OT Engineers / Scientists, How many are out there Options

[914nerd]

Well, how many of you are there lurking out here on the world?
If you are one, what field, what do you actually do, and how do you like what you do?

This is prompted by a conversation that I had earlier today questioning the future of technical fields in this country.
What do you people think about the fact that science (arguably one of the most important aspects of modern life) is being shunned and, in many ways, is beginning to fall apart?

[andys]

I just hired an entry level engineer for my staff. Durring the interview process, there was only one American applicant; the others were all recent foreigh transplants and all requiring H1B work visa's. The least qualified, from an educational perspective, was the American (poor interview too). Best interview and final selection was a young woman from India; BSEE, and MS Bio-Med from UC Irvine. Turns out she is exceeding my expectations.

BTW, I work for a medical device research foundation, so I'm surrounded by scientists which make my perspective a bit skewed in how I view the sciences. I agree that popular influences tend to turn people to make non-scientific career choices. Sports, entertainment, media, etc.....with the money in those fields, it's little wonder. Many in my local area are employed in the entertainment industry; they own the big houses and drive the big cars.

Andys