Given the current widespread economic distress in the computer industry, I’ve wondered why more people don’t question the Open Door’s mission, which is “to increase the quantity of qualified Americans entering the information technology field.” Why don’t more of you say, “Are you out of your minds? Why encourage more young people to join the ranks of unemployed American technicians?”

Perhaps you are just too polite to confront those working for the Open Door in that way, but I hope it’s for another reason. I hope it’s because you “got it.” I hope you share our confidence that the computer industry will recover and that you share our vision that American talent can create and support the next stages of technological development and success. And we hope that you see the problems America faces in this regard.

More than most, you know that many trained professionals are leaving our industry every day —with no intention of returning. Further, seventy million baby boomers will retire during the next fifteen years, many are in our industry. Despite the concerns about “ageism” in the computer industry, we know that many baby boomers are making important contributions. Replacing their talent and experience won’t be easy.

At the same time that the number of experienced American technicians is shrinking, the number of Americans pursuing education and training in computer science-related technology is shrinking, also, returning to a pattern of decline. Overall, the number of Americans pursuing computer science-related degrees has been dropping since the mid-1980s. The booming late 1990s saw a blip up, although not for females, whose participation continued to drop. With students hearing daily about unemployed computer professionals, that modest rise has turned into a rapid decline.

So where will those trained American professionals be when we need them? I mean those who can develop innovative new ideas and products to support every type of scientific endeavor and research; ideas and products to make our work more productive and our lives more interesting; ideas and products to drive our American economy forward, creating interesting and good paying jobs for others.

They won’t be ready. They won’t even exist unless we reach out and recruit them TODAY, telling them to get started today because their education and training will take two to four years – and by then there will be a real need, and real jobs, for people with their skills.