[TriLUG] OT: PT One tech issue from tonight's debate

[Joseph Mack NA3T]

On Thu, 18 Oct 2012, Randy Barlow wrote:

> On 10/18/2012 03:54 PM, tj wrote:
>> I need to mention, not many "americans" are interested in Sciences...
>> moslty stay on business major....

> I believe we may be seeing so many advanced tech jobs 
> going to foreigners because there really aren't that many 
> qualified Americans who seem to be pursuing that career 
> path.

yes but why?

I came to this country in 1975 a newly minted PhD, working 
as a biochemist post-doc at UCDavis. None of us were on 
benefits (it wasn't till I was 40 that I got a job with 
benefits) and we worked for free for 1/3 of the time.

I thought I'd arrived; I was in the country of the Apollo 
program. But there was barely an american to be seen. "Why 
not?" I asked. I was looked at as if I was stupid. No 
american would work for the salary of a PhD scientist. A 
lawyer would be partner before I got a permanent job with a 
salary that I couldn't hope for in my lifetime. His 
experience would increase his value to his employer, while 
it would diminish mine. Any permanent job I would get would 
be teaching and having students do the work for you for 
free, or else regulating or management. Any scientist still 
at the bench after 10yrs is regarded a failure; you should 
be managing students who'll do it for free. When later I 
moved to computing, I found that age is discriminated 
against in the same way.

I got a green card and then a US citizenship by taking a job 
that no american would take. It was easy. I'd been doing 
exactly that for 10yrs without thinking a thing of it. 
Anyone who thinks that there are diligent searches for US 
citizens for these jobs is blind, stupid, or lying. There 
are no americans to take these jobs! No-one wants them! Only 
foreigners will take them.

If you want to know more about how the system works read 
"The Myth of a desperate labor shortage"

http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/glut.html

Now 35yrs later, when I visit Australia, I talk to my 
friends in university positions there. It's just like the 
USA was 35 yrs ago. Now no Australian will do STEM. They 
won't tolerate the salaries. All the science and math 
students are foreigners, who pay full rates for enrollment 
and are now a major source of funding for universities.

My son turned out not to be interested in science or 
computing. I would have steered him away if he had. I taught 
programming to a high school student for a couple of years. 
I warned him what a science/career would hold for him.

Joe
-- 
Joseph Mack NA3T EME(B,D), FM05lw North Carolina
jmack (at) wm7d (dot) net - azimuthal equidistant map
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