To Reboot the Economy – Technology Is Where the Jobs Are.

Hate to break the news, but there are more people with cell phones in the world than with toothbrushes.

Still today in many classrooms, the main instructional technology is literally a piece of yellowish limestone rock scraped across a larger black slate…this too, time must erase.

Unfortunately, our educational progress has stalled reflected in stagnating wages and fewer jobs. The median worker is not keeping up with cutting-edge technologies.  Below are some good options for those with the desire and aptitude to learn something new and earn a good living.

Even this guy owns a smart phone!

Free community college, unless substantially retooled for the 21st century will fail both students and employers alike.

According to IDC (International Data Corp) – Between Now and 2020…  there will be 44X the growth in information BUT… only 1.4X growth in IT professionals. Nationwide, the economy is adding about 138,000 jobs in computing each year, while the nation’s colleges produce approximately 40,000 computer science graduates, according to Code.org, a group trying to expand computer science education in schools. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a national 20 percent employment uptick for web developers by 2022, a demand largely driven by the growing popularity of mobile devices and e-commerce.

Web and application software developers using the latest development tools, such as learning code in HTML5 are in high demand in almost every industry.  Schools focused on teaching software development either online for as little as $25 per month or brick and mortar in most major metropolitan areas can provide effective and practical education at very reasonable rates.

PC ——————————–Tablet————– Cell Phone

A combination of graphic design and programming skills are in high demand.  The industry calls them UX developers who have skills for building websites, applications for mobile devices where the need for the best utilization and presentation within the screen display using development techniques such as Responsive Design, is at a premium.

The Treehouse is an online school that we can personally recommend as we have FTEs who have taken courses in their free time. The Treehouse is designed to teach you developer skills at your own pace.  For as little as $25 per month you can learn online.  Their claim is you can Learn from over 1000 videos created by our expert teachers on web design, coding, business, and much more. Their   library is continually refreshed with the latest on web technology so you’ll never fall behind.  You can practice what you’ve learned through quizzes and interactive Code Challenges. This style of practicing will allow you to retain information you’ve learned so you can apply it to your own future projects.

Another example of a way to learn is to find a school focused on web design and software development, schools like the The Iron Yard.  While tuition is $12,000 for a 12 week program, full-time employment would quickly payoff as salaries would start in the $50K range.  They have financing options and scholarships available.