companies should allow a bit more time for product-specific training rather than cry "shortage!".
Table-ized A.I.
they got to be careful with the cash horde after writing off the Surface RT fiasco.
'who teach programming and provide technical resources to those who might not otherwise get the chance.'
Yep, just what we need, another grant to minorities who happen to have poor parents.
Some colleges force you do live in dorms at an cost that is more then renting own you own by your self with your own bathroom.
The cost of college is to high and it's getting to long as well.
We do not need 4 year degrees for all.
also college was not about teaching job skills as well.
The ideas of trades / tech schools have been push to the back banner and they have been roped into the degree system.
Now in the past high school used to be all you need for most jobs now they they do need some kind of post HS training now maybe we should extend the free school to the Community College level (Some do have the trades / tech classes) and lots of Community College are in the local areas of the high schools.
As for he main idea of dorm living is to save money, and free up more time for studies by providing meals, however bad, and eliminating the expense and time of commuting by car. But where does the people who live right off campus fit into that??
What about people who want to learn but don't want the sports school or party school life?
Also some campus meals plans suck must buy use or lose meal cards? have to buy $100+ in candy just to use up the card be for it's times out's and down goes that cash with no refund?
https://itkan.wordpress.com/
tests in jobs as well or the test that say you are in X job and this happens and they give 2-3 answers out say 5 that may fit but you don't know there rules so it's hard to pick the right answer.
for H1B1 no personality tests should be there as they can set it up so all people fail and then they can just give the job to the H1B1.