A recent article in the Wall Street Journal points out the highly competitive recruiting landscape for young computer science graduates – or increasingly the high number of students being lured from school with cash and perks prior to graduating.

To be sure there will be lots of debate about the prudence of abandoning a college degree for cash. Or, is it cash alone that young talent wants these days? I’d suggest young programming talent is also seeking a creative venue for their talent and passion.

While it’s true that America needs to be luring more students into the engineering, sciences and technology fields, there is also a need to provide a canvas for – and, indeed, incentivize – creative and entrepreneurial thinking.

Tech start-ups will fork over the cash in order to lure talent, the need exceeds the supply, but it’s their ability to meet the young students’ quest for a creative and innovative expression of their talent which allows them to win.