| > I wish having an advanced degree was a criteria here. I don't. I didn't do very well at school. Wasn't for me. As soon as I left and I started work at 16, I excelled. Now, I could choose to work for a company in London @ +£120k a year or even apply to the US. But I choose to launch my own start-up instead where my passion and technical ability can potentially lead to 7/8+ figures salary. With this, I am definitely looking at the US primarily instead of secondary! The only requisite here is that your start-up succeeds and through the company can satisfy the required amount of jobs. My google fu isn't great right now, but 2 examples I can think of that didn't do well at school either. I hope they are correct. Richard Branson and Sir Alan Sugar. > A few years ago, I noticed that Britain would give a blanket visa to anyone with an MBA from a list of top international schools. How about something like that for people with Masters/PhDs (in STEM) from top-50 schools in the world. Great. Then make this another type of visa then. Don't penalise the individuals like myself who through self-tuition and hard work can start up a company and try to make it a success without an university education and sheer will. |
Your underlying point is valid--a founder having an advanced degree in STEM has little bearing on the success of a startup. So if the goal of the US is to encourage entrepreneurship, and small business growth, focus requirements on those traits that are tied to success.
Addressing the lack of STEM in the US should be a separate visa program that is appropriately prioritized for that purpose.