Comments on: When tech brains depart Silicon Valley

Economic geographer AnnaLee Saxenian says the migration of Silicon Valley's "New Argonauts" speaks volumes about wider changes in techdom.

[CompEng]

While You're At It...

Why don't you advise people coming out of college to enter the job market with 10 years of experience so they can work in the U.S? That's really not all that far from what you're saying here.
I'm constantly amazed at who blithe we are at the far-reaching consequences of te current manifestations of globalization, because we think we have to be. I think one area where the U.S. is practically in the dark ages is the ability to manage national affairs like competitiveness. We should learn from the Asian Tigers here and perhaps not make protectionism such a dirty word. It might not be such a bad thing if managed as effectively as they do in India, China, Taiwan, or Japan.

[tphm]

Dead right on that

How can they get students with programming experience and back-end understanding right out of school plus 3 or 4 other minor subject? they didn't even do it right to prepare a student on just one major. Think about that poor guy must stay in school for another 3-4 years to get some quality requirements...

[qwerty75]

Get the right skills

Too many people are graduating with CS degrees and barely even know 1 language, much less the very technical aspects of computing.

Take the right classes, spend your summers wisely and you will not only find work, but get a well paying job. Meanwhile, the people that put little effort in their degrees will be fighting over a few low end lobs.

[freq]

empower the people and we all win...

california has an elitist problem.. I moved to silicon valley right out of college because I didnt want to stay in seattle and do asp... in the valley I could learn business and be a project manager or whatever.. but I was really let down when I had to factor in the cost of living.. and how the narrow freeways drive inflated realestate and all that... it is so prevelant in the bay area

and the jobs were baised on privledge.. and the east west palo alto.. it made me really question what the hell I was working towards...

being on honest kid from a clever blue collar town.. I could not take pride in artificial status.. it ripped off my soul.. and nearly destroyed my cause.. I am worth so much more than that..

I dont get off on greed... I just wanted to be at peace with the people around me and make some friends..

cant we build an empire of love? isnt that the american dream?

[Des Alba]

Moving to China & Taiwan

Tech brains are being selectively recruited by Chinese and Taiwanese firms. Salaries are rumored to start around $150K/yr, plus signing bonuses, and all moving expenses paid. It would be hard for young people to turn down such offers. These salaries are but a fraction of the profits the companies stand to gain from fresh, new, innovative ideas.

[davidwfox]

"Saxenian: It is certainly not government incentives."

Really? You mean the military isn't "govenment incentive" by a different name. Heck...the Internet was a DARPA project! I suggest a bit more research is in order.

[nick fortis]

Yet one must ask...

Along with all this innovative wonderfulness, is there a chance
that, whatever braininess circulates, the ordinary middleclass
folk going to see some benefit? Perhaps the emerging mid-class
in India and China will see an increase in quality of life, but what
about our working class families? (One excludes the Silicon
Vallet/Route 128/Etc. tech and management elite, of course)

Nick f.