

Obama: "We Don't Have Enough Engineers' - chopsueyar
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9217624/Obama_We_don_t_have_enough_engineers_

======
ColinWright
I'm always worried about these sorts of things. If there's enough money in the
eventual jobs then people will start choosing to do engineering, because the
benefits outweigh the costs.

Part of the cost, though, is that for most people engineering is bloody hard.
The problem I see looming is that people will choose to do engineering, find
it's hard, complain, threaten to drop out, and the universities and other
colleges will lower the standards required to obtain the degree.

Net result - more people who are qualified as "engineers" but who are
effectively unemployable.

I worry, I worry.

------
kls
I too worry about this. The last two viable jobs in the US seem to be
engineering related or medical related. The barrier to entrance to one is less
protected than the other. With the economy and almost ever other sector in
shambles I fear a mass migration to tech jobs.

It was not too long ago we where flooded with bodies from the dot com boom and
bust. Back then the quality of personnel was horrible. When you get people in
it for the money in engineering type disciplines the quality suffers. If there
is no passion for technology in the person the fruits of there labor are more
often than not pretty sour.

While others cannot find work, the tech sector has jobs. It is just a matter
of time before those out of work decide that it is better to work in tech than
to starve. We the tech sector just came out of a large downturn, we led the
nation by a few years I fear that in influx of bodies would kill out modest
recovery we have made back to a healthy market.

------
jleyank
I call BS. When engineers (of whatever kinds) end up getting signing and
retention bonuses, I'll agree. Given the STEM outsourcing trends, this is
calling for newbies that cost less. Or, trying to pay off education interests.

------
locopati
Be nice if they put their money where their mouth is and also funded
infrastructure projects (e.g. high-speed rail, mass transit, bridge repair).

------
joev
Maybe we should stop kicking out the people from foreign countries with the
advanced degrees they earn here.

