Re: Hmm...where'd those six figures go?

As an old old person (46) who worked in the computer industry and still
hears a lot about venture capitalists and startup companies from friends who
still hang out in that world (I left 12 years ago), I have an opinion.

I think they hope the young people are going to be so full of youthful
enthusiasm and so lacking in life experience that they can control them more
easily. If you hire someone before they have a chance to get some street
smarts, the rationale goes, you at least have a little longer before they
smarten up and figure out the way things work.

I'm not sure that's so true anymore, what with the internet to communicate
with, but keep in mind a lot of the people controlling the pursestrings (the
VC's) are in their 50's and 60's and 70's and their world view is  rather
different- they don't use discussion groups on the web, they go golfing to
network ..... I think it's possible they don't really get the web, the way
people share info about jobs and work and what's available and what's
reasonable in a job situation.

I also think, when younger people (20's and 30's) are doing the hiring,
there is often a fear of hiring someone more competent, sormeone who would
outshine them, take their job- sort of like hiring your older brother or
sister, or (god forbid) your father or mother. Argh! Might result in hiring
someone who promptly starts telling you what to do rather than taking
direction.

Just my opinion.

Jean Yates
Avalon of Oregon
201 SW 2nd Street
Corvallis OR 97333
541-752-7418
www.avalonwine.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Linda Titus" <ltitus(at)mindspring.com>
To: <hwg-business(at)hwg.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2000 10:02 AM
Subject: Hmm...where'd those six figures go?


> Hi Fellow HWGer,
>
> You may have seen the piece last weekend on the CBS news shows about
> internet startups that are luring college students with six figure
salaries.
> The internet startups want these students so badly that they are tempting
> the students to quit out of college to go build web pages.
>
> These are 21-year-olds whom I assume have been too busy with college life
to
> become experienced webmasters or to build a decent portfolio of web sites.
>
> Now, I don't usually brag but I'm making an exception here to prove my
> point. I have a sizeable, quality portfolio, a college degree, 3 years web
> design experience and 10 years in commercial arts/marketing. I am a former
> magazine publisher, I teach web site design/marketing and e-commerce at a
> technical college, and I manage a stable of 30 very happy clients.
>
> But alas, no one's offering me six figures! :-) I personally know several
> talented/experienced web site designers, and they're going unnoticed as
> well.
>
> Why do those internet startups prefer college students over experienced
> webmasters?
>
> Curious...
>
> Linda Titus, Net Sites
> http://www.net-sites.net
>
>

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