Gates Pushes Education, H-1Bs To Halt U.S. Brain Drain
written by Damon Poeter, courtesy of ChannelWeb In a whirlwind tour of Washington D.C. that perhaps presages his post-software career, Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) Chairman Bill Gates this week told Congress and the Northern Virginia Technology Council that the United States must pour more money into science and math education while also raising the cap on green cards and H-1B visas to remain globally competitive in technology. Gates, who also serves as co-chair of the charitable Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, testified before the House Committee on Science and Technology Wednesday, stressing a "gathering threat to U.S. preeminence in science and technology innovation." While saying that he believed the advances of the past 50 years would "pale in comparison" to technological advances in the next 50, Gates said that in the U.S., "the shortage of scientists and engineers is so acute" that the country risks being left behind in the global race to create new technology in the coming years. Gates' four-point plan for reversing that trend includes investing more in science and math education, accepting more highly skilled workers from abroad into the country, increasing the government's funding of basic scientific research, and incentivizing R&D in the private sector. "I believe this country stands at a crossroads. For decades, innovation has been the engine of prosperity in this country. Now, economic progress depends more than ever on innovation. And the potential for technology innovation to improve lives has never been greater. If we do not implement policies like those I have outlined today, the center of progress will shift to other nations that are more committed to the pursuit of technical excellence. If we make the right choices, the United States can remain the global innovation leader that it is today," Gates said in his concluding remarks to the committee. In a speech to the Northern Virginia Technology Council, Gates on Thursday reiterated the challenges facing the U.S. while saying he was confident legislators would invest in the areas he had outlined before Congress. "Historically, the United States has done a fantastic job of making the right investments. I think other countries, having seen that, are starting to duplicate those elements," Gates said, according to media accounts of the speech. Gates and Microsoft, Redmond, Wash. announced on June 15, 2006 that he would be transitioning out of his day-to-day role in the company. This July marks the end of that transitioning process, though Gates will remain chairman and continue to advise the software giant on key development projects. Gates gave what was billed as his last keynote at the Consumer Electronic Show earlier this year, an event he had headlined since 1994. |
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- #1
- Posted by: jb
- On: 04/07/2008 13:24:22
The problem isn't the US education system, nor the perceived inability to obtain a technically advanced degree/certificate. The problem is me. I am the issue here. I'm the average guy. Father of a few children, husband, just an average guy trying to support my family in my chosen field of technology. To summarize my perception of Mr. Gate's comments, it seems to me he has lost site of the primary motivation of workers as myself. While winning the lottery might be nice, it is imperative that I can pay my mortgage, buy food, and otherwise provide for my family. I don't aspire to be a technology leader in the world (the lottery), I want to be able to buy food, heat and clothes.Unfortunately, I really believe, policies that Mr. Gates is advocating - raising H-1B caps, etc. - don't help me put clothes on my kids. I'm working shoulder-to-shoulder with H-1B people. They outnumber me in the work place for one reason: They are cheaper to hire. My managers/directors make work decisions (off-shore, H-1B contract) purely on cost. If I had to do the work, it isn't assigned. If off-shore would do it, they get the work. (and yes, it's done several times before it's correct). The work I do get is frustrating - my employer would rather do without me, and it shows in their attitude of working with me. There is no joy, no benefit, and costs are rapidly approaching that of diminishing income generated. So why are kids not choosing technology today? The struggles I have in obtaining a living wage are huge. Cutbacks that I have to make are felt throughout my family in everything we do: vacations are now in the backyard (as long as I can keep it), clothes are no longer from the store, food is in short supply in the "pantry." Don't get me wrong, it's all at the store, brand new, but the prices are too high for my wage. My kids see me struggle, and the strain/stress in my life and on our family. They experience first and second hand the effects of the H-1B program with all its abuses and realities.So, what's the future hold? Well, in looking at what my career - technology - is able to provide, not much. Mr. Gates and others seem to have forgotten the basics of why we innovate: to survive. We're not so interested in being a world leader for the prestige of being a leader; we simply want to provide for ourselves. Why would my kids want to pursue an education in an art/field that does not provide? Competition may be a good thing for the buyer (ie, corporations), but a career without hope is not a career at all. It's a futile exercise: a useless act or gesture. So the problem isn't the education system, it's really me. Because of my experiences, my kids see this and decide for themselves that a career in technology isn't something that will support their future families. Because of what they see me going through, working shoulder-to-shoulder with H-1B people that continually undercut what I have to offer, it becomes obvious to even my grade school kids that as long as the American worker is discriminated against by employers (ok, out-bid really), there is no point in going down that path. Why should they? Spend $100,000 to get a degree that can't be paid off? To learn a skill that no one wants to employ you for, or to pay less than a manager at your local burger restaurant?I don't wonder why we're not producing technology workers, I wonder why the obvious isn't discussed by Mr. Gates and the rest? Like I said, the problem is me. Not the education system.-JB