A few companies exploded, but there were still a lot of job openings. Hiring standards got a bit more sane, if anything.

The world runs on computers. People who can make them sit up and beg are not going to stop being in demand any time soon.

Ah, I think I should spend less time being paranoid. Working alone in a room really makes one sick, you start devaluing yourself and your skills without any concrete evidence. I totally get pg's insistence on teams now.

Thanks for the reply.

I know what you mean. There are a lot of other good points to it as well - like conversation, exposure to interesting things you wouldn't normally encounter, and Nash equilibria which leave you doing less of the stuff you don't like in exchange for more of the stuff you do.

I wouldn't quite say that unemployment is something that happens to other people, but that's damn near the case for competent engineers if you put even a bit of effort into networking and self-marketing.

> I wouldn't quite say that unemployment is something that happens to other people, but that's damn near the case for competent engineers if you put even a bit of effort into networking and self-marketing.

Either I am not reading it properly, or you probably missed a word or two. But I wanted to confirm the gist of what you are saying here- it's that the vicious cycle of being left alone (after being laid off etc.) is one of the primary reasons why some competent engineers stay unemployed.

Statistically, competent engineers have very little trouble finding a position compared to the general population.

Finding an ideal position is harder, but I don't doubt that you can find something to solve your visa issue.

A special thank you for your advice.

Also it was very interesting to see the wide range of comments from every one else. Thanks for that as well.