If you, or someone you know, is technically skilled, and is unemployed or looking for a new career.. [View All]

[Xithras]

I spent most of the morning today sitting in a meeting discussing telepresence and video conferencing with representatives from Cisco and a few other companies, regarding a large scale purchase and installation for distance ed program we're working on here at the college.

Toward the end of the conversation, the question was raised about "technicians" to support it. The Cisco rep recommended that we hire unskilled people and have them trained "because we're installing thousands of units in hundreds of locations and companies across the country, and the few technicians who know this stuff are well out of your price range. It's so new, there's no technician pool."

He then went on to say that, if we know anyone who is unemployed and looking for a new career path, we should suggest this to them. The discussion even went into the possibility of the college putting together a new certification program just to train people for the field, because it's starting to explode and there is a real dearth of people with the skills to support it. He described the current situation as being very similar to the web market in the 1990's, where companies and headhunters are literally poaching technicians from competitors, because it's the only way they can get skilled employees. As an added bonus, the field is also highly resistant to outsourcing.

So, if you or someone you know is looking for a job, look at the Cisco (and competing) Telepresence market, and the certifications needed to get employed there.

Just passing it along. Hope someone finds this useful.