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Are American Engineers in Short Supply?
It is true that some software engineers make more than this, however I'm talking about your average skilled person. I think the thing you're missing is that while you are doing well relative to your peers, the entirety of the American workforce is being shifted downward. The insourcing/outsourcing of American jobs started when you were around 10 years old and it was in full effect by the time you graduated from university. Had you been in an engineering office at the age of 10 back in the early 90s, things would have looked a lot different. People felt good about their jobs and felt secure that they would be able to provide a good life for their families. This isn't the case anymore. There are no more pensions, health care costs are through the roof, housing and education costs have exploded, yet salaries have not moved in 10 years. As to doing better than your friends, that's great and I'm happy for you - you should be proud of your accomplishments. However, not everyone has the 140+ IQ necessary to be a great software person. If we can only provide a decent living for the .1% of people that fall into that bucket we're not doing so great as a society. As someone who's been in this industry a lot longer than you (and who has yet to be outsourced), let me give you some advice - save your shekels, be kind to everyone you meet in your career (including your H1-B coworkers!), and prepare for the unexpected. Namaste.— March 23, 2011 8:19 a.m.
Are American Engineers in Short Supply?
This is not surprising considering that the insourcing/outsourcing programs have been in place for 20 years now, depressing wages and discouraging Americans from pursuing careers in software and engineering. As someone in this thread pointed out, skilled auto mechanics can earn $90/hour, so why would a smart person study software and compete with $30/hour engineers in Bangalore when they can fix BMWs for double the money with no worry of the job being outsourced? I can tell you that going rates for most types of software work have been flat or declining for 10 years. In 2001 skilled software people were making $110K/year and in 2011 skilled software people are making $110K/year. In 2001 houses cost $250K but now they cost $500K plus. Milk is twice the price, oil double, health insurance way up, etc... TVs are cheaper so we can watch "Dancing With The Stars" in HD but the essentials are more expensive. In any case, Americans must choose careers wisely, and currently engineering and software do not appear to be wise choices for most people.— March 22, 2011 10 a.m.
Are American Engineers in Short Supply?
sd_engineer, you almost have it figured out. Moving innovation overseas is the goal. Note however that innovation is, for the most part, not moving to other developed, democratic countries like France or Germany. Rather, it is moved primarily to autocratic one-party China or corrupt, highly fragmented India. In either case, engineers in these countries will be unlikely to use their skills to accumulate wealth and therefore threaten the power structure. The elite are terrified that people like Zuckerberg, Gates, Jobs, etc... have been able to quickly move from the middle class to positions of power. Possessing great inherited wealth but no worthwhile skills, the elite's position at the top of the pyramid is tenuous, to say the least. They have no choice but to work to structure society such that threats to their positions are eliminated before they can occur. Hence the dismantling of the middle class and the establishment of a police state here in the US. China already has a police state in place, people there are more easily kept in line. India's tremendous ethnic diversity and corruption will serve as checks to prevent anyone from accumulating too much power. The established western democracies will be brought back under the elite's control via a variety of methods, including outsourcing, environmental regulations, tremendous debts to private interests, and uncontrolled immigration from third world countries. As these countries become more unequal, more indebted, more diverse in language and culture, they become more easy to control using the simple "divide & conquer" techniques pioneered in colonial Africa and India. Notice how quickly these H1-B debates revert to accusations of racism or jingoism and you begin to understand the power of "divide & conquer." Once the accusation is made, the discussion is instantly diverted and meaningful discussion ceases. Powerful interests like think tanks can hire PR firms to fill blog comment threads with such nonsense, causing sensible readers to turn away. After enough of this, the mere mention of "H1-B" will cause discomfort to many people and they will refuse to discuss it, even among friends. Good luck to everyone, we are going to need it.— March 20, 2011 1:24 p.m.
Are American Engineers in Short Supply?
In the highly-regarded 2010 film "The Social Network," Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is portrayed as a backstabbing, socially awkward geek who alienates those closest to him. Selfish and insecure, he trades friendship for riches and is completely alone at the end of the film. I wouldn't say this is a favorable portrayal. As for Steve Jobs, he is neither an engineer nor a college graduate. He is lauded primarily for his business acumen, product line vision, and leadership skills. The only Apple engineer recognizable to the overwhelming majority of the American population is the nerdy, lovable butterball and "Dancing With the Stars" comedy relief contestant Steve Wozniak. The google lads are widely recognized and viewed favorably, however probably more for their business success than their technical skills. Google's amazing technology portfolio has utterly transformed the world, yet the only names that anyone knows are those of the founders, even though they are responsible for only a tiny fraction of the innovations.— March 17, 2011 9:27 a.m.
Are American Engineers in Short Supply?
Insourcing via H1-B visa abuse and outsourcing is a critical component of the elite plan for the United States. This policy discourages young Americans from studying engineering, since any job they might receive will have depressed wages from insourcing and could be outsourced at any time. An engineering education provides reasoning and critical thinking skills, as well as the ability to innovate and potentially create wealth. The elite do not want such people in the United States, preferring "obedient workers" as George Carlin (RIP) once said. Ambitious young Americans are encouraged to study law, finance, and medicine via high salaries and favorable portrayals in Hollywood propaganda films and television. The newly minted lawyers will be trained in the use of the law to continue the economic rape of the lower and middle classes. The financial experts will devise ever more clever ways of extracting whatever remaining wealth exists from the American people, and the doctors will ensure that the population is kept weakened and dull with heavy doses of dangerous pharmaceuticals. Young people not smart enough to work in law, finance, or medicine will be encouraged to seek employment in the armed services, police, prison system, or with agencies such as the TSA. Drugs and alcohol will be made widely available and kept inexpensive to ensure that as many young people as possible are sent to privately-owned prisons for DUI or drug possession. Once there, they can be used as labor even cheaper than is available from much of Asia. The elite's entertainment propaganda arm ensures that young people are given only a few approved role models in films and television shows. Attorneys, doctors, police, and soldiers are all portrayed as strong, heroic figures with unimpeachable moral character. Engineers, if portrayed at all, are shown as bespectacled, unfit geeks. The media propaganda arm of the elites ensures that Americans will continue to support insourcing and outsourcing by misdirecting all arguments towards issues of race, political affiliation, etc... This is evident even in this comment thread, people readily parrot the positions they hear or read from the official propaganda outlets. The elite's left and right wing think tanks generate the position papers that are then turned into law via their network of blackmailed and bought-off political puppets. This policy has been in full effect for over 20 years now, it is unlikely to change. Have a nice day everyone.— March 16, 2011 2:45 p.m.