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Comment by djb_hackernews | Hacker News Reader

A point I made above, but I don't really think a 4 year degree decides your future, it just shows you are trainable and can commit to something. I've worked with plenty of water walker software developers that didn't have a CS degree to know this is true.

> I work alongside many H1B people. They are all highly competent.

I work along side a lot of H1B people. They are all kind, smart, and competent. But they are people, there is nothing special about them, which was the whole point of the H1B program.

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> "I don't really think a 4 year degree decides your future, it just shows you are trainable and can commit to something."

Jim wants a job in software development, but instead studied [something that isn't related to software development]. Do you know what Jim's degree says to me? It says that Jim is not willing to put in the effort to learn about something that he supposedly wants to be involved in. Is he actually interested in the work?

If Jim can somehow convince me that he actually does care about the work (say, an extensive github account, previous employment in the field, or even perhaps one hell of a cover letter) then I would be more than willing to overlook the fact that he chose to get a degree in something unrelated. In absence of those things though? I'd rather find somebody who can point to their degree as evidence that they care enough about the field to spend time studying it.

If there's nothing special about them, why are companies hiring them?

The usual "cheap workarz" angle is irrelevant. They all get market rates. Not to mention businesses having to sponsor relocation and the actual visas.

Surely you're not suggesting a business would bear H1B related overhead for no reason, unless they would be forced to do so.

I don't fault for employers for using the system they are given to cut costs, but that's all it is.

I'd be fine if it were an immigration visa, but these worker visa programs have no oversight and there is no conversation at the decision making level representing the american worker.

the cheap labor angle isn't irrelevant just because you say so. It's been documented that a) there are plenty of STEM graduates b) H1B workers are under paid[0]

[0] https://www.google.com/#q=h1b+workers+underpaid

Alright, I stand corrected. Do you think it's worth the time/opportunity cost/H1B costs/lawyers as opposed to hiring a local worker, if there's not something else going on?

It doesnt really matter what he thinks, the evidence and the lobbying by the biggest H1B consumers suggests that it is very worth it.

http://news.cnet.com/Some-H-1B-workers-underpaid,-federal-au...

"Those certifications represented far less than 1 percent of the approximately 960,000 H-1B applications approved by the U.S. Department of Labor between 2002 and 2005"

Sorry, that's terribly weak sauce for an argument.

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