

DC "technologically challenged"? - challenjer
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/10/AR2008051000122.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

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Tamerlin
I started feeling that way also a while ago. Before the tech boom hit full-
swing, the government contractors were the place to be to work with new
technologies. It was at SAIC that I was able to get our division to implement
a major project in Java.

In the past few years, though, the government contracting industry in DC has
grown, but at the same time mired in ever increasing bureaucracy and
antiquated tools, systems, and applications. The talent pool shifted quite a
bit as well; before the tech boom, there were lots of technies in government,
after that, most of them had moved on to commercial work, in many cases
elsewhere.

It's nice to hear that there is something going on that will (hopefully)
change that, but for now I'm enjoying the fact that Seattle has a much more
vibrant tech community than DC, and Seattle's tech community isn't largely
classified. :)

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daveambrose
I studied in Washington, DC during the last four years where the campus was
rife with students interested in politics, non-profits and finance. Maybe it
was my school, but I didn't meet any "techies" until my Junior year, and that
was only a handful.

The article points to a reason why I left DC post graduation: technology, any
type of technology, has some relation to politics. It wasn't the right place
for me.

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llimllib
There were a lot of people at SocialDevCampEast who are working on changing
that; there were lots of people there who are doing impressive things.

~~~
challenjer
I noticed that -- cool. Better news than seeing the NYC Tech Meetup sold out
and expanding from 400 to a bigger venue that could support 600, while DC Tech
Meetup hovering around 20. NYC/DC ratio can't be that bad!

