Tech Weighs in on Obama's Speech

LinkedIn, BranchOut have advice

President Barack Obama owes the tech industry.  It helped put him into office, and, thanks to high profile visits with the likes of Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, it helped him stay relevant and hip.

Now, the tech industry is weighing in with some job advice.  And in the wake of the very high-profile collapse of Solyndra and the FBI raid on Thursday, hand-picked by Obama to spotlight the green tech industry, it's advice worth taking, whether you're a President, or someone in need of a job.

First off, there are still lots of Green Tech jobs out there.  No longer a quick sure-shot path to IPO riches, several companies are doing well in the field, just growing a lot more slowly (and more thoughtfully) than Solyndra.

We also heard from BranchOut, a job creator linked to Facebook.  Not surprisingly, they talk about social networking , and how important it is to getting that next gig.  Whether you're using Twitter, GigWalk, or Craigslist, the advice from BranchOut is to do it yourself - sort of a "create your own luck" message, with no government funding involved.

Also, from LinkedIn, not only a big job creator around these parts, but a company that's creating a lot of wealth through an extremely successful IPO.  They point out that tech companies like Google, Oracle, VMWare, even Yahoo make up several hundred job openings in Silicon Valley alone.  Are you an engineer?  Marketer?  Salesperson?  Don't wait for the government to help you, get out there and tap your contacts. 

As I write this, the FBI is raiding the Solyndra campus, possibly to collect some of the items your tax dollars paid for.  Some 530 million of your tax dollars.

Not to say that government intervention can't help with job creation.  It just doesn't have the track record that innovation and entrepreneurship have.  Need evidence?  Just ask the job creators.

Scott, who feels fortunate to have a job, is on Twitter:   @scottbudman

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