M Prembroke

I think it's poor, but better than Austin or Silicon Valley.
I know people who have graduated in the last year from UT Austin CS and are still getting hired immediately, but that's one the best CS departments in the country.

You have a BA in liberal arts or in a science field?
Pursuing an Associates degree is probably not the best use of your time. Given that you already have a degree, you should go right for a CS or math degree, and you should be able to obtain it by just taking the major required courses, which would be about 45-55 semester hours for CS, or about 40 semester hours for math. You should have already satisfied then general college coursework as you already have a BA.
Computer science courses at a community college level rarely transfer to 4 year schools; the core math courses you need for either CS (or math) will. So, you should able to get take Calculus (2-3 semesters), linear algebra, and may even discrete mathematics at a CC. If you want a BS in CS you will have to take engineering physics, which can be done at a CC too. A BA in CS- if it's offered near you- usually doesn't requires engineering physics, but will have the same math and CS (or very close) requirements as a BS/CS.
[ January 08, 2002: Message edited by: M Prembroke ]

For "IT" overall- 5.5%
http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20011213S0024

The US needs H-1Bs for a few areas at the Ph.D level, but the fact that there are many Americans unemployed in the software field and desperate for work shows that there's no need for H-1Bs in that area.

Originally posted by Debanjana Dasgupta:
An interesting article:
Why America continues to need H1B s
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61159-2001Nov20.html
Thanks
Debanjana

Not to interject.. but my HR friends have told me things can't be that bad for H-1Bs considering the cap was reached for FY '01 several months before it expired, and tens of thousands of slots for FY '02 have already been taken. The number of foreign workers in the US keeps rising in spite of widespread unemployment among Americans and permanent residents.

Yeah... I'm definitely convinced we are heading straight for a 1981-1982 recession. That means unemployment hitting 10%+. Also, I expect a massive drop in housing value as the market is flooded with homes people can't afford to pay for anymore. The financing deals in the last 3-5 years have allowed millions of people to purchase under terms that were unthinkable 10 years ago (no money down, low income:debt ratios etc.)
Interest rates aren't going to be able stay this low forever either... once the government starts running big deficits, interest rates will have to go up.
The next couple years are gonna be real bad.

Congrats..
Just curious regarding your background vs. interviewing experience in these dreadful times, how long ago did you get your degree, and what type of computer science classes did you take? Was the finance education particularly helpful in getting an interview, or the CS coursework? Also, how "close" was your previous 4 years relevant work experience to what the new position demanded- up, down, or lateral move?

AC-130s were used today according to press reports..
US Special forces have 8 of these, plus the regular military has more.
"You can try to run, but you'll just die tired."
http://www.umass.edu/afrotc/videos-music/AC130.MPG
(12.5MB download)

If the officials in India have any brains, there's no way they will let that plane take off again... no matter what the cost.

I'm surprised the hijackers are still alive. Anyone dumb enough to hijack a plane in the USA would be killed by the passengers immediately.

It's really sad to read so many reports about Sikhs being beaten up, even killed in the USA. Note, I write being a typical white/European American who isn't Sikh. Not that anyone should be harassed- including muslims- but Sikhs aren't even Muslim!
Yet their religion requires that the men wear a turban, and that all hair is grown to natural length. This is subjecting them to all kinds of attention. Muslim men on the other hand in the Western countries almost never wear non-Western clothing.
For people who don't know, Sikhs have a reputation for being incredibly honest, patriotic, and heroic.
In world war 1&2 they were considered the best soldiers the British had, and for centuries before were hired as bodyguards due to their loyalty. In the USA and UK, Sikhs are hired to handle money and other items that require great trust because their reputation for being moral and honest is so great.
Anyway, for those in the USA and other western countries who don't know this, help educate others.

[This message has been edited by M Prembroke (edited September 20, 2001).]

People in India, and I know there are a lot who read this board, need to calm down. The USA is not suddenly going to be "pro-Pakistan" at the expense of India. Economically, India is very important to us in the long run as you (Indians) are showing yourselves as having the capacity to be the best in the world in technology in spite of your many internal problems, like over-population. People in the US and Europe respect this a lot.
While militant Islam has been a threat to India for a long time, it's going to end soon. With the attack on the US things are reaching point where the *moderate* muslim powers MUST end it for their own existence, or they are going to suffer the direct rath of the US & Western Europe on a scale they will not be able to survive. India (nor Israel) have not had the power to do this. Just as the free and democratic countries defeated Japan, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union- these 7th century terrorists have gone too far and will be crushed.
Militant Islam may have a lot of passion but they have FAR less economic and military power than the West. The *only* thing the muslim world has is oil, and the West could, even though it's expensive, develop its own resources if it had to.
I think the peaceful Muslims- and the vast majority are peaceful people - are waking up and realizing that they MUST stop the small minority who are bringing their religion and their societies to the brink of destruction. Blowing up buildings and killing thousands of innocent people is not what Islam is about, and I think smart people in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc are coming to realize that they must stop these crazy people in their own countries, for their well-being.
If they cannot do it, then they will be utterly isolated and impoverished by the West. The US+ W. Europe + Japan are 80% of the world economy, but are only 10% of the world's population. Just think about this fact. We want everyone to prosper, but those who want to fight a 7th century Jihad religious war are going to find that they are 1000+ years too late, and a few trillion dollars short!


[This message has been edited by M Prembroke (edited September 19, 2001).]

To prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that H1-B's are often paid wages far below Americans, one only need search the database of those positions, which are required to be made public.
Here are a few examples:
You can search here: http://www.zazona.com/LCA-Data/
TATA body shop (http://www.tcs.com) , the #1 H1-B employer:
Occupations In Systems Analysis
-H-1B-
MTata Consultancy ServicesM
MJERSEY CityM
NJ
1
4$33063

JOccupations In Systems AnalysiJ
-H-1B-
JTata Consultancy ServicesJ
JSan ClaraJ
CA
10
5$40627
PROGRAMMER ANALYST IE
-H-1B-
ETATA CONSULTANCY SERVICESE
EHOFFMAN ESTATEE
IL
10
0$299580
PROGRAMMER ANALYST 1C
-H-1B-
CTATA CONSULTANCY SERVICESC
CNEW YORKC
NY
10
7$388367
DOccupations In Systems Analysis
-H-1B-
DTATA CONSULTANCY SERVICESD
DPALO ALTOD
CA
1
2$37100
EPROGRAMMER ANALYST 1E
-H-1B-
ETATA CONSULTANCY SERVICESE
ESAN FRANCISCOE
CA
10
6$406276

Tell me how many programmer analysts you know in NYC who make $38k? $30k in Chicago? $40K in San Francisco? These wages are FAR, FAR below average. And this is just a few examples.

http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-201-6686403-0.html?tag=tp_pr
The media is almost as bad the politicians. This series of articles is incredibly pro-H1-B it's almost absurd. Always look for who's paying for the advertising, just as look to see who's paying the most to the politicians.
In short, H1-B's can't be paid less than Americans because... well.. it's not legal. Like that's ever stopped someone.
Apparently, if you're an American and having trouble finding work admidst the continuing serious IT labor shortage, there just must be something wrong with you, or you're an anti-immigrant racist.

I'm sure you'll find work in time, but it will take several months. There are many unemployed Americans out of work now, and there is little reason for companies to hire entry-level developers when they can just get an experienced H-1B instead (and cheaper too).
The H1 quota hasn't been maxed for this year, and it's preferrable to hire someone with a few years paid experience than hire a fresh grad from a US university.