Major Research Universities, High Tech Employment, and Future of Miami (Hollywood: living, cost)

[Thomas Jefferson]

Originally Posted by c4dynamic

I think we all know the problems that plague Miami. Now I would prefer to believe that each problem has a workable solution. So lets start there. What would need to be done, and then decide how to do it.

There are several reasons a high tech company might want to open up in Miami.

-Favorable tax codes for businesses
-Excellent access to a very good port
-We have one of few network access points that tie the internet together. If I were a cloud based company I would probably want to be as close as possible to that.
-Access to south America. They are rising fast, they are going to want to buy more routers and washing machines.
-Easy access to a manufacturing base (low skilled immigrant workers).
-as far as startups are concerned, Miami has lots of rich and lots of banks (read: potential venture capital).
-Its also a very beautiful place to live.
-super hot women all over the place (maybe more subjective but "If shes a 7 in Miami she's a 10 anywhere else")


I think to some extent if you build it, they will come. But it would require massive investment. Along with addressing all of Miami's other problems: build a cutting edge research institution and over pay very smart and respected people to work there. Smart people want to be around other smart people, so more will come. The spill over into the community would mean a more educated work force. Hence more companies will setup shop here. If you can reach some critical mass of intelligent and inventive people, the Miami rich will turn venture capital and support startups. It starts with education.

FIU depresses me, the school's strategic vision basically ignores STEM fields. Its becoming a liberal arts school.

Extremely true. It is disheartening how FIU treats its engineering and science students. One of the reasons I did not even think about getting my Master at FIU when I finished my undergrad. No thank you! Besides, except for some companies, the majority of engineering companies down here treat engineers as a simple commodity and then when they get behind start crying because there is not enough engineers; to pay cheap!. You get what you pay

[perry335654]

Originally Posted by cixcell

without brains you have no high tech. PERIOD.
zombies would starve here.

brains are the end all be all of tech. if you dont have a whole ton of nerds you arent even slightly getting off the ground.

little of the manufacturing of tech is done here. products get developed here and manufactured elsewhere or it is software being developed.

smart people want to be around other smart people and that isnt here.
smart people oftentimes arent socially adept. they need strong police presence to protect them. strong law enforcement, they need protection to avoid falling prey to con artists and scammers. they are about the least street smart demographic there is. if they are forced to learn by circumstance they will rapidly apply for another job elsewhere.

What I just listed a whole list of Technical jobs above your post, plus what the Miller School of Medicine is doing with stem cell research as you guys need to do research before making these statements.

These can't be brainless people with these jobs just the people making the statements.

[c4dynamic]

found an interesting essay. Can You Buy a Silicon Valley? Maybe.

[perry335654]

Originally Posted by c4dynamic

found an interesting essay. Can You Buy a Silicon Valley? Maybe.

You messed up on the url , can't read the article, because we can't click on it.

[thelion]

Originally Posted by c4dynamic

I think we all know the problems that plague Miami. Now I would prefer to believe that each problem has a workable solution. So lets start there. What would need to be done, and then decide how to do it.

There are several reasons a high tech company might want to open up in Miami.

-Favorable tax codes for businesses
-Excellent access to a very good port
-We have one of few network access points that tie the internet together. If I were a cloud based company I would probably want to be as close as possible to that.
-Access to south America. They are rising fast, they are going to want to buy more routers and washing machines.
-Easy access to a manufacturing base (low skilled immigrant workers).
-as far as startups are concerned, Miami has lots of rich and lots of banks (read: potential venture capital).
-Its also a very beautiful place to live.
-super hot women all over the place (maybe more subjective but "If shes a 7 in Miami she's a 10 anywhere else")


I think to some extent if you build it, they will come. But it would require massive investment. Along with addressing all of Miami's other problems: build a cutting edge research institution and over pay very smart and respected people to work there. Smart people want to be around other smart people, so more will come. The spill over into the community would mean a more educated work force. Hence more companies will setup shop here. If you can reach some critical mass of intelligent and inventive people, the Miami rich will turn venture capital and support startups. It starts with education.

FIU depresses me, the school's strategic vision basically ignores STEM fields. Its becoming a liberal arts school.

The day the city leaders actually do anything towards fixing Miami's problems, is the day Silicon Valley separates from California, floats down the West Coast, through the Panama Canal and then latches onto S. Florida. Miami's leaders are so useless at everything.

I think large scale manufacturing is out, only because of the location - if you want to distribute in the US you don't put your manufacturing plant at the end of a peninsular.

We're more likely to be the distribution point for S. America, although that is changing as more countries in S. America become economically and politically stable - so businesses would rather just manufacturer and distribute in S. America (to reduce exchange rate risks).

I don't feel the rich people in Miami are the type to venture-fund high-tech startups successfully. You need high-tech savvy people, e.g. ex-dot-dom CEOs who have already been there and done that, to finance these types of startups; we have a few but not many, most are in California.

I agree with you on the investment part. We don't only need high-tech research university-campuses.

[thelion]

Saying that - Alienware was pretty successful, but Dell were rumored to be shutting down manufacturing in Miami (if it hasn't already been done).

[Thomas Jefferson]

Originally Posted by thelion

Saying that - Alienware was pretty successful, but Dell were rumored to be shutting down manufacturing in Miami (if it hasn't already been done).

Yep, good company with solid products and good revenues long time ago. But Dell came and totally damaged Alienware reputation in the gaming community. To confirm, Alienware manufacturing plant after being bought was relocated (outsourced, the evil word) to Eastern Europe, Poland to be exact. It is a shame because after that quality has gone down the drain. But oh well, that's business.

[cixcell]

anywhere i work here in south florida i find engineers who are working here because there is a job available to them. they dont like the place at all and the second they get laid off or find something elsewhere they bail. i kid you not - one hiring manager i overheard speaking to an engineer who was going to go interview another engineer in another state to lure him to florida for the job said this exact quote: "tell him anything you want, just dont tell him that the place is a dump"

people here get on my case when i tell them these stories. these are things ive personally witnessed and simply repeating. i'm not making stuff up. there are lots and lots of people who work here and perhaps dont like it very much. but they respond negatively to me when this is stuff i have simply seen with my own two eyes and am repeating.

[Thomas Jefferson]

Originally Posted by cixcell

anywhere i work here in south florida i find engineers who are working here because there is a job available to them. they dont like the place at all and the second they get laid off or find something elsewhere they bail. i kid you not - one hiring manager i overheard speaking to an engineer who was going to go interview another engineer in another state to lure him to florida for the job said this exact quote: "tell him anything you want, just dont tell him that the place is a dump"

people here get on my case when i tell them these stories. these are things ive personally witnessed and simply repeating. i'm not making stuff up. there are lots and lots of people who work here and perhaps dont like it very much. but they respond negatively to me when this is stuff i have simply seen with my own two eyes and am repeating.

I do not see a problem with Florida attracting engineers, I see a problem with Miami-Dade County attracting engineers. Mainly because the cost of living in Miami is insane for what you get paid for as an engineer. A young engineer with no responsabilities could live somehow comfortable in Miami but when you put in the picture a Wife and children, the situation is difficult for those making engineering salaries. Better Orlando, or Tampa.

[perry335654]

engineering jobs in Miami.

Engineering Jobs - Miami, FL | Simply Hired





I don't know why the OP's engineering friend had to look elsewhere as there are numerous openings here in Miami.