Letters

I thought Dan Hanson’s column, “Do You Take Visa?” (July) was well researched and presented. Too many Americans want to bury their heads in the sand and keep the “foreigners” out when employers can’t find the talent needed to keep their businesses going.

Bob Madison

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I just finished reading Dan Hanson’s “Get In Sync” column (August), and I agree with some of it. Some of the lack of computer engineering talent is due to young people wanting instant fame and fortune without having to work hard to attain it. Computer engineering is a hard course of study in school. Another reason for the lack of talent is that the local universities need to develop a good educational program and then court young people throughout the nation to attend. There are two growth areas in the job market: technology and medical. While our city is trying to pitch the Medical Mart, our universities should be beefing up their biomedical engineering and science programs so when the Mart is finally built, there are students looking for jobs in that area of study.

I disagree with your comment that tech companies have a hard time finding project management, marketing and sales expertise in the region. Often, these companies are not willing to hire anyone unless they have experience in the tech field. I was recently out of work and looking for a job. I have more than 12 years of experience in marketing and sales. I have a mechanical engineering undergraduate degree, as well as an MBA. But when I applied at some of the tech companies, I was not even considered a candidate because I didn’t have enough tech experience. If these companies looked at individuals and the skill sets they do have rather than their tech experience, they would have fewer problems finding good people.