The Document that everyone needs to read before Election Day
With the Democratic and Republican national conventions over, the general election is officially upon us. We’ve got less than 90 days until Election Day, so the time has come for people across this country to take a hard, serious look at these candidates and decide for themselves: who is the best person to lead this great country?
Over the past few months, I’ve seen a lot of activity from my fellow CEOs in the technology industry, from hosting fundraisers, to speaking on convention stages, to using social media to weigh in on the news of the day.
What I haven’t seen my fellow CEOs doing much of, is driving a conversation about the state of technology and innovation in our country. As leaders in the industry with influential voices, it’s our responsibility to speak out on these issues. Just because we have incredible technology at our fingertips, doesn’t mean people living outside the Silicon Valley have the same opportunity. The power of this industry must work for all Americans and we can’t take our success for granted.
With that said, it’s imperative we elect a president who understands the technology and innovation related challenges facing our country and has a plan for what they’d do about it. I’ve decided that person is Hillary Clinton.
She is the only candidate to release a clear, five point Technology & Innovation Agenda, that addresses everything from how to create good paying tech jobs outside of the existing hubs in our country to how the United States can remain the world’s leader in innovation. Most relevant and exciting to me, is her plan to modernize our workforce and foster the next generation of programmers and engineers. Regardless of their political affiliation, every Silicon Valley CEO and leader in technology should read this fantastic plan.
With all the fear, cynicism and empty statements thrown around in this election cycle, it’s so refreshing to read an inherently optimistic policy that clearly lays out how we’re going to tackle our real challenges. What a novel idea!
According to data gathered by Code.org, in 2015 there were over 500,000 unfilled computer science jobs across the US and, as many of us in the industry know, we simply don’t have enough qualified candidates to fill them. Secretary Clinton’s plan directly addresses this skills gap and understands that the best way to close it is by expanding education opportunities: “People of all ages need continued access to a range of higher education and training opportunities — early career, mid-career, and even late-career — so that they can keep up with changes in technology and industry, and shift fields or move up in their fields.”
As I’ve often discussed on this publication, two of the biggest barriers to getting a quality technology education are cost and time. The price of a degree from a traditional 2–4 year university is out-of-reach for many people who want it. Furthermore, it’s a big time commitment — one that sometimes isn’t possible for folks who have full time jobs and don’t have the flexibility to pursue education on a full or even part time basis.
Secretary Clinton’s plan addresses those key barriers by calling for $10 billion in federal funding for students to put towards online computer science programs like the Treehouse Techdegree and many other quality resources. As I’ve seen time and time again, these courses work and this new funding would open up the door for thousands of people all across the country to start learning new skills (at home and at their own pace) that could land them higher paying jobs and change their lives.
In addition, Secretary Clinton’s plan calls creating a strong training pipeline and would provide grants to support programs that “tailor job training opportunities to match labor demands in technology-driven industries” so that people can go directly from training into a new job, without worrying if the training will pay off in the end.
These are the kind of smart ideas people in Silicon Valley need to be talking about everyday. An often repeated trope is that elections are all about choices. One way to know which candidate is serious about and which isn’t is to ask the all important question: how.
When it comes to technology and innovation, Secretary Clinton has answered the how question with flying colors. I encourage everyone to read it themselves and be the judge.
