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Steve Ekstrand wrote:My undergrad students are participating in a job faire today in Long Beach with a record number of employers participating. The career counselor swears that she can't fill all the tech and defense jobs she gets listings for. She says still jobs for grads with the right skillsets. Have no idea what those are, or what the salary outlook is like. I'd think both tech and defense would be getting hurt right now.

Steve Ekstrand wrote:I'd think both tech and defense would be getting hurt right now.

Steve Ekstrand wrote:My undergrad students are participating in a job faire today in Long Beach with a record number of employers participating. The career counselor swears that she can't fill all the tech and defense jobs she gets listings for. She says still jobs for grads with the right skillsets. Have no idea what those are, or what the salary outlook is like. I'd think both tech and defense would be getting hurt right now.

Christine Berry wrote:you just have to have the correct college degree.

Giovanni Jaramillo wrote:

Christine Berry wrote:you just have to have the correct college degree.

Fixed that for you

Christine Berry wrote:

Giovanni Jaramillo wrote:

Christine Berry wrote:you just have to have the correct college degree.

Fixed that for you

I'm an engineer, I'm supposed to have bad spelling. It's a requirement.

Giovanni Jaramillo wrote:

Steve Ekstrand wrote:I'd think both tech and defense would be getting hurt right now.

I thought I.T. would be bad but when I went looking for one contract while finishing out another I was pleasantly surprised to find LOTS of recruiters calling me for jobs. I was pleased/relieved. That 'SC master's degree is DEFINITELY paying off in an intangible way.

John Prosser wrote:

Steve Ekstrand wrote:My undergrad students are participating in a job faire today in Long Beach with a record number of employers participating. The career counselor swears that she can't fill all the tech and defense jobs she gets listings for. She says still jobs for grads with the right skillsets. Have no idea what those are, or what the salary outlook is like. I'd think both tech and defense would be getting hurt right now.

I am sure that will be the leading story on the news tonight and the Times tomorrow (right).

Christine Berry wrote:

Giovanni Jaramillo wrote:

Christine Berry wrote:you just have to have the correct college degree.

Fixed that for you

I'm an engineer, I'm supposed to have bad spelling. It's a requirement.

Katy Nicholls wrote:indeed.com is a good site. http://www.simplyhired.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is similar to Indeed.

This is an interesting article with links for industry specific job boards.

http://www.internetinc.com/top-100-job-board-niches" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.theladders.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is also a good one for jobs $100K+

K

Steve Ekstrand wrote:That why there are guys like Bobbie B. to fix it.

Kurt Rahn wrote:Actually, I'd say that hiring green grads and contractors are probably the smartest thing companies can do in this economy. The fat is in the managerial layers that draw large salaries and have sky high benefits costs.

My biggest fear is that the new administration will consider people like me an enemy of the state and will expect us to bail out everyone else that didn't save for a downturn. As it is now with the so called stimulus, my tax dollars will be given to others and I will have to pay it back with interest.

Steve Towers wrote:

My biggest fear is that the new administration will consider people like me an enemy of the state and will expect us to bail out everyone else that didn't save for a downturn. As it is now with the so called stimulus, my tax dollars will be given to others and I will have to pay it back with interest.

Dude, that's already happening. Consider: Do you trust this administration to audit ANY of the bailout payments. Didn't think so.

At the end of the day, the folks that did it right will be holding the stinky end of the stick. Those of us that played within our income level, paid our bills, and all the other things that apparently make us naive, will ultimately be the folks that pay for the excesses of the knuckleheads. Tain't fair, but 'tis true.

Steve Towers wrote:
Dude, that's already happening. Consider: Do you trust this administration to audit ANY of the bailout payments. Didn't think so.

George Schilling wrote: While some considered my level of frugality obsessive, I should have no problem weathering the storm that's to come. My biggest fear is that the new administration will consider people like me an enemy of the state and will expect us to bail out everyone else that didn't save for a downturn. As it is now with the so called stimulus, my tax dollars will be given to others and I will have to pay it back with interest. Just doesn't seem fair. I make the sacrifices to provide good paying employment, I give generously to charity, and yet I'm made to feel like I'm the bad guy. The world sure isn't the same as it was when I was a kid.

Steve Towers wrote: At the end of the day, the folks that did it right will be holding the stinky end of the stick. Those of us that played within our income level, paid our bills, and all the other things that apparently make us naive, will ultimately be the folks that pay for the excesses of the knuckleheads. Tain't fair, but 'tis true.

Bob Beamesderfer wrote:

Steve Towers wrote: At the end of the day, the folks that did it right will be holding the stinky end of the stick. Those of us that played within our income level, paid our bills, and all the other things that apparently make us naive, will ultimately be the folks that pay for the excesses of the knuckleheads. Tain't fair, but 'tis true.

And this different how from bailing out the steel industry, Chrysler the first time, S&Ls? When it's all added up, even the stupid individuals will be seeing a tiny pittance of what's going toward propping up Wall Street firms and greedy banks.

George Schilling wrote:I don't agree with any bailouts of failing companies. We would be stronger as a nation to let the weak companies fail to make room for new competition. The jobs will still be there, just with different companies.

The airline industry is a great example. Most of the old staples of the sky are gone making room for the likes of Jet Blue. This upstart provides better planes, better service, and happier customers. Let the old, inefficient companies die. New, better run companies will take their place.

"Hi. I play on the wind ensemble, which will be playing at the commencement exercises this month. Our conductor told us that you will be the commencement speaker this year.

This greatly excites me, for as a member of the wind ensemble I have to sit through all of the speakers and try to stay awake, so that I play well afterwards. In past years I read books to stay awake during commencement. I promise not to read a book during your speech."

I will use a top ten format just in case you find me a boring, old geezer. I hope you don't. At least you'll know how much longer my speech will go and when you can start partying.

It is customary to do a speech about lofty things like human rights, society, and empowerment. I'm not a customary guy. The title of my address is, "So You Want to be an Entrepreneur."

10. Embrace the unknown.

In the late 1800s there was a thriving ice industry in this area. Bubba and Junior would cut blocks of ice from frozen lakes and ponds and sell them around the world.

These ice harvesters were put out of business by companies that invented ice factories. It was no longer necessary to cut and ship ice because companies could make it in any city during any season.

These ice makers were put out of business by refrigerator companies. If it was convenient to make ice at a manufacturing plant, imagine how much better it was to make ice and create cold storage in everyone's home.

Interestingly, none of the companies made the transition from ice harvester to ice factory to refrigerator company because they resisted the unknown and accepted the known. If you want to be an entrepreneur, do the opposite: Love, embrace, embody, and create the unknown.

9. Don't ask people to do something that you wouldn't do.

Suppose you made the world's greatest mouse trap - based on a miniature nuclear bomb. You murder mice better than anyone in the history of mankind. However, there are some issues:

You need a PhD in physics to set it
You have to drop off the radioactive dead mice 100 miles away
It costs $50,000
You wouldn't buy a product like this. Why do you think anyone else would?

Imagine if airline execs flew in coach and ate the food? The world would be a different place. Don't ask people to do something you wouldn't do.

8. Focus on implementation.

During the first 15 years of my career, I thought that the key to entrepreneurship was the quality of the idea. I was wrong. Good ideas are easy. Even great ideas are easy.

Ideas are the not the key to entrepreneurship. Implementation is the key, and furthermore, the key to implementation is building a great team.

Anyone can come up with good ideas all day long. I'll give you multiple-billion dollar idea right now: create a fast, small, easy to use, bug-free operating system. There you go. Have at it.

And come see me if you can do it and need funding.

7. Don't be paranoid.

If you have an idea, share it, talk about it, solicit feedback about it. Don't hold it close to your chest. Build partnerships and alliances. License it.

This is because, as I said, it's not the uniqueness of the idea that's the key. It's the uniqueness of your ability to implement it.

If you have a good idea, assume that five other people are working on the same thing. If you have a great idea, assume that ten other people are working on it.

I've never met a paranoid entrepreneur who was successful. The successful ones share their ideas, share their equity, share their dreams, and bare their souls.

6. Pursue entrepreneurship for the right reasons.

This is the hardest lesson of all to learn. It may seem to you that the goal of entrepreneurship is a liquidity event as a means to be "happy" and that happiness is predictable:

IPO
Big house
Fast car
Private plane
Happiness is temporary and fleeting. It should not be the goal of entrepreneurship.

Joy is the right goal. Joy, by contrast, is unpredictable. It comes from pursuing interests and passions that do not "obviously" result in happiness. It comes from building a great team, from family, from friends and inexpensive if not free things. It comes from making the world a better place.

So create products or services that you love. That make the world a better place. At the end of your life, God's not going to ask about your market cap. She's going to ask how you made the world a better place.

5. Continue to learn.

Learning is a process, not an event. I thought learning would be over when I got my degree. It's not true. Entrepreneurs never stop learning. Indeed, it gets easier to learn once you're out of school because it's easier to see the relevance of why you need to learn.

Don't confuse school and learning. You can go to school and not learn a thing. You can also learn a tremendous amount without school.

If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you have to continue to learn.

4. Be brief.

3. Obey the absolutes.

Things change from absolute to relative. When you were very young, it was absolutely wrong to lie, cheat, or steal. As you got older, and particularly when you rise in corporate hierarchies, you will be tempted by the "system" to think in relative terms.

"I didn't cheat as much on my taxes as my partner." "I don't pad my expense reports as much as others." "I didn't cook my books as much as other companies."

This is wrong. There absolutely are absolute rights and wrongs. An entrepreneur is an admired position in society. Therefore, you have the moral obligation to set a high standard.

Think of your graduation as your IPO. All the world is watching, so set a good example.

2. Play to win.

Play to win and don't let the bozos convince you to do anything less. Indeed, the more bozos tell you that you can't succeed, the more you may be on to something.

Playing to win is one of the finest things you can do. It enables you to fulfill your potential. It enables you to improve the world and, conveniently, develop high expectations for everyone else too.

And what if you lose? Just make sure you lose while trying something grand.

The unexamined life may not be worth living, but the unlived life is not worth examining. Make sure your life is worth examining.

1. Enjoy your family, friends, and colleagues before they are gone.

This isn't directly related to entrepreneurship. It's the even bigger picture.

This is the most important lesson of all. Nothing - not money, power, or fame - can replace your family and friends or bring them back once they are gone.

I predict that children ("spinoffs" as we call them in Silicon Valley) will bring you the greatest joy in your lives - especially once, like you, they graduate and pay their own bills.

So.is anyone in the Babson ensemble asleep?

And the question now becomes: Will I fall asleep when they are playing?

Guy Kawasaki, CEO and Chairman of Garage.com, is the former chief evangelist of Apple Computer. He is a columnist for Forbes magazine and author of seven books including Rules for Revolutionaries and How to Drive Your Competition Crazy. He has started two software companies and been an angel for three others.

Garage.com is an incubator business, helping entrepreneurs and investors build successful businesses. For entrepreneurs, Garage.com's primary objective is to assist in obtaining seed-level financing. Garage.com's two-day Bootcamp for Startups teaches entrepreneurs the fundamentals of taking a company from startup to IPO.