| I think the critical thing to focus on is the fact that: 1) H1Bs are known to be abused by US companies. A much better system, rather than a lottery, would be one based on bidding: Where basically those willing to pay the highest salary "win". You could just as easily say the status-quo for H1s is anti-immigrant: they are held captive by their employer unless someone else can hire them; they have to leave the country a few days after their employment ends, all while working for less than other equally skilled workers. 2) As the article states, tech companies grossly overstate the so-called tech skill shortage, and furthermore, this alleged demand just showing up in worker's wages. If there was indeed a shortage as vast as they claim, wages would be higher. 3) Many people are being sold on these careers not for the love of computers and technology, but for the potential earnings. But those potential earnings will shrink once you have an influx of cheap talent in the labor market. So if you tell people "You should take on this debt and learn to code because the jobs are high paying" you're essentially repeating the same "go to college so you can get a good job" scam the baby boomers pushed on millennials. Some younger HNers may not remember this, but in the aftermath of the dotcom crash of 2001, interest in these sorts of "learn to code" efforts evaporated, with people being actively discouraged from learning to code because software was going the way of textiles. If there's another downturn, and tech is impacted, you should expect a repeat. Regardless, those student loans will still be due. |