The demise of membership dues at TechMaine brought to mind the Monty Python Pet Shop sketch. The graphic (apologies to Monty Python) should convey the message that membership dues cease to be at TechMaine.
It’s a fundamental change in the business model, and brings a free-market engagement with the community. There are no walls, no members-only pricing (no members), did I mention no dues. Revenue items, in addition to the eLearning products, will appear over time; but they’ll face the realities of the free market.
This is an EX-DUES community.
TechMaine’s goal is to provide a platform to highlight the exchange of news, events, and information for Maine technology professionals, technology oriented businesses, and those reliant on technology. TechMaine will be part glue, to hold the communities together, and part GPS device, to help you either find your destination or locate a new one.
The site has a slight redesign and is still a work-in-progress (it always was). The Jobs Board is restocked with new listings. And it's even easier to post openings at your company...you can actually post a job in less than a minute. The Events Calendar is updated and now open to the community to post events, announcements, webinars, or meetups. The Industry Directory is open to all, and any company in the directory can now participate in the TechConnect program. The eLearning courses are being updated and we'll be offering them again soon. All-in-all, quite a few changes on the new TechMaine website; I hope you'll take a few moments to visit. Let me know what you think; what works, what doesn't, what you would like to see, what you would like for additional resources.
The old saying “you can’t get there from here” seems as fitting in the navigation to find appropriate online resources as it does on a Maine back-road journey. We’ll try to uncover and promote the networking events, people, companies, and resources that you expected to be just around the next bend in the road. The old TechMaine website was a tremendous resource with a significant amount of traffic and it's now back to showcase the efforts of others working to build Maine's technology community.
TechMaine will evolve with the community. We’ll be a catalyst when needed, and we’ll be there to support and promote Maine’s tech sectors. Stay connected and keep us up-to-date with your activities. Promote yourself and we’ll spread the word.
Youth Opinions of Careers in Information Technology
The TechMaine Jobs Board is a healthy indicator of demand for technology professionals. The good news is that the demand is expected to continue, the bad news is that only 18% of teens and young adults express a strong desire for a career in Information Technology. There is a lack of understanding of the variety of career options in the IT field and a total lack of awareness that IT occupations are in demand.
COMPTIA’s Youth Opinions of Careers in Information Technology (IT) study explores what young people think about a job in the information technology industry and the prospects of considering a career in IT. It also looked at the factors that might influence their decisions about a career in the IT arena and the roles that schools and other career information sources play in this decision.
To view the study, and to get more information, download: Youth Opinions of Careers in Information Technology