Jobs in the Software Industry Aren't Just for Programmers

As anyone who has read a blog post from me over the past two years knows, I am passionate about creating jobs in the software industry.  Over 5 million manufactuering jobs have been lost in the United States alone since the year 2000 and no industry since has been able to keep pace with the creation of middle-income jobs needed to offset this massive loss.  I believe fervently that the software industry, if managed correctly, provides exactly that opportunity.

One important reason why I believe there is such a big opportunity here is that not all software industry jobs are programming jobs.  While I do believe that anyone can learn to program, I also know that not everybody wants to.  That is one of the reasons I am so excited to announce our Digital Project Manager Apprenticeship Program.  Headed up by our phenomenal Director of Project Management, Hayli Hay, the program provides entry-level job opportunities to people interested in the exciting and opportunity rich field of Digital Project Management, in the same way that our Technology Apprenticeship Program provides an entry point for brand new programmers.

We hope that other companies will follow suit and we welcome any questions regarding the model, curriculum, timeline and budget.  

If we, as an industry can get this right, we can not only solve our long term talent shortage problem but we can provide a path for people in our communities to move out of dead-end low-paying jobs, into a career in a vibrant industry that some of us have been fortunate enough to stumble into.

Let's all work together.