Suggestion on how to keep our best and brightest

Titian Gal · 04-03-2009 11:50PM #1

Here's a mad thought on how to save this country and come out of this stronger than ever is:
Hire Recently redundant professionals into Information Technology. By that I mean anyone with a solid degree (except property developers – they have had their cake already) Solicitors, Architects, draughtsmen. These people are gifted in their fields. They may have computer talents also. A simple aptitude test would suffice to filter.
An architect and a system architect are kin. They are the cream of the crop, highly educated people. Turn their talents to the industry that is capable of getting us out of this - Information Technology.

These fine brains will be left to rot and take menial jobs because their age is against them. We should gather all the amazing talent in the country and make sure we don’t harm a hair on their head. These are the states biggest assets right now so get them working before they give up!!
I hate the recession already!!

thebiggestjim · 05-03-2009 12:36AM

Too late, I have already left.

Dord · 05-03-2009 12:44AM

Ok, but where are all these IT jobs going to magically appear from?

CreepingDeath · 05-03-2009 12:46AM

Titian Gal wrote: »

Turn their talents to the industry that is capable of getting us out of this - Information Technology.

The average programming team size is maybe 50 tops.
So you just want "us" to come up with about 1000 successful I.T. projects ?

(vague guess at 50,000 IT capable on the dole)

li@mo · 05-03-2009 12:49AM

Why not just create jobs for these people in Architecture, Design, Law.

That makes more sense.

They would be working in their own field and no need for talent conversion to IT.

Problem is...........NO JOBS........

connundrum · 05-03-2009 12:52AM

Teh computerz will save us!

CreepingDeath · 05-03-2009 12:53AM

li@mo wrote: »

Why not just create jobs for these people in Architecture, Design, Law.

That makes more sense.

Actually, you gave me an idea there.
Get some of the redundant professionals to help out in the third level education institutions as a sort of community service for the dole.

Even just a couple of hours a week helping student projects, giving talks etc..

Imagine if everyone on the dole had to do just 3 hours of community service each week, cleaning up the local area, run a sports club for the locals etc.

mikemac · 05-03-2009 12:54AM

Times must be hard for solicitors. No blood left to suck

jhegarty · 05-03-2009 12:58AM

Titian Gal wrote: »

An architect and a system architect are kin.

Oh yes, exactly the same thing :rolleyes:

m5ex9oqjawdg2i · 05-03-2009 12:59AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvrva8NoMLM

Pew pew lazer beams?

FruitLover · 05-03-2009 12:59AM

There are enough useless muppets working in IT without adding even more people who don't know what they're doing.

Solicitors should be soliciting, architects should be architecting, draughtsmen should be.... playing draughts?

CreepingDeath · 05-03-2009 01:02AM

Titian Gal wrote: »

Suggestion on how to keep our best and brightest

Confiscate their passports.

rainbow kirby · 05-03-2009 01:18AM

Bad idea. Either way, I'll probably be getting out of this country with my CS degree...

Orion · 05-03-2009 01:23AM

FruitLover wrote: »

Solicitors should be soliciting

Whole new industry right there - Law degree hookers

brianthebard · 05-03-2009 01:27AM

op wrote:

They are the cream of the crop, highly educated people.

What so there's no crap architects?

Unpossible · 05-03-2009 01:45AM

Its hard enough getting IT jobs besides swamping the market.

They are the cream of the crop, highly educated people.

Not like those IT people, I think someone is going to have difficulties loggin into their work system tomorrow :pac:

*hopes one of your companies IT people reads this thread*

vinylbomb · 05-03-2009 01:59AM

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Bad idea. Either way, I'll probably be getting out of this country with my CS degree...

+1

Straight up with you on that one.

Edit: You'll be a lot more marketable globally with a little experience if you've got some.

useful_contacts · 05-03-2009 02:28AM

Titian Gal wrote: »

anyone with a solid degree (except property developers – they have had their cake already)!!

what about people with degrees who couldnt find any work in something they worked 4 years for and ended up working in factorys?

ejmaztec · 05-03-2009 02:43AM

Futurama - Heads in Jars - problem solved.

zootroid · 05-03-2009 02:47AM

useful_contacts wrote: »

what about people with degrees who couldnt find any work in something they worked 4 years for and ended up working in factorys?

Exactly. I have numerous friends, educated to degree level, with 3-4 years experience, and unable to find work anywhere. Some have come over to Australia, and while they found work initially in their chosen fields, they are no longer able to do so, leaving them to find work in bars and factories when the recession is hitting those jobs too. Those that do find work are the lucky ones.

maninasia · 05-03-2009 06:19AM

3-4 years work experience is not much.......

Renegade_Archer · 08-03-2009 09:12AM

I left.

I make more money here
It rains a few times a year
Infrastructure is better (but by jaysus, you better have medical insurance, or you're dead)

Don't miss Ireland much. Maybe it's because I grew up in Drogheda.

luckat · 08-03-2009 09:59AM

Good idea, Titian Gal, but as you see from the answers, people are still reeling from shock, and are reverting to base smart-alec answers out of instinct.

You're perfectly right - in a country full of highly qualified and experienced people, intelligent, creative and willing to work hard, we should be able to use our sense, nouse and contacts to bring work in that we can do here and export.

With the internet, people shouldn't have to emigrate.

At the moment, though, there's a panic rush going on. In the last week I talked to a computer consultant for a government department (ex since Monday), an accountant with KPMG (ex since Wednesday) and an investment adviser in the IFSC (ex since last week).

When the panic settles, we will need plans and backup plans to get work for all these people which will bring money into the country.

Annatar · 08-03-2009 10:40AM

Ermmm just because a person has a Degree in one profession does not mean they would be worth a damn in another.

I have a Hons Degree in Computing, am pretty good at my job, but I would suckass as trying to be a solicitor etc...

A degree does not mean you have the capability to become a professional in another discipline.
Besides, where's the IT jobs???

Mr. CooL ICE · 08-03-2009 10:42AM

luckat wrote: »

Good idea, Titian Gal, but as you see from the answers, people are still reeling from shock, and are reverting to base smart-alec answers out of instinct.

Wrong. People are 'reverting' to smart-alec answers because she clearly didn't think this through. Plus, this is AH

Titian Gal wrote:

These people are gifted in their fields. They may have computer talents also

If you have worked in IT, you would know that just because someone is on a 6-figure salary, it doesn't mean they have a single brain cell. Honestly, how some of these people remember to breath is beyond me

Annatar · 08-03-2009 11:01AM

LordChessington wrote: »

If you have worked in IT, you would know that just because someone is on a 6-figure salary, it doesn't mean they have a single brain cell. Honestly, how some of these people remember to breath is beyond me

Aint that the scary truth!!

thee glitz · 08-03-2009 11:11AM

CreepingDeath wrote: »

Imagine if everyone on the dole had to do just 3 hours of community service each week, cleaning up the local area, run a sports club for the locals etc.

Getting unemployed people to donate a few hours to their local community
would be a very good idea. There would be the problem of not being perfectly
able to match people's skills with suitable projects so some people wouldn't be
involved (much) and the rest would become resentful...

Xiney · 08-03-2009 01:03PM

As an outsider, I don't think Irish qualifications are quite as good as people seem to be making them out to be.

I'd wager the vast majority of graduates from IT programs in Ireland would fail first year computer science exams at the University I attended. (full disclosure: I didn't attend it for IT - but most of my friends did)

I say, improve the quality of education here, and while you may not keep people much more easily, at least the ones who remain will be better able to get the country out of its messes.

Unpossible · 08-03-2009 03:29PM

Xiney wrote: »

As an outsider, I don't think Irish qualifications are quite as good as people seem to be making them out to be.

I'd wager the vast majority of graduates from IT programs in Ireland would fail first year computer science exams at the University I attended. (full disclosure: I didn't attend it for IT - but most of my friends did)

I say, improve the quality of education here, and while you may not keep people much more easily, at least the ones who remain will be better able to get the country out of its messes.

To be fair a lot of that depends on the institute. When I was there I.T.Tralee's Software Development course was very tough, we were learning C# and Java while other universities were still teaching C++. We were also using rational XDE as soon as it was released. It was also a lot harder than the computer/programming sections of the degree I did in Finland.
Of course I have heard of some terrible students passing in other I.T.'s which I won't name so as i said it all depends on the institute.

newestUser · 08-03-2009 03:57PM

Absolutely bonkers suggestion.

A perception I've encountered since I was 18 was that 'IT' (as vague and generic a term as 'business') is trivial. The auld lad hears that I'm studying something called 'Computer Architecture' as part of my degree? 'Pfft. Load of sh!te. I'd tell ye everythin' ye need te know about that in 5 minutes'. Cheers Dad. Fill me in on CISC, RISC, Boolean Algebra, assembly language, the binary counting system and all that stuff that I never knew you had a deep understanding of. Architects and System Architects are kin? WTF? Do they teach Design Patterns, UML, Object Oriented Programming etc. in between all that building design stuff in architecture courses now? Back in the day, some snotty bint starts calling me a tool of the capitalist oppressors because she can't accept that her opinion on how to manage multi-million projects designing software for managing stock trades for banks is meaningless given her utter and complete lack of education or experience in the field, and that some aspects of the job, which she considers exploitation are unavoidable pitfalls in the business, and legislating for them would destroy the livelihoods of people working in the area, instead of protecting them? People lecturing me on how projects that build software that maps the human genome or runs a particle accelerator should be run, because they've read a Dilbert book, which means they've got the inside skinny on 'de industry' and their opinion now means something?

<breathe in, breathe out...>

The presumption that anyone can walk into an 'IT' role with no training or experience is insulting to people who work in any of the many roles that come under the heading 'IT'.

godtabh · 08-03-2009 03:58PM

CreepingDeath wrote: »

A

Imagine if everyone on the dole had to do just 3 hours of community service each week, cleaning up the local area, run a sports club for the locals etc.

You should only get the dole if your giving back something to the community. Nothing in life is free and the dole shouldnt be either.

Suggestion on how to keep our best and brightest

Comments