Some groups say that there is an IT worker shortage in the United States. H1Bs and international outsourcing to places like India are a response to the symptoms of the shortage.
The response doesn’t address the roots of the shortage though. If the United States truly wants to solve the IT worker problem, it had better look at getting more people into Math and the Sciences. And that involves some major social changes when it to how people view these fields.
I suspect that, in some of the social groups in India, those who are adept at Math and the Sciences are respected a lot more than they would be in the United States. That respect may provide a lot more of an edge than anything.
Unfortunately the United States doesn’t supportits future scientists and engineers by respecting them in schools. The word ‘geek’ tends to be a very negative term that lots of kids try to avoid.
The media doesn’t help. Jocks, musicians and movie/TV stars are idolized in ways that are harmfulto society, especially when they get away with various crimes that would get lesser folk locked away.
The same media slams scientists and engineers of all types, especially when things go wrong. This negativity then trickles down to the school kids, steering them away from math and the sciences.
I’d love to see a paradigm shift where the jocks and media stars are deemphasized in favor of teachers, scientists and engineers. Such a shift, in any country, would ensure its place in the future.
“Perception becomes reality. You become those who you admire.”