At Sharp we have been mostly thrilled at the feedback we have been receiving on our V.E.T.S program, a program which leverages the skill sets that veterans already have, while training them in specific QA Software Testing capabilities.
Returning the veterans to the workforce and providing companies with engaged and qualified teams. It is a program that, still in its early stages, is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
But not all feedback has been positive.
On August 21st 2013, Kathryn Cave published in IDG connect an interview with Karen Ross of Sharp Decision about the company’s V.E.T.S program.
“Should Software Testing Be Military?” discusses the V.E.T.S program and questions whether or not veterans are a good fit for careers in the technology world.
Cave’s findings suggest that veterans would make a good fit.
She explains that the need for QA testers is a lucrative industry, “Earlier this year Cambridge University calculated that the global cost of debugging software has hit $312 billion annually. The research discovered that, on average, software developers spend 50% of their programming time finding and fixing bugs”.
Cave also writes veterans could make good testers because, “they just systematically and methodically undertake a task. They are not shy of hard work and putting the hours in, and want to go onto the next level of progression”.
We were pleased with the different responses the article invoked, again mostly patriotic individuals expressing enthusiasm about the program.
Although we would like to acknowledge that not everyone felt this way or agreed with the program, and that is okay. But because of these varying responses we wanted to set the record straight about some things.
Here were some of the comments:
In response Denis Frailey, V.E.T.S. does not rely on government funds to operate. We are a privately-funded hiring and training initiative. Nor does our trainees’ veteran status give them priority for employment. Our clients have the option to say no: They just believe that we have a superior product.
Outside of the government compliance aspect, more and more companies are starting to recognize the importance of testing software. Whether or not the development teams are efficient at finding bugs and resolving them is irrelevant: for consumer-facing applications, functionality must be flawless.
For the vast majority of private industry, the market decides the fate of companies who don’t put their end-users first. In this case, customers have too many options in the market to be left dealing with products that don’t work properly. Those customers decide with their wallets who thrives and who flounders.
Captain Obvious although we respect your right to your opinion, we strongly disagree with it.To imply that veterans, because of their individual choice to serve their country, do not deserve the opportunity to advance their careers is somewhat cruel and thoughtless.
It should not matter what people think of military men and women or their time in service: ultimately, the truth is that having thousands of people out of work supersedes political responsibility.
At Sharp Decisions we respect the right personal choice. These men and women are not idiots, in fact they are quite the opposite. They go overseas not because they are unaware of the danger it will bring, but because they are so selfless they are willing to risk “getting shot”, to protect both your freedom and theirs.
V.E.T.S. is not advertising itself as a solution to a problem as big as military transition. We are just a case study — an experiment. There is a sea of non-profit organizations and groups looking to help veterans find jobs.
But along with the criticism, comes much positive feedback about the program like,
This positivism continues to drive us forward, the patriotic nature behind what we are trying to do. We to hope others follow our lead because our veterans do not deserve to be forgotten about.
Leaving veterans, individuals who have sacrificed so much already, in such a state of isolation can not be an option. Our world governments need a two-pronged strategy. Both the public and private sectors must work to put these people in stable jobs.
Someone needs to step up and offer solutions. With our program, we believe we have just one answer, among many.
We want to know what you think, do you agree or disagree with the comments posted? What are your thoughts on the VETS Program?