Comments on: Commentary: 10 ideas on how to stop our ‘brain drain’

By: Mike Pacitto

Mike Pacitto — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 05:29:51 +0000

Dr. Reddy, you’re spot on in so many ways.

Politics aside, Boulder has a huge up on us in terms of VC, technology and innovation. Denver has major corporations to boot.

We need a healthy dose of both.

That said, I am bullish on UCCS – the strength of the U can help mightily in contributing to this wonderful region’s success.

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:12:17 +0000

http://www.denverpost.com/lifestyles/ci_15437320

This pretty much sums up the rest of the reason young college educated people find the Springs unattractive. The me me me attitude has been taken to the extreme at the expense of having a vibrant community.

Younger folks are more likely to need late bus service as they save to buys cars, more likely to use parks as they may not have yards, etc.

Live in Colorado Springs? Who’d even want to visit?

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:45:23 +0000

“We must rebrand ourselves into a vibrant city tolerant of diverse people and lifestyles. Younger workers value equity and have more open-minded attitudes. To attract and retain young talent, we need to make them welcome and give them hope for advancement, no matter what their backgrounds are.”

Rebranding means nothing if the city is in fact and remains intolerant. I’ve lived in 5 different states and two countries and have never experienced the kind of closed mindedness I witnessed in Colorado Springs. Even Professors at the UCCS College of Business occasionally proselytized during classes and had a distinctive right wing Christian evangelical bent to their teachings. I had co-workers who kept 5 or 6 bibles on their desk and there was tangible pressure to join bible study groups at lunch.

The erosion of civic services that have been well publicized also illustrate an accurate picture of the city. Colorado Springs is a city that elevates the private over the public in extreme ways that are anachronistic. Vibrant, educated people flock to places like Portland, Austin, New York, Boston and Denver where quality of life is consistently rated better than in places with minimal public services, transportation, arts, etc. I’m not sure how the Springs can evolve into a more vibrant community when the citizens won’t even pay a little in taxes to keep their neighborhood streetlights on and have garbage picked up in the parks.

By: Alicia

Alicia — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:11:13 +0000

I agree with Todd. As a young professional starting out with my career, it was very difficult to find a job in the area of Colorado Springs. It seems that most of the jobs require years of experience. There is a limited number of entry-level jobs that have the promise of a big career later on. It seems the only way to get on the right track with your career is to move away and then come back to Colorado once you have had some experience.

By: Todd K Miula

Todd K Miula — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:41:25 +0000

Things may have changed since I left Clorado Springs back in 1996. I really wanted to stay in the “Springs” but found it difficult to compete with the experienced military personel that were retiring from the military as well as more experienced hires willing to relocate from out of state. My impression was, given the benefits the military receive after retiring, there is a willingness to work for a little less than you might get paid elsewhere given the quality of life, etc. in Colorado. This is a great thing for business – skilled employees for reasonable cost – but not so good for someone fresh out of college. I had one professor encourage his class to get their degree, find work out of state, and once the experience and skills were obtained, come back to Colorado. I had a hard time finding work up and down the front range even though I did very well academically. After about a year I left the state and have done well professionally since then. My wife and I now have our sights on Colorado and hope to move back there someday if and when the opportunity arises.

By: William P. Murray

William P. Murray — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 15:32:57 +0000

It is an issue of rising expectations. Colorado Springs recently has been noted for its ‘diminishing of expectations’. One answer is community fiber. It will bring the world to us. And its talent. Can you imagine the work force we would develop if all e-environments were able to communicate with each other? How about wifi if the community fiber broadcasts from all locations. No down time in any communicable device. I know that Steve Jobs would have been happy…:+}