The Real High-Tech Immigrant Problem: They’re Leaving
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The Real High-Tech Immigrant Problem: They’re Leaving
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Re: The Real High-Tech Immigrant Problem: They’re Leaving
#2I am working from India for the past 3 months instead of my San Francisco office. Nearly every large IT company in India offers benefits at par with Google. Yes I mean multiple food vendors. Food being served 6 times a day.
The salary of an IT professional in India easily puts him among the highest wage earners in India (something similar to how Wall Street traders were a couple of years ago). Chauffeur driven cars, cooks and daily house cleaning services are all easily affordable.
The biggest question I have to ask myself is should I return to my studio in SF.
Re: The Real High-Tech Immigrant Problem: They’re Leaving
#3Well actually the labor government in Australia is currently reviewing the migrant intake policies mentioned in the main article ... http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/18/business/ozjobs.2-410... But it looks like we're going to keep up the high intake for the most part. We're certainly not losing any from what I've observed.
As an aside I have to say I haven't seen much of anti-immigration sentiment here even with the economic downturn. Sure, there's been a fair bit of talk against moving jobs overseas, but barley a whisper with regards to immigration.
Re: The Real High-Tech Immigrant Problem: They’re Leaving
#4If the people leaving are scientists and engineers, people aren't going to be concerned. These folks are getting laid off in droves no matter where they come from and if some ultimately leave the country no big deal.
Looking at the last 50-100 years, if there's suddenly a market demand for these fields, students will reappear. It'll take a few years, but people chase money.
Re: The Real High-Tech Immigrant Problem: They’re Leaving
#5If the people leaving are scientists and engineers, people aren't going to be concerned. These folks are getting laid off in droves no matter where they come from and if some ultimately leave the country no big deal. Looking at the last 50-100 years, if there's suddenly a market demand for these fields, students will reappear. It'll take a few years, but people chase money.
It's tempting to think that the job market works that simply. However, it takes at least 10 years to train a good scientist / engineer. Waiting 10 years is a luxury.
Moreover, people who choose a career based on earning power tend not to be talented or creative. In other words, people who would be attracted to Science / Engineering if the salaries would rise a bit are exactly the kind of people that make mediocre scientists or engineers.
Re: The Real High-Tech Immigrant Problem: They’re Leaving
#6I left USA after being an H1B for 5 years with delay after delay in my GC application. HARD decision. Hated leaving...
Went to my home country, created a software company with successful products. Now a few dozen jobs are here instead of there and some million $$$ are flowing into my country.
Still, I would move to the US and open an office if I'd have a legal, fast way to get a residency there. Not likely though.
Re: The Real High-Tech Immigrant Problem: They’re Leaving
#7If the people leaving are scientists and engineers, people aren't going to be concerned. These folks are getting laid off in droves no matter where they come from and if some ultimately leave the country no big deal. Looking at the last 50-100 years, if there's suddenly a market demand for these fields, students will reappear. It'll take a few years, but people chase money.
It's tempting to think that the job market works that simply. However, it takes at least 10 years to train a good scientist / engineer. Waiting 10 years is a luxury. Moreover, people who choose a career based on earning power tend not to be talented or creative. In other words, people who would be attracted to Science / Engineering if the salaries would rise a bit are exactly the kind of people that make mediocre sci…
Link, please. I think you are painting with too broad a brush. Many people are attracted to many things, and economics is one of the factors they use to discriminate between them.
Re: The Real High-Tech Immigrant Problem: They’re Leaving
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's tempting to think that the job market works that simply. However, it takes at least 10 years to train a good scientist / engineer. Waiting 10 years is a luxury. Moreover, people who choose a career based on earning power tend not to be talented or creative. In other words, people who would be attracted to Science / Engineering if the salaries would rise a bit are exactly the kind of people that make mediocre sci…
Link, please. I think you are painting with too broad a brush. Many people are attracted to many things, and economics is one of the factors they use to discriminate between them.
My opinion is based on my personal experience, not on anything I have read. Of all the people I met, the ones who achieved the most were driven by a desire to do things, to deliver impact, to create. Of course, people are attracted to many things... and money is a very important motivating factor. I never argued otherwise.
My mentor, a former academic turned serial entrepreneur, once told me: "The best engineers in the world are the ones driven by dreams."
Re: The Real High-Tech Immigrant Problem: They’re Leaving
#9From the article...
Growing demand for their skills and shining career opportunities back home were cited by 87 percent of
the Chinese and 79 percent of the Indians as the major professional reason for returning. Most also
cited the lure of being close to family and friends.
Re: The Real High-Tech Immigrant Problem: They’re Leaving
#10I'm a US citizen in the SF bay area, bootstrapping a web company by myself, and I'm heading out to Beijing this summer. PG talks a lot about reaching 'ramen profitability' and there's no easier place to hit that than China. It's going to cost me about $400 a month to live (frugally), and if I needed to, I could teach English for about $60 / hr. Worst case scenario, a native English speaker could dedicate one or two days a month to paying the bills.
There is no lack of tech talent in Beijing - from personal work experience, Tsinghua's tech alums are just as bright as MIT's or Stanford's. And you can hire a fresh graduate for about $20k / year.
If you can speak Chinese and you don't want to take external investment, screw Silicon Valley, Beijing is a bootstrapper's paradise.