He presents a lot of good ideas, but I'm weary of singling out H1B visa holders. It seems the US immigration policy is counterintuitive to just about every other countries' visa policy. It is hopelessly complex and random. It rewards family connection over any valuable skill. I could sponsor a distant cousin and he would get in before a highly talented programmer who doesn't have any famillial connections in the US.
And as a programmer I feel like my best years are starting to be behind me. I've still got a fresh mind, but when I leave the office my wrists are killing me. I've just entered my 30s and I'm already telling my wife I don't know how long I'll be able to do the job I love. I won't discourage my son form seeking the same profession but I don't know if I'll have the same passion to encourage him in this profession. I sometimes wonder if programming will evolve to fit the human body or if the body can cope with the intricate work of banging at a keyboard constantly.
> He presents a lot of good ideas, but I'm weary of singling out H1B visa holders. It seems the US immigration policy is counterintuitive to just about every other countries' visa policy. It is hopelessly complex and random. It rewards family connection over any valuable skill.
That paragraph is much too weak.
H1Bs are a small fraction of US legal immigration. Illegal immigration swamps legal immigration.
We could increase H1B by 10x and easily have less total immigration.
The advocates for increased H1B are being played.
We've had the bait and switch game on immigration before. We gave amnesty supposedly in return for effective enforcement. We didn't get enforcement.
As to the whole "jobs Americans won't do", I've done farm labor. Also, when one of the meat packing plants lost many of its "undocumented" workers, folks who actually had a legal right to work in this country applied.
Just like financial, health and immigration reforms, Obama should also bring educational reforms ASAP - if americans don't want their jobs to be outsourced then they have to produce more engineers, nurses, doctors etc., period.
The shortage of skilled labor is the major complain and its been actively voiced by all (including Bill Gates) ... the whole H1B issue has 2 major components: 1. shortage of skilled labor and 2. cheap labor available else where. There is also 3rd important issue which is exploitation of H1B visa holders by the employers (the body-shoppers) --- but above all if you have enough supply then employers won't line-up to hire outsiders the way they started doing since y2k, also because of high increase in salaries and other logistics in 3rd world countries (read India) the difference between insource and outsource is not that big anymore ...
while the 3rd issue is more important for all who came here with a dream of easy riding and then getting disappointed also needs reforms in regulation and awareness.
And as a programmer I feel like my best years are starting to be behind me. I've still got a fresh mind, but when I leave the office my wrists are killing me. I've just entered my 30s and I'm already telling my wife I don't know how long I'll be able to do the job I love. I won't discourage my son form seeking the same profession but I don't know if I'll have the same passion to encourage him in this profession. I sometimes wonder if programming will evolve to fit the human body or if the body can cope with the intricate work of banging at a keyboard constantly.