Perhaps there is some truth in this...

[bjhchong]

American IT grads unprepared and unemployable: Indian CEO Vineet Nayar

... & of course, the poor dude got flamed...

peeps I work with are all geniuses. i beg to defer with the article. thanks!

[bjhchong]

Heard from an ABC this: "<10% of the americans are actually intellects... the rest... well..."
That's a few years' back... Been working with a few brainies in the States from a year plus, a few years back too... but the people you try to talk to in the streets are as good as our kindly uncles u met at the market... & little else...
Then again, maybe the ratio are changed now...

[quek]

Some of the smartest people in the world are Americans, but then again they enjoy the best education system in the world, at least at the university level, that brings the best out of the brightest.

Not sure about the ratio of intellectuals. But I do believe it's perceived that there are proportionately more intellectuals in USA than elsewhere. It's a "developed" country you know.

[bjhchong]

Besides the brainy ratio issue...here's what I understand of the American edu system:
If you can make it to a Univ, u r DESTINED to white collar, good income. Otherwise, good luck to your life. Problem with the tertiary edu in US is that not everybody can afford the education. Therefore, in the land of the free & opportunities, most of the time, the rich gets richer & the poor gets poorer...

Hey, i believe the movie "Sunshine Cleaning" captures at least some partial truth about the blue-collar struggles in America! Why don't you guys go have a look?

Hi chong and adbie,

I know quite a number of the Americans I work with are able to frame things nicely in the right perspectives, present cases well and persuade people to buy into their causes.
Really smart people, and fantastic at presentations.

As to whether they are hardworking, hungry, desperate for work, I will think it's relative. If you put them side by side with hungry Indians, I will think they lose out. Desire plays a big part in success. That's why Indians make very good developers and software guys. But can they present like the Americans? I have seen... just one who could really measure up, and he's a damn smart Indian (and if you do a phone conversation with him, you will think he's an Australian) both technically and business minded.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[bjhchong]

Ya, I can stand by that claim that some of them are more eloquent than asians... I strongly believe its in their vocal culture.