United States Immigration rules, which allow tens of millions of non-skilled, uneducated workers into the U.S. but only a few educated and highly skilled workers, have forced Microsoft to open a new office in Canada.
The reason for this? So Microsoft can hire the foreign workers it needs to remain competitive.
Apparently Canada’s immigration policy favors skilled immigrants over non-skilled.
Microsoft has been a vocal proponent of increasing the number of visas granted to skilled workers from outside the U.S.
At the same time, Microsoft has repeatedly said the U.S. is not producing enough engineers to fill its chairs and argued that the U.S. education system fails to place enough emphasis on math and sciences.
I would have to agree with Microsoft here. The U.S. education system, at least on the public schooling level, is really lacking on important subjects like this.
Thoughts?
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I know quite a few people who want jobs in technology and couldn’t get a job - despite years of training and even advanced degrees.
I don’t understand why companies can’t find qualified workers - unless they aren’t looking for Americans to begin with.
Hi Myra.
The problem with a lot of people who have degrees and “official training” don’t have real world experience.
Companies are finding out that just because someone has a degree doesn’t mean they can actually do the work, so they go in search of people with hands on experience.
My suggestion to your friends with experience, get a few proof of concepts going to pitch their skill sets to prospective companies.
Hi, Sean! How does one go about getting experience if they aren’t hired because they have no experience?
That seems to be a common argument across the board, and I have yet to figure out what I am to tell my friends (or even myself) when they go out looking for jobs.
Myra, indeed this is a double edged sword but there is a solution.
If you/your friends are web designers, build some sample web site layouts.
If you are a graphics or art person, create a few logos and other things using your skills.
If you are a application developer or programmer, make something really cool or improve on a current idea and shop it around.
Basically having an online portfolio or a handful of things you can show off at a moments notice would help.
A lot of companies today don’t care about that piece of paper. They want to know you can do the work.
If you see something on a company site listing a specific job position that you’d like to have, depending on what it is, make sure you have some examples of doing that sort of thing.
I know it seems I’m going in circles now that I read over my comment (before I hit submit) but I hope I’m giving you/your friends some good feedback.
It’s worked for me and a few people I know.
This is a bit to the side of this subject, but in Holland there a today more female students then male students in the exact and science studies. They are better students, learn better and give up less easily.
In the past exact and science studies were always very much male studies overhere.