IT....................InTolerant!

Over the last couple of years we have all seen the decline in IT dollars budgeted for training. We have witnessed 140 banks fold. We are experiencing a time that is so chaotic, families are thrown out on the street, mothers and fathers being laid off, uncertainty rules. I have witnessed men and women paying through their noses to boost their "marketability" by attending computer training classes. I always think of one young father, extremely motivated, dedicated and hardworking, who, in three years completed his MCSE and CCNP. This young man drove a cab. He was always in the lab. I am not speaking about a paper MCSE/CCNP. The dude knew his stuff. Today he is still driving his taxi. Now I know there are the "talk show personalities" who will quickly justify this rut. "he probably does not have interview skills", or, "he did not have a good resume". None of the above! He is one of the thousands, if not millions out there who are not given the opportunity,or the reward, for hard work. There are the "ethnic provocateurs" who will quickly run to the statistics to put the race curve on his delimna. It has nothing to do with race. I've met students from every race and creed, all going through the same "excrementious" situation. The acronymn IT has many meanings. The favored one is InTolerant.  
          Maybe I will ruffle some feathers but it is alarming to me that a student who purchases two or three Dell laptops to pursue his career is not afforded the opportunity to build his experience with Dell. He can, if he leaves his family and move to the Phillipines or Indonesia. Did I say wrong? Some employers need to evaluate the individuals posting these jobs online. Some of these advertisements are downright laughable. I recently saw one requiring four years experience in a Windows 2008 environment. Are they looking for extraterrestrials? Check out this entry level posting:-
  Skill/Entry Level
1) MPLS VPN  Required
2) Intrusion Detection Systems  Desired
3) Firewall Platforms  Desired
4) BGP Network Design Required
5) Cisco Router Configs Required
6) Juniper Router Conigs  Required
7) CISSP  Desired
8) VPLS Entry Level Desired
9) Packet Scrubbers  Desired
10) Juniper SDK knowledge  Desired......................holy macaroli! Somebody just lost it! America needs to address this. I came from a country that devalued their home grown talent and I saw the result. We can't be the world's 911, the world's employment agency and ours are left out. I walk through Manhattan and see the thousands walking around trying to find employment. I am positive, 90% are certfified. What do these qualifications mean?

MCSE- May Cause Severe Episodes
CCNP- Cannot Compete Nor Participate
A+- Angry (very)
MCP-May Create Problems.
Somebody needs to address the employment situation with our home grown professionals.                         
 
Training has become a sure bet for people other than educators.Today we actually have educational "franchises" and some are really run like 711's. How sad! Education is a treasure. It comes with a passion. An educator is not made, he/she is born. It is a combination of everything that's human in one parcel. Some training institutions today are derailing the promise of quality education for the mighty buck. Most IT training institutions are controlled not by educators, but by large investors who are so far removed from the classroom environment it's scary.There is absolutely no regulating body and if there is, it's asleep. Instructors and teachers have very little input regarding quality, they are Field Replaceable Units. In some institutions the IT classes are being done by "second jobbers". Do I disagree with the individual who is trying to make his life situation better by getting a teaching job on the side? No! however, I must remember that the client/student is also trying to make his/her situation better by attending class after a full days' work in most cases.
We all need to answer the harsh questions of our future as a world leader. Is it that satisfying to be the world leader militarily but educationally lacking? Do we need to monitor our IT training institutions to assure the quality that is being paid for by large corporations and career changers? Do we need to monitor who's the owner of these schools and what are their intentions? I think it was way back in 2004 I stated on this blog site that IT classes should be "projectized". I caught some grief from the naysayers but I'm saying it again.There is a case for quality IT training, there are some really great programs out there, these have been around for years and have proven their dedication to education. However, we need to control the "snake oil salesman" and in so doing protect the integrity of education and the fulfillment of our promise to the client/student. And we need to put our IT folks to work. As for me, I'll take one tenth of the salary being paid to an Afghan warlord. And while I'm venting, bring our children home!