In a rather bizarre bit of news, the head of one California IT startup announced that in order to court immigrants with competitive IT backgrounds, it would go so far as to build a ship capable of housing 1,000 employees off the state's shoreline. According to USA Today, the cargo liner for Blueseed would have up to 300 staff members and 1,000 people living and working on the ship, which would be equipped with game rooms, entertainment venues and food services.
The plan received additional support when Peter Thiel, the co-founder of the popular online payment service PayPal, said he would help fund the project, according to the news source.
"Tech innovation drives economic growth, and we need more of both," he told the media outlet. "Many innovative people have a really hard time getting visas, and Blueseed will help bring more innovation to California with a solution that is itself as innovative as it is clever."
While more than a few experts suggested that the plan was far fetched, the report does highlight a growing concern among IT professionals, namely that they are losing talented workers to companies overseas. In response to this growing concern, members of the House of Representatives announced that they would alter the current visa system in a vote held after the Thanksgiving holiday.
The "Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act" – if passed through the Senate – would remove the current provision that puts a cap on the amount of visas that can be given to nationals from a particular country.
As a result, Americans who are looking for IT work in the United States need to be better trained than ever. Individuals looking for IT jobs could enhance their skills and bolster their credentials by enrolling in online learning institutions. With online certificate programs in Quickbooks, SharePoint and Oracle SQL, Americans can gain the tools they need to compete for today's IT jobs.