When I joined Genesis10 eight years ago, I embraced an opportunity to serve as an advocate and advisor to young professionals who were struggling to land their first job or looking for that “right” job. Think about how many times you have heard a colleague or friend say, “I am still not sure what I will do when I grow up.” We might laugh, but for new grads in an ever-changing economy thoughts like these are constantly on their mind:
- Where will the market go?
- What career will be reliable and continue to exist as emerging technology impacts the workplace?
- What do I LIKE to do?
Tuition that increases by more than the inflation rate every year only puts more pressure on students to make “the right” decisions about school, major and career choice. Over the past 20 years, the cost of a college education has risen an astronomical 213%. To make those hefty tuition payments, many students have taken out equally hefty loans, which, in some cases, have been tough for them to pay back. Carrying such a heavy financial burden coming out of college changes the way college graduates work and approach the job market. What’s more, roughly 65% of college graduates struggle to identify and launch their careers.
Recently, we began the interview process for Dev10, our new software development training program, and we heard stories like these from our candidates. A few started school only to realize later that they were not passionate about the field they had chosen. Other candidates reflected on taking a job “just to pay the bills” that pushed their true career goals off track and are finding themselves fighting to keep their skills relevant and fresh. Education costs and paying the bills unfortunately prevent recent grads from changing their course of study or returning to school for another degree to get back on track.
Sadly, this did not surprise me. I spent the past decade working with new college graduates as part of our G10 Associates Program and heard this story many times. What’s different now is that I have the opportunity to help them choose another path and enter a field that better suits them. Through Dev10, we provide recent college graduates with a financially viable option to pursue a career in software development and have the best of both worlds – the opportunity to learn an in-demand skill (with placement assistance) all while earning a salary.
Helping young people embark on an exciting and fulfilling career is undoubtedly a good thing. But there’s another side to our Dev10 program. By training young people to become software developers, Dev10 assists our clients in industries from financial services and insurance to healthcare and retail with closing the growing technology skills and talent gap in the Twin Cities. According to a recent Minnesota High Tech Association Workforce Update, Java is the skill companies in the state need most right now. It’s one of the skills our consultants are learning, and in June they will be ready to work for our clients as Java Developers, providing an alternative to hiring more costly senior development talent or going offshore.
Learn more about Genesis10’s Dev10 software development training program. Let’s continue the dialogue on preparing college graduates for careers as software developers. Subscribe to the Genesis10 blog.
