UBER can't find good help locally. (Pittsburgh: job openings, schools, universities)

[Benzman66]

As they say, all the good ones are leaving Pittsburgh for greener pastures;

High-tech help hard to find for Uber in Pittsburgh | TribLIVE

[Paul2421]

Originally Posted by Benzman66

As they say, all the good ones are leaving Pittsburgh for greener pastures;

High-tech help hard to find for Uber in Pittsburgh | TribLIVE

I really don't see the point here. Either uber needs to lower their standards or pay more. I think the problem is a lack of entry level jobs in Pittsburgh that help these people get experience, and the lack of commitment to teaching people on the job. I can't really feel bad. You moved to Pittsburgh to save money and then complain about the lack of job base that comes from the more expensive cities. I would gladly sign up to work there tomorrow if they were looking for someone with my skills.

[PghYoPro]

Wish I would have studied computer science. That's where the $$$ is.

[gladhands]

Originally Posted by Benzman66

As they say, all the good ones are leaving Pittsburgh for greener pastures;

High-tech help hard to find for Uber in Pittsburgh | TribLIVE

Except, that's not what the article says at all. It says that Pittsburgh does not have a enough seasoned tech professionals from which to hire. The city has a lot of mid career job openings. Local grads don't qualify for the jobs.

[Faer]

Uber's ideal candidate is a CS/Automotive engineering double major with a decade of Python experience. A big part of it is they just have extremely specific skill sets they are looking for.

[Paul2421]

Originally Posted by gladhands

Except, that's not what the article says at all. It says that Pittsburgh does not have a enough seasoned tech professionals from which to hire. The city has a lot of mid career job openings. Local grads don't qualify for the jobs.

Yeah. Just looked over the listings. Most are very specific tech oriented and require 5 years of experience.

[Moby Hick]

Maybe if you hire away an entire department from CMU, you find it hard to get people because the rest of CMU isn't being helpful?

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by Paul2421

I really don't see the point here. Either uber needs to lower their standards or pay more. I think the problem is a lack of entry level jobs in Pittsburgh that help these people get experience, and the lack of commitment to teaching people on the job. I can't really feel bad. You moved to Pittsburgh to save money and then complain about the lack of job base that comes from the more expensive cities. I would gladly sign up to work there tomorrow if they were looking for someone with my skills.

I agree. It's hard to feel bad for them, considering they want seasoned employees and has minimal entry level jobs. It's hard to leave SF to take a pay cut and try out a whole new city all at the same time.

[tmiz]

If Uber can afford to hire "100 of the right people" right now, then they can afford to hire a couple of trainers and make their own "uber technology bootcamp" where new cs grads get a crash course in the skills they need to do the job. For all the time and money they waste trying to attract outsiders, they could cash in on local talent for less than they'd pay elsewhere (the talent is still here, even if the experience is not).

I get it. Programming and engineering are skills that take time to develop. But an eager, young mind with good direction can get caught up faster than I think many tech employers realize.

What if these tech companies worked more closely with the universities? Maybe they can sponsor some scholarships, or even professorships, that push the skills the companies really need. Why not go in and grab the sophomore/junior CS/IS/Engineering major and encourage them to take a sequence of courses in modern programming languages (sponsored by tech companies) with the promise of a paid internship, and maybe employment, upon graduation? I bet plenty would sign up to take the "Uber-sponsored Python course". I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often.

I don't think it is realistic to expect the city of Pittsburgh to turn itself into a silicon paradise at a pace that will make an immediate impact for these companies. The schools provide employable resources. Those resources could be improved upon, but it is going to take some interaction and maybe a new learning model.

[PghYinzer]

Originally Posted by tmiz

If Uber can afford to hire "100 of the right people" right now, then they can afford to hire a couple of trainers and make their own "uber technology bootcamp" where new cs grads get a crash course in the skills they need to do the job. For all the time and money they waste trying to attract outsiders, they could cash in on local talent for less than they'd pay elsewhere (the talent is still here, even if the experience is not).

I get it. Programming and engineering are skills that take time to develop. But an eager, young mind with good direction can get caught up faster than I think many tech employers realize.

What if these tech companies worked more closely with the universities? Maybe they can sponsor some scholarships, or even professorships, that push the skills the companies really need. Why not go in and grab the sophomore/junior CS/IS/Engineering major and encourage them to take a sequence of courses in modern programming languages (sponsored by tech companies) with the promise of a paid internship, and maybe employment, upon graduation? I bet plenty would sign up to take the "Uber-sponsored Python course". I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often.

I don't think it is realistic to expect the city of Pittsburgh to turn itself into a silicon paradise at a pace that will make an immediate impact for these companies. The schools provide employable resources. Those resources could be improved upon, but it is going to take some interaction and maybe a new learning model.

Exactly...it's going to take some time for us to change our weather patterns, completely price everyone out of the housing market, and substantially increase our homeless population. They basically want a cheaper version of SF amenities, but SF is not cheap because of those things. You can't have your cake and eat it too.