[Jedidah]

This is an opinion piece, designed to stir up emotions.

I am the parent of three young engineers, all of whom have good jobs, well-paid, never outsourced.

None of them have even one engineering friend without a job, but they do have friends who can’t find a job because they either dropped out of school or earned a generic degree that didn’t prepare them for today’s economy.

The sad truth:

Not enough American kids put the required years of effort into learning the tough math and science that technical jobs require.

[Rocky Mountain High]

You nailed it.

American students ARE NOT pursuing computer science or other types of engineering degrees.

I’m an IT recruiter at one of the largest high-tech companies in the world. There are not enough US citizens to do the jobs.

[dirtboy]

I am the parent of three young engineers, all of whom have good jobs, well-paid, never outsourced.

Wait a few years. Outsourcing is largely a means to undercut technical workers as they get into their thirties and forties. I hope it never happens to your sons, but they always need to keep an eye out for changes in the global job market and adjust their approaches accordingly. I made a shift from a technical position to a business-technical hybrid, and shifted from financial marketing to pharma marketing, and both have paid off, not so much with a significant increase in income, but from having a defendable job. It is also good to have a highly diverse technical background - I've done just about every job in IT.

[SomeCallMeTim]

Not enough American kids put the required years of effort into learning the tough math and science that technical jobs require.

I agree, 100%. I manage a medium sized group of engineers... I have one from Maylasia here on an H1B. We are currently trying to get her on permanent worker status and, the governmental red-tape is ridiculous.

The reason we have her? She is VERY talented. Probably, the best engineer that I have. She is NOT paid any less than her peers... In fact, she is paid more because she has earned it.

We are almost always looking for good engineering talent. Especially those who show an aptitude to move into technical sales... sadly, these are rare.

For sure... the government could ruin the market for local engineers if we opened the gates fully... but, from what I see, we're a LONG way from that.