Comment by zdmc | Hacker News Reader

Comment by zdmc | Hacker News Reader

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Brain Drain is about networking. Why would most give up the opportunity to relocate around the top thinkers in their field? Inhibiting this movement would arguably slow down progress, while making the country more robust (much like the pros/cons associated with most centralization vs. de-centralization topics).

People from my hometown (pop. ~7500 in Midwest), do not realize that they are falling behind at an almost exponential rate. Many are working jobs that require common training, they do not continue their education, and they spend far too much time behind screens in the form of entertainment. And, even for those who want to continue to learn, they do not have access to a nearby tech meeting hosted by a top firm speaking on the state of the art. If you're not in SF or NY, then you do miss out on a lot of opportunities per people and shared information.

* I am personally ashamed to say that I only realized the power and advantage of networking in recent years.

> Inhibiting this movement would arguably slow down progress. Don't think the lawmakers want to inhibit movement rather, probably they want to use these conclusions to encourage people to stay. The prosperity brought by progress can be spread across many regions.

> People from my hometown (pop. ~7500 in Midwest), do not realize that they are falling behind at an almost exponential rate. Many are working jobs that require common training, they do not continue their education

Do you think it's caused by the lack of other people who are moving ahead aka role models or are there other factors(quality education etc...)?

I do feel and have seen despite being in the right place some people don't get same opportunities for upward mobility despite being literally next door.

Education, and lack of opportunity for those who are educated and talented. (They will go where they can reap the most benefits for themselves). That top talent - will also educate their co-workers. Not just the people they work closely with, but everyone in their organization will receive great benefits from collaborating with the people who collaborate with that top talent.

But most people working in the tech industry; (which is very highly stovepiped) - will never experience that, and may only read about it.

When you're not fortunate enough to be employed in one of the top tech industry companies, or in one of the hotspots where the industry is focused (Silicon Valley, New York, Boston, Austin, Virginia, maybe Provo, Seattle) - then you have to do all you can to use the internet to constantly learn and grow your skills; but also, you have to try to constantly evangelize the same attitude to your co-workers, and management. It is an exhausting job.

I'm roughly 5 years out of undergrad and my peers from my midwestern private school are already stratifying. There are people who flock to the coasts or get assigned to some midwestern capital for a few years (but with a well paying job and opportunity to transfer to a larger office), and there are those who stayed behind. More often then not the people left behind either didn't finish college or aren't using their degree, got married at 23 and kids at 24, and/or parading a pyramid scheme on instagram. Its a shame because this was a private school with a strong focus on higher education, lots of kids getting great scholarships to awesome schools, but after college its like these people stop engaging themselves to beef up their resume. It's easy to stagnate in the midwest.

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