It's Time To Work Together
It feels as if Corporate America is still smarting from the "edge" we technologists had during the Internet boom ("Talent Shortage? Employers Must Take Some Of The Rap," March 5). All the foolish perks we enjoyed are coming back to haunt us as the "leverage pendulum" has swung in favor of the boardroom. In a way, we deserved the offshoring trend and desire for lower-paid workers.

For our country's sake, we need to invest in our youth, convince them to pursue engineering and IT, and gain back the position of innovators we have held--and are at risk of losing. It's going to take some help from the C-level execs running the corporations, though. It's time techies and execs sit down together and figure out how to live peacefully.

I've done better economically in my IT career since the bust than at any point in the past. Money has little to do with the discouragement I feel, though. It's as if those of us with a few gray hairs, a boatload of business acumen, and the programming knowledge to put the concepts into code are getting fed up. If we felt valued, the story would be different. Wake up, Corporate America. There are still a few of us who want the United States to excel. Let's get back to helping you kick butt in the world economy and keep our country the best in the world.

Terry Schager
Principal, AEon-LLC
Landrum, S.C.

Education Needs Overhaul
Our political leaders don't have the courage to change our educational system. Can you image the backlash if we tried to hold teachers and students accountable for their performance? I once asked an educator why we couldn't have a national curriculum. He said it wouldn't work because each region has unique needs. I told him I didn't know math, science, or history changed regionally. He gave me a puzzled look.

I've never faced a lack-of-talent issue. I'm always able to find, hire, and retain quality people. My shortest-tenured employee has been here seven years. I'm fortunate to work for a company that requires each employee to have a minimum of 16 hours of training per year.

Last, it seems that every couple of years the focus changes from "know the business" to "know technology."

I think it depends on the worker. I'm not sure my network tech needs to know the business, but I'm sure I do.

Ron McCafferty
VP of Information Technology, Data2
Concord, Calif.

Look To The Future
The follow-up question to all these C-level execs should be, if you can't find the talent you need, can you find the talent to develop for your future?

The prevalent hiring practice seems to be only consider those who have the skills we need today--akin to buying a full-size tree instead of planting a sapling.

Russ Stebbins
Manager, Smart Group
Yardley, Pa.

Not Vigilante Justice
Characterizing the person who caught the judge in the act as a vigilante seems a bit extreme ("Trojan Catches A Criminal," Feb. 26).

This person didn't mete out his own justice; he turned the information over to authorities. If he is a vigilante then, by the same token, so is the member of Neighborhood Watch who calls the police to report a breaking and entering.

Jerry Gray
Company name withheld by request
Laingsburg, Mich.

Corrections

In "Desktop Virtualization: VMware Eyes New Pastures," desktop virtualization company Kidaro's name was misspelled (March 12).

In "Get Optimized For Video," Apurva Davé is Riverbed Technology's director of product marketing (March 12).