Ask HN: OPT vs H1B for developers

I'm in a bit of a pickle. I got my undergrad degree in the US as an international student, and as I was graduating this year, I accepted an offer from a grad school. But one way or another, I have come to regret this decision and would like to try to get a full time position instead (currently an intern and have good intern experience and am a strong college hire level candidate in general). Currently, I still have lots of OPT time which I will lose either two months from now or as soon as I begin grad school in September. So if I start grad school, I can still apply for work, but I'd need H1B sponsorship, which will make it harder to get a job I like.

If you're a developer or have hired for your company, does OPT time (15-27 months available) make it that much easier to get hired? H1B's might hit the cap again next year. Do you think spending the two months interviewing would be a risk that's worth taking? Or play it safe, begin grad school and avoid having to leave the country?