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Google commits $1B in grants to train U.S. workers for high-tech jobs

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Re: Google commits $1B in grants to train U.S. workers for high-tech jobs

#41

Post by SapphireSun »

cm2187 wrote: post #20
wehere1 wrote: post #2

always remember: the industry's involvement in CS education has less to do with philanthropy and goodwill than it does with lowering the cost of labor over the long term

High labor cost just because of skill shortage may be gratifying and lucrative for the happy few but is not an efficient allocation of resources for the wider society. Increasing the skill supply is the right thing to do. Replace "developer" with any other profession to convince yourself.

You'd think that, but then you'd remember that if the population isn't making money capitalism doesn't work. People need money to buy things. The big picture is that labor is being defeated everywhere and money is accruing at the top. The whole system will break down if something isn't done.

Re: Google commits $1B in grants to train U.S. workers for high-tech jobs

#42

Post by merpnderp »

bkeroack wrote: post #39
twoquestions wrote: post #6

Stated differently, "Google commits $1B to flood the market with newbie tech workers, and to grow future client businesses". The cynic in me can clearly see their interest in the effects of this grant, but thinking on it more that interest might serve us better in the long run. I just hope the community gains from that money before it makes it's way back to Google.

...which will depress the wages of everyone on HN reading these words. Especially entry level engineers or those without CS degrees. "Coding bootcamps" are the new DeVry IT program of the 2010s.

It seems like the more IT workers we have the more IT workers we need. When I started in IT, a starting programmer made about the top scale of a teacher. Now a starting programmer makes about 175% of a top scale teacher. At least in the Mid-West.

Re: Google commits $1B in grants to train U.S. workers for high-tech jobs

#43

Post by praxulus »

leggomylibro wrote: post #14

Great, it's about time that these companies stepped up to bring more people into their workforce. It's ridiculous to complain to legislatures about skills shortages without stepping up to bring your own resources to bear on the issue. Still, as nice as giving money to other organizations is, it would even better to see them actually training people from a diverse variety of backgrounds. They're not exactly taking any…

>It's ridiculous to complain to legislatures about skills shortages without stepping up to bring your own resources to bear on the issue.

Do you hold people who want to fight climate to the same standard? Is it ridiculous for an individual to support a carbon tax without voluntarily buying carbon credits on their own?

Re: Google commits $1B in grants to train U.S. workers for high-tech jobs

#44

Post by baursak »

Apocryphon wrote: post #30
wehere1 wrote: post #2

always remember: the industry's involvement in CS education has less to do with philanthropy and goodwill than it does with lowering the cost of labor over the long term

Then what are they supposed to do, stop growing? Sure they could stand to raise wages for existing workers across the board (and they should) but that doesn't solve the labor supply issue. Maybe some of these grants can go towards retraining existing engineers who need to acquire new skills.

> Then what are they supposed to do, stop growing?

I never understood growth for the sake of growth mentality. Isn't that what's killing the planet, broadly speaking?

Re: Google commits $1B in grants to train U.S. workers for high-tech jobs

#45

Post by panarky »

twoquestions wrote: post #6

Stated differently, "Google commits $1B to flood the market with newbie tech workers, and to grow future client businesses". The cynic in me can clearly see their interest in the effects of this grant, but thinking on it more that interest might serve us better in the long run. I just hope the community gains from that money before it makes it's way back to Google.

I understand your instant skepticism, but I think it's misplaced here.

This is a billion dollars going to nonprofits to help people level up their skills.

While Google should benefit indirectly from this, their investment will also help countless other enterprises and individuals.

This is badly needed, so I'm going to suppress my reflex to twist the story against Google and celebrate the fact that they're taking concrete action.

Show me another company doing anything similar.

Re: Google commits $1B in grants to train U.S. workers for high-tech jobs

#46

Post by walshemj »

Klockan wrote: post #38
walshemj wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

two reasons time difference and communications

Those are not issues when you have thousands of employees at a location, then you can base entire products there. There is plenty of people in Europe who would love to work for Google but there are so few positions here that it is almost impossible to get one unless you want to move to the US, it wouldn't be hard for Google to get ten times as many engineers here as they currently have if they just wanted to.

And why would Goggle move a product away from its HQ - low level support maybe (but google doesn't do much support and they can just recruit in Ireland for that)

Re: Google commits $1B in grants to train U.S. workers for high-tech jobs

#47

Post by zzzcpan »

twoquestions wrote: post #37
Apocryphon wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For a long time the anti-H1B segment has been critical of Big Tech for trying to undercut American tech workers instead in investing in citizens. So now they're investing in the wrong citizens?

Hardly, especially if they execute aggressively on the "grow future client businesses" bit. I'll admit that part of my suspicion is rooted in self-interest, but if demand for my labor grows faster than other people can supply it I'll still win out (along with many others).

Abundance of cheap labor allows to "grow future client businesses", not the other way around. Cheap labor is key here, no matter where it comes from.

Re: Google commits $1B in grants to train U.S. workers for high-tech jobs

#48

Post by dyarosla »

bradleyjg wrote: post #28

I'd be more impressed if they committed to hiring employees that don't already have the skills they are looking for and doing on the job training. That would be far more effective both in terms of actual skills transfer and in terms of future career trajectory than Yet More Retraining Programs untethered from any actual employer or employment opportunities. We've been doing the latter since at least the Kennedy admin…

What criteria determines who should get a position then? What salary should those positions command? Sounds pretty handwavy.

Edit: responders to this comment seem to miss that the parent comment is suggesting Google hire new individuals and train them, not find talent in their workforce and do training there. Thats the unrealistic part- creating a secondary application process for individuals without the skills -- when they already reject a ridiculous number of people with many of the skills.

Re: Google commits $1B in grants to train U.S. workers for high-tech jobs

#49

Post by merpnderp »

wehere1 wrote: post #2

always remember: the industry's involvement in CS education has less to do with philanthropy and goodwill than it does with lowering the cost of labor over the long term

Programming is sufficiently hard enough, wages will always be higher than most other professions. If I could make this money just about any other way, I'd likely give it a go. But either be a PA, a doctor, or one of the lucky few who graduate law school and make good money (and I think PA's make less than most programmers I know).

Otherwise be a programmer.

Re: Google commits $1B in grants to train U.S. workers for high-tech jobs

#50

Post by walshemj »

panarky wrote: post #45
twoquestions wrote: post #6

Stated differently, "Google commits $1B to flood the market with newbie tech workers, and to grow future client businesses". The cynic in me can clearly see their interest in the effects of this grant, but thinking on it more that interest might serve us better in the long run. I just hope the community gains from that money before it makes it's way back to Google.

I understand your instant skepticism, but I think it's misplaced here. This is a billion dollars going to nonprofits to help people level up their skills. While Google should benefit indirectly from this, their investment will also help countless other enterprises and individuals. This is badly needed, so I'm going to suppress my reflex to twist the story against Google and celebrate the fact that they're taking conc…

But will google employ any of these employees or is it just presentism
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