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Google To Train 2 Million Indian Android Developers (thestack.com) 360

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Stack: Google has announced its new "Android Fundamentals" training program, which aims to train and certify up to two million Android developers in India. The course, soon to be available online and at schools country-wide, is focused on training, testing, and certifying Android developers to prepare students for careers using Android technology. Google is currently working to update the skills of its existing trainers to prepare them to teach the Fundamentals course, as well as updating course materials to provide students a solid foundation in Android development. The new program works with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Skill India' initiative, launched in 2015 with the intent of training 400 million Indian citizens with new vocational skills by 2022. Caesar Sengupta, VP Product Management for Google, said that while India is forecasted to have the largest developer population in the world by 2018, with almost four million developers, only a quarter of them are currently building for mobile.
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Google To Train 2 Million Indian Android Developers

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  • Another reason (Score:5, Interesting)

    by colinrichardday ( 768814 ) <colin.day.6@hotmail.com> on Monday July 11, 2016 @10:31PM (#52494207)

    Another reason for Americans to not study programming.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      why isn't google investing in two million *americans* ?

      indians works for pennies on the dollar, and won't need to be h1-b'd either.

      • by jmd ( 14060 ) on Monday July 11, 2016 @11:59PM (#52494565)

        How about *american indians*

        • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

          by Anonymous Coward

          the north american indigenous population was mistakenly called 'indians' by some dumb white guy in the 1400s who got lost on his way to the india in asia. don't be like him, they're 'native americans' in the u.s., 'first nations' in canada.

          the native americans, btw, are too busy counting all their money made off the dumb white man at their casinos to worry about petty things like mobile app development.

    • Re:Another reason (Score:4, Interesting)

      by superwiz ( 655733 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @01:08AM (#52494723) Journal

      Another reason for Americans to not study programming.

      To be more precise, another reason for Americans not to study programming on Android. According to the summary only 1/4 of 4 million Indian developers are working on mobile. And these are supposed to be additional 2 million developers. So the program plans to increase the number of Indian developers by 50%. I have to admit, this seriously gives me pause about having learn-android-platform on my todo list. It moves it somewhere below learn-cobol level. I am surprised to see this come out of Google though. Instead of finding ways to automate many tasks of Android development they decide to hand it off to be done through repetitive cheap human labor. Didn't expect it from the company which used to strive to be at the forefront of development. I am curious though what Kurzweil thinks of it. It's certainly a move towards flattening the singularity trend rather than allowing it to spike.

      • Re:Another reason (Score:5, Insightful)

        by JaredOfEuropa ( 526365 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @04:45AM (#52495267) Journal
        You might want to rethink that: Cobol guys make good money. It's kind of like learning SAP: it's soul-suckingly dreadful work but it pays very well, and SAP / ERP people always seem to be in good demand.

        If you want to learn app development, look into cross-platform stuff. I'm having a decent experience with Xamarin (coding in C#, which is better than Objective-C and chocolate-and-sprinkles-covered-heavenly better than Java on Android), and there are some other options.
    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      It's not a zero sum game.

  • Just what we need (Score:4, Insightful)

    by NotQuiteReal ( 608241 ) on Monday July 11, 2016 @10:37PM (#52494237) Journal
    2 million MORE newbs who THINK they can program. And can post to the app store, um Play (yeah, because all my apps are a frolic).
    • good enough. Especially at slave labor prices. And with so few jobs thanks to automation and productivity gains we'll be falling over ourselves to see who can make the few at the top the happiest. Ever read old books from the last turn of the century? Ever notice that everybody had servants? Ever wonder why?
    • 2 million MORE newbs who THINK they can program

      Not really. That's Google. They will train 2 M people, then keep the better 5% to develop applications.

    • by gweihir ( 88907 )

      Indeed. More bad code from bad coders. We already have more than enough of both.

  • Uh huh.... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 11, 2016 @10:48PM (#52494281)

    So much for white privilege. Last time I checked, my account had no white privilege deposit. Our tech companies are giving the farm away to the Indians, Vietnamese, Chinese, and anyone else who will work for shit wages. Google and its ilk are driving down the salaries for IT workers in the literal race to zero. What with everyone replacing their workers with robotics, the BS $15 fast food wages about to kill those jobs, the US is rapidly becoming a 3rd-world taco stand with semi-decent pizza.

    I live in TX and, as an example, if you "wanted" to work construction here, no one would hire you--because your white. Ditto the farms, agriculture biz, fast food, you name it. Texas land owners as well as Texas businesses prefer to hire Mexicans--illegal or otherwise for work. Drive by any gas station on a weekday morning and there are dozens of Mexicans waiting around for the white man to come and collect them in pickup trucks to go and do their thing.

    I was thinking of starting a lawn care business, but it's impossible because the Mexicans have driven down the prices to what a white guy cannot live on. It's easy for them to live compared to us because they are willing to live in shit conditions and 8-10 in an apartment or tiny house. Who the hell want to live with their extended family? I sure as hell don't.

    I work in IT in Texas--Houston area--and IT sucks here. All of the oil and gas companies have laid off so many IT people, they are now competing for the crappy jobs that remain. IT pays little here compared to other places. Austin is an IT hub, but the traffic sucks worse than Houston, it's more expensive and it's a hipster enclave.

    I've been in IT across 3 decades and I'm seriously considering getting out, but I have no damn clue what to do since IT is all I know.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward

      You have a great future in whining.

    • Re:Uh huh.... (Score:4, Interesting)

      by OzPeter ( 195038 ) on Monday July 11, 2016 @11:17PM (#52494431)

      Texas land owners as well as Texas businesses prefer to hire Mexicans--illegal or otherwise for work. Drive by any gas station on a weekday morning and there are dozens of Mexicans waiting around for the white man to come and collect them in pickup trucks to go and do their thing.

      There's your self entitlement for you. Thinking that you can hire illegals and day workers for the cheapest price so that you benefit the most, but screw what it does to your local economy.

      I was thinking of starting a lawn care business, but it's impossible because the Mexicans have driven down the prices to what a white guy cannot live on. It's easy for them to live compared to us because they are willing to live in shit conditions and 8-10 in an apartment or tiny house. Who the hell want to live with their extended family? I sure as hell don't.

      And it strikes again. You have this belief that you are above living with an extended family. No matter that for 99% of humanities existence, and for 99% of the rest of the world that's just the way it is. But no, your'e too good for that.

      I work in IT in Texas--Houston area--and IT sucks here. All of the oil and gas companies have laid off so many IT people, they are now competing for the crappy jobs that remain. IT pays little here compared to other places. Austin is an IT hub, but the traffic sucks worse than Houston, it's more expensive and it's a hipster enclave.

      More judgmental complaining. Don't people have a right to be a hipster if they wish?

      I've been in IT across 3 decades and I'm seriously considering getting out, but I have no damn clue what to do since IT is all I know.

      You have a connection to most fantastic library in the entire history of the world, a truly wondrous trove of information, yet you have no clue who you really are or what you want to do. And that is your fundamental problem. You have no idea who you are. Perhaps you should take time for some introspection.

      • Re:Uh huh.... (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Ol Olsoc ( 1175323 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @08:57AM (#52496205)

        There's your self entitlement for you. Thinking that you can hire illegals and day workers for the cheapest price so that you benefit the most, but screw what it does to your local economy.

        And therin lies the strangest set of paradoxes you will ever find. The people who follow the presumed head of the anti-immigration movement and his plan to make another country build a wall in order to keep them out are likely to be the ones harmed by immigrant workers.

        As well, this people are convinced that we need a business leader to fix this problem, when businesses are the cause of the problem.

        As well, there is a remarkably simple way to cut way back on illegal immigrants at very little cost. If a business owner is caught hiring illegals to do the business they are doing, toss their sorry ass in jail. We're Americans - its what we do to support the incarceration industry.

        If illegal immigrants have no possibility of getting work and money here in the USA, and if anyone hiring one catches a felony and prison time, it will go a long way towards taking care of that problem. And a few business owners in prison are a lot cheaper than walling off the US.

    • Re:Uh huh.... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by TheGratefulNet ( 143330 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @04:30AM (#52495239)

      I predict and fully expect to see a rise in american 'terrorism', where americans have been out of work long enough to lose thier homes and feel that they have nothing left so 'fuck it, I'm going on a rampage'.

      god help us all once this eventually happens. google and the rest all have the police in their pockets and anyone trying to rush the google campus will get the full riot police on thier asses, but when you have nothing left, you have nothing left to lose. hell, I've been close to that point, myself, feeling quite abandoned by my american 'brothers' who are running the US companies into the ground.

      keep depressing local wages and sending jobs overseas. keep it up. you WILL create more locals who want to see you die.

      or, maybe start thinking about easing off the outsourcing and h1b's and put americans (who really need and deserve jobs) back to work in a living wage again.

      your choice. we rush your gates or you keep us fed.

      give it 5-10 more years and this will be on the news.

      • They might not have the police in their pocket much longer. The way things are going, the race war is starting now, and the police don't seem like they are willing to stick their neck out much longer.

      • I predict and fully expect to see a rise in american 'terrorism', where americans have been out of work long enough to lose thier homes and feel that they have nothing left so 'fuck it, I'm going on a rampage'.

        god help us all once this eventually happens.

        I suspect that in the not too distant future, we will see a reverse brain drain as Americans find more opportunities in other countries than at their former home. This will be great as long as you are competent enough.

        For many people, the future looks pretty bleak, as we are not in the pecuniary extraction of wealth phase of the country, and don't appear to be doing anything about it.

  • by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 11, 2016 @10:52PM (#52494297)

    We are the ones providing all the tax breaks for google to make its billions, so now we not only import people for jobs that supposedly cant be filled, but we are now providing training to those people taking jobs away from people who are already employed here in the States? I hate apple, but I think this may just convince me to switch. I see no reason to pay for the right to cost someone else their job.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by OhPlz ( 168413 )

      How is Apple any better? They produce jobs in China. I think they started the whole "designed in America" thing so that people could somehow feel like they give a shit about the country they're headquartered in. If you think any global corporation cares about the little people, you're sorely mistaken.

      Ironically, if Trump wins, we'll probably see more of this. If you can't import cheap labor, you can export the jobs.

      • I think they started the whole "designed in America" thing so that people could somehow feel like they give a shit about the country they're headquartered in.

        Actually, I bought a Harmon Kardon receiver/amplifier back in the 1970's . . . and it had that same statement stamped on the back . . . "designed in America".

        So this Schtick is not new to me . . .

      • Re: (Score:2, Flamebait)

        Wake up! ... I think they started the whole "designed in America" ...

        The economy, world wide, is transforming into a "knowledge" economy since decades.

        Smart workers are "knowledge workers". Obviously manual labour gets outsourced. Was always that way, or where does your oil, coal, minerals, even food come from?

        Colonialism and Imperialism was nothing other than somehow getting cheap wares from "cheap countries".

        I for my part have no problem teaching dozens of Indians how to "code". To get my experience they

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by backslashdot ( 95548 )

      Wow, you seek to deny knowledge to people? You have access to this course too. Nobody is entitled to a job. If you want welfare then tax Google's profits and get your money that way.

      • by TheGratefulNet ( 143330 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @04:10AM (#52495185)

        strongly disagree, people of your own country ARE ENTITLED to jobs IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY.

        the fact that you don't get this, its very telling, indeed.

        the whole POINT of a country is to protect and give pref treatment to the people who grew up there, paid taxes all their lives, have invested in that place and often, their parents were from there and their kids will stay there.

        yes, I, who grew up here in the US, demand to have first right of jobs over some foreigner who did nothing for the US, and in fact, won't do anything for the US once they take their money away and return home, later on.

        I have more right to american jobs than indians who were not born here do. they are arrogant AS FUCK, thinking they really do have as much rights as the locals do.

        let me turn it around: if I were to move to india, would I - and should I - expect the same rights as locals? of course not!

        get real, indians. you don't deserve more rights or even the same rights as those who are invested here and who are part of this country, for the long-run. long after you leave, the rest of us will still be here, picking up the pieces you left behind.

        you bet we have a right to jobs ahead of you. the fact that you don't see it proves the point even more how much you DO NOT UNDERSTAND what america is about.

        • the fact that you don't see it proves the point even more how much you DO NOT UNDERSTAND what america is about.

          America is only about the people who originally settled here?

          Perhaps you and your family need to pack up and go back to where you came from, because at base, you are an immigrant. Because unless you are 100 percent Amerind, you're are an immigrant and born of immigrants. Disclaimer - ethnic slurs included merely for shock value, and the likelyhood that the poster actually uses those terms.

          Anyhow dear anti-immigrant person, if you actually want to eliminate these great unwashed from taking your jerb, a

    • Dude, Google doesn't owe anyone a job. If you want money from them, then tax them. Tax their profits and get your money that way .. it's better for everyone.

    • by Required Snark ( 1702878 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @05:44AM (#52495383)
      Google should be forced to register as the agent of a foreign government. When they make that level of commitment to India (or anywhere else) they are exploiting their privileged position in the US at the expense of the people and economy here. They take all the government support, tax breaks (which they get by lobbying) and legal advantages of being based in the US and effectively transfer wealth to India to improve their bottom line. Short of industrial spying it's hard to be any more aggressive about putting the interests of one country above another.

      Of course IBM is way ahead if them in this regard. A few years ago they quit reporting the number of people employed per country. That's a clear sign they know they have something to hide.

      Here's an idea: US companies that have overseas branches have to report the number of employees the have in all the countries they do business (roll in consultants as well). Make exemptions for smaller firms, or companies that take no US tax deductions or other government assistance. It's an impossible dilemma for companies that are trying to have it both ways. Do they give up all the subsidies, both direct and by tax tricks, or do they have to admit that they are parasites?

      If this was put forward in legislation American business interests would squeal like stuck pigs. They want to grab as much as they can from the public coffers without having to admit anything or face any consequence. They figure, correctly, that as long as they can keep the public in the dark about how they play this rigged game that they can get away with almost anything.

      And if you think this is bad, just wait for the TPP to kick in. If it does happen, US employment figures will be dropping by multiple percentage point on a quarterly basis. It might take a few years to get that bad, but considering it is primarily intended to move jobs overseas no one should be surprised. This is exactly what happens when greedy self serving corporate interest run amok. Under the hood it's just like the 2008 economic meltdown. In that case Wall Street had no effective oversight on real estate lending and almost took down the entire world economy. With the TPP the corporate class is now negotiating international trade policy solely for it's own profit. It is entirely likely that this next folly will make 2008 look like a walk in the park compared to the antipersonnel cluster bomb that is the TPP.

  • by serbanp ( 139486 ) on Monday July 11, 2016 @11:03PM (#52494369)

    they would create a new Shakespeare play in no time at all. Better than coding.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      they would create a new Shakespeare play in no time at all. Better than coding.

      Having had to unravel (well, more like throw out and rewrite) code that had been outsourced to Indian contractors, that goes some way to explaining how they seem to write code over there.

    • by SeaFox ( 739806 )

      Was waiting for the "monkeys at typewriters joke" (and not in a racist style).
      Was not disappointed.

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Am I the only one who thinks we have failed if apps are so hard to create for our platforms?

  • A radical idea (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Okian Warrior ( 537106 ) on Monday July 11, 2016 @11:17PM (#52494429) Homepage Journal

    Here's a radical idea.

    Hey google - why don't you train 2 million Americans?

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by mi ( 197448 )

      Hey google - why don't you train 2 million Americans?

      Because that might, accidentally, help make America great again... That just wouldn't do, would it?..

    • Re:A radical idea (Score:5, Insightful)

      by backslashdot ( 95548 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @02:01AM (#52494855)

      There are numerous courses for free download already available. I don't get it, there is nothing preventing anyone from learning Android programming, or almost any other kind of programming. It's totally free. Google has had Android tutorials online for a few years now. If those don't work for you there are others.

    • Why do you purchase stuff made in China?
    • google, like the rest of the NON INNOVATING bay area giants, just wants warm bodies that are cheap to sit in its seats.

      time and time again, they all learn that you can abuse indians and chinese and other asians and if they are here on h1b, they won't ever say no. they are polite little worker bees, living just to make your every wish come true, mr. manager man. sigh.

      americans are 'too uppity'. they want time off. they want sick time. they want flex time. they want to be able to say no and move to anot

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      India is a vast and largely untapped market for smartphones, but they need Indian apps to drive adoption. Apps in the local languages that address local needs.

      Google is hardly going to leave this to chance.

  • by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 ) on Monday July 11, 2016 @11:31PM (#52494471)

    code.h1b

  • On the Android Dev course I keep seeing on Slashdot.

  • In any droid related company NOW.

  • Looks like I'm going to have to call Android dev support. God, I hate this - every time I call I get another American on the line.
  • by Hognoxious ( 631665 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @12:46AM (#52494675) Homepage Journal

    Stack Overflow already ordered some extra servers.

  • They were going to run it in Pakistan, but people read it as "Android Fundamentalists".

  • In 2009 (Score:5, Interesting)

    by williamyf ( 227051 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @03:43AM (#52495125)

    In 2009, when microsoft did their "Elevate America" training FOR AMERICANS, the Slashdot Collective complained, loud and clear...

    https://it.slashdot.org/story/09/02/23/220227/microsoft-unveils-elevate-america

    I am guessing the Hindustanis will not complain so loudly, if at all...

    Enjoy

    this was my comment in 2009:

    "Lets only hope That RedHat, Suse and the FSF come up with similar programs, both in breadth and # of persons reached.

    That way, the computer Illiterate can choose what technology to learn, and are armed and ready when the ceconomy picks up in three years time...

    And let's also hope that Microsoft, RedHat, Suse, the FSF, Cisco, Juniper, IBM, Oracle, Sun and the gang rememeber that this is a GLOBAL crisis, and launch similar programs worldwide....

    Bridging the "digital divide" will only be good for America and for the World

    Salud!"

  • Can I run Firefox OS on it? Ubuntu Touch?

  • So glad I decided to switch over to mobile security!

    Keep 'em coming!

  • by vikingpower ( 768921 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @07:53AM (#52495837) Homepage Journal

    Expect spaghetti code, tons of boilerplate code, no design pattern application at all, classes with verbs in their name, brute-forcing every search and every sort, duplicated methods or duplicated method bodies, variables in subclasses hiding variables in superclasses, deadlock and race conditions, and - most of all - having to undo then redo it all by yourself.

  • Instead of just complaining on /. about how Google/etc. are destroying your careers vote Trump, campaign for Trump, go out and so something to get the only candidate who not only has even expressed an interest in saving American jobs, but who is running with that as his main issue.

  • HAHAHA it's always funny to see american losers complain. Full disclosure: I am one of the guys that is stealing your jobs and I am enjoying every minute of it. You know why? Because if I make 1500$ a month in my country I am called rich since the average salary is 250$ around here. For you 1500$ is shit. You all want big houses and brand new cars but guess what? You've priced yourselves out of your market. I can do what you can do at least as well if not better for a much lower salary. The corporations win

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