Can't get a job. The "tech talent shortage" is fake.

I've recently been looking for a job in the Silicon Valley, and it's astounding. I can't get one. Companies like Google and Facebook wouldn't even respond. I was later denied at other places like Twitter, LinkedIn, and several mid-size/small-size companies - even after successfully solving their whiteboard interview questions.

My background in CS is fairly strong. Computer Science / M.S. from a top 5 school, with previous industry experience at well-known companies in web 2.0 development.

I'd just have to say that this "tech talent shortage" isn't real.

I believe the issue is the cheap immigrant labor from China & India flooding the marketplace. US companies are denying US citizens jobs, while bringing in immigrants and paying them low wages, locking them in with the "indentured slavery" H1B visa system.

It's so difficult to get a software job for a US citizen. The interviews are easy to get, but an offer is quite rare. I think companies are pretending there is a tech shortage, when in reality offers are very rarely made to US persons. Inside some companies, it's like stepping into a third-world country...

This is wrong. I can't recommend anyone to get into software engineering. You'd basically be competing with the massive amounts of cheap programming labor from India & China. Especially as you get older, companies will perceive you as expensive and simply won't even talk to you.

We're short-changing our children's futures. I'm not hating on immigrants, as my parents were immigrants too, but for our profession's sake I think we should stop the flow of H1B visas. That would force tech companies to seriously consider US candidates more. It shouldn't be so near-impossible to get a job at Google or Facebook, especially when they're operating right in our backyard yet filled with foreign laborers.