There are a huge number of jobs that you need to know how to use computers but dont need to know how to balance a binary tree. I'd think most of the new millennial generation would be perfect match already, and lots of other generations would be keen to do some night courses and/or on the job training to specialize in whatever is needed.
"We want someone with years of experience, but we want to only pay an entry-level wage." - If most companies were honest
A friend of mine is still struggling with this. Nobody wants to hire him, because he doesn't have years of professional experience and didn't have access to a good four-year college where he lives (Nowhere Wisconsin), and there are medical complications preventing him from moving away.
I personally taught him a great deal about programming and security. He's studied computers and networks for years before we met. He's talented, coachable, and willing to learn more.
The market fails people like him.
How? Doesn't this just imply that there is enough supply for those companies that want to pay a lower wage?
Preventing someone from entering the industry fails the person.
> Doesn't this just imply that there is enough supply for those companies that want to pay a lower wage?
If you ignore the human aspects entirely, sure.
There's no telling what heights he could climb to if given the chance, but nobody wants to do that.
They want years of professional experience before they hire someone. But they only want to pay entry level wages. This creates a catch-22:
If you have the professional experience required, you can find a better paying job elsewhere.
If you have no professional experience, you can't get an entry-level position.
People often seem to make this false correlation between "using smartphone apps/watching netflix" and "can use a computer productively". Pressing play on the VCR does not qualify me to repair one.