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David Foster's avatar

As I just commented at Ruxandra Teslo's substack:

One thing that is interesting about the debate so far: the almost exclusive focus on 'engineers'...the term seems to be generally used to include anyone who can write code, at whatever level (pretty sure a lot of the H1Bs are actually sysadmins and such who actually *can't" write code)...as opposed to electrical, mechanical, and structural engineers.

But as important as engineering is, there are a lot of other skills also needed to grow the American economy. The biotech industry is very important, and while it does need some engineers, the key need is for scientists: molecular biologists, for example. Pretty sure that Ruxandra Teslo, for instance, could add a lot of value in an entrepreneurial US biotech company. (Indeed, Vivek's own company, Roivant, surely needs more people in the biological sciences than it does engineers)

There are also a lot of shortages among skilled workers who don't need to be college graduates..for example, there is a shortage of machinists, which is getting worse as older ones retire and younger people have not followed them into the field.

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Ed W999's avatar

To earn a degree in a hard science, math or engineering fields you have to be able to read, write and be competent in math from grade school thru high school. Fail to do this and you will likely not make it thru college in these, three fields of study. The Chicago public school system does an abysmal job in teaching students in these areas. I would bet a few dollars that the percentage of K-12 students that make it to college, earn a degree in science, math or engineering, from Chicago public schools is very, very low.

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