I don't think Ryan has forgotten the reality of supply and demand. I think it's more basic than that: he is totally overestimating the demand.
Yes, there are entry-level developer positions that pay $40,000, and more. However I think you'll find it difficult to locate many that require just six months of participation in a high school vocational training program. And you'll find even fewer in the economically depressed regions where this program may be most appealing.
Thanks to the current tech boom there is higher demand for more senior development positions, but those positions require a lot more experience and skill. Hard-to-find intangibles, not programming ability, often make these harder to fill.
It's funny that Ryan mentioned Facebook. As big a name as it is, the company only employs a few thousand people and from what I have seen, most of the developers there, even in the entry-level positions, have college degrees. At many of the big tech companies where you will be most likely to find six-figure salaries post-boom, college degrees, including those from particular institutions, are favored if not required.
We've spoken personally to Facebook's hiring team and they've confirmed they no longer require degrees for their developers. The reason is because there isn't enough computer science grads.
If you look at the job descriptions on facebook.com/careers for technical positions, all of the development roles I see listed require a) a college degree, b) a specialized skill set no entry-level candidate would bring to the table and/or c) a certain number of years of job experience.
So the question remains: just what evidence backs up your assumption that there are significant numbers of entry-level technology jobs paying above national averages for high school graduates with less than a year of vocational training? That seems to be a big part of your pitch, both to schools and to students.
Yes, there are entry-level developer positions that pay $40,000, and more. However I think you'll find it difficult to locate many that require just six months of participation in a high school vocational training program. And you'll find even fewer in the economically depressed regions where this program may be most appealing.
Thanks to the current tech boom there is higher demand for more senior development positions, but those positions require a lot more experience and skill. Hard-to-find intangibles, not programming ability, often make these harder to fill.
It's funny that Ryan mentioned Facebook. As big a name as it is, the company only employs a few thousand people and from what I have seen, most of the developers there, even in the entry-level positions, have college degrees. At many of the big tech companies where you will be most likely to find six-figure salaries post-boom, college degrees, including those from particular institutions, are favored if not required.