More than 500 notable people in business, education, and the nonprofit sector are calling for governors and education leaders to update K-12 curriculums (sic) to allow “every student in every school to have the opportunity to learn computer science,” according to a new letter posted publicly at https://www.ceosforcs.com/. The list of signatories includes many prominent figures in technology, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Amazon founder and executive chair Jeff Bezos, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, and Meta founder, chairman, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Here is an excerpt from the letter (emphasis mine):

The undersigned commit our support by collectively creating employment opportunities for computer science students in every city in the USA, and in every sector, from manufacturing to banking, from agriculture to healthcare. Many of us offer internships to help these students find their career pathway. Many of us have funded efforts in CS education, to support underserved communities. But there is only so much industry can do by ourselves.

On the one hand, of course! Computer science opportunities should be readily available for all students who are interested.

On the other hand (because it's always two things with me), what is stopping these companies from hiring people and then training them on the job? How much of the onus should be on society at large to provide plug-and-play employees for the wealthiest corporations in the world?

Again, from the letter:

The USA has over 700,000 open computing jobs but only 80,000 computer science graduates a year. We must educate American students as a matter of national competitiveness.

What is preventing these companies from hiring people who are not computer science graduates, and then giving them the training they need?

It comes down to money, of course: it is costly in both time and treasure to teach people (see: the entire education system). The more of that training Apple and Microsoft and others can outsource to schools (and colleges and universities), the better that is for their bottom line. Why pay somebody a salary, give them insurance, and all of that when they are still learning and aren't yet a productive employee? Shareholders would not love that!

I'm not saying that schools shouldn't offer robust computer science programs, or that students in high school should not study subjects with an eye toward their future career goals. But these corporations need to do more than say, "Hey, education system, do better!"

One practical challenge: It's challenging for schools to hire a computer science teacher for $40,000, when that person can make $150,000 at Apple. Are these corporations lobbying their congresspeople for more funding for education? Are they lobbying for higher corporate tax rates to make sure that all schools can hire and retain the best teachers? Are they willing to hire somebody without a specific degree, but give them a chance to learn on the job?

We have set up a system in this country where demands like those in this letter are constantly placed upon "education," as if education is an entirely separate entity. In this, like in so many other things, it might help if these corporations saw themselves as intimately connected to each other and to the rest of society, instead of standing apart and expecting us all to bend to the needs of the and their shareholders.