If you’re a nerd, our next governor wants you. To stick around in Michigan, that is.
Speaking Thursday to a group of mostly college students, he talked about his hope to keep “tough nerds,” what he called himself during his recent run for governor, in the state after they graduate. Michigan has struggled with high unemployment and a high number of college graduates leaving the state, many for other urban areas not as hurt by the economy.
According to Crainsdetroit.com:
Michigan had the nation’s largest number of college graduates leaving in 2008, the last year for which statistics are available. The year before, an Internet-based survey performed by the state’s public universities found that one-third of those who left had a job offer in Michigan.
… “We need to create an environment where our young people not only want to stay but can stay and have a family and career,” (Snyder) said.
What do you think? Will keeping young professionals in the state help the economy turn back around? I’m still what you could consider a young professional, and I know many of my peers that headed out of state as soon as they got their degrees. It’s not that they didn’t like Michigan — they just wanted to go on to bigger and better things. Perhaps an incentive, such as a tax break or some kind of tuition reimbursement, would have helped them reconsider their decision to leave.
Either way, if Michigan is going to improve, it’s probably the young people who are going to do it.
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