Date:         Mon, 7 Jun 2004 11:50:28 -0400
Reply-To:     camherst@MISER.UMASS.EDU
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Christopher Amherst <camherst@MISER.UMASS.EDU>
Subject:      A comment and question - was: Question related to SAS job....need
              help!
In-Reply-To:  <c9pu75$dmh$2@newsreader.wustl.edu>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Paul Thompson wrote in response to a question from Vicky:
> ALl the H1B visas are used up for the year.  Thank goodness for that, BTW.

Personally, I think the sentiment on H1-B visas is disingenuous at best.

People hired on the visas are suppose to be paid at the prevailing wage, so it
doesn't cost a company any less.

And as for taking jobs away from home grown US SAS programmers..
If a company is having to resort to hiring H1-B candidates as their best
possible option, this to me implies the following question -

Who are the SAS programmers within that company, and why aren't they connecting
other "American" SAS programmer candidates to opportunities within the company?

A few months back, I wrote a note inquiring as to whether there was a SAS
career board / mailing list.  My reason for doing so was research.

Research as to whether SAS is still a viable career option for someone with a
BS in Computer Science and about 4 years experience using and programming in
SAS.

I have even took intensive courses in Java & J2EE to position myself to take
advantage of tools now available in SAS 9.  However, I cannot tell if I'm well
ahead of the curve of where current SAS usage and integration with Java is or
not.

So let go back to a more generic intent of the question that Vicky asked:

What advice would a SAS programmer give to the following:

1) Is a career in SAS programming viable for anyone who does not have a MS in
Stats. (or Econometrics, Operations Research, Marketing, or Biostatistics)? And
if so, how?

2) Is there an immediate future for SAS/Java programmers or is this cross-
pollination of languages still in it's infancy and thus unlikely to be
significant until 2 to 5 years from now?

3) Various industries (such as Healthcare, Pharma, and Marketing) have demand
for SAS programmers, but how does one gain the skills to be a successful
candidate for positions in those industries?  (Reading a book is one thing, but
book knowledge is no substitute in the eyes of an HR Rep for experience)


I personally refuse to argue about the H1-B program when the only viable
position for me that I have seen in recent weeks was an entry level SAS
programming position in Britain.


Signed a 'downsized' American SAS programmer (Cambridge, MA)
Christopher Amherst