Has the US lost its lure as an attractive destination for the best and the brightest ?
I gave a guest lecture at the MBA school in the Sun Yat Sen university here in Guangzhou today. This is one of the top universities in China and some of the brightest students in the country study here. They come from all over China - there's a tough competitive exam to get through before anyone can get in.
There were about 70 MBA students I was talking to. During the course of my session I asked, how many would like to work in the US after graduation. I was expecting a sea of hands.
Not one hand was raised. Yes not one. I asked three times and got the same answer. Not one wanted to work in the US.
I was dumbfounded. I asked why. Got some muted responses - there won't be many jobs in the US after the recession. Somehow I was just not connecting. These youngsters weren't all that excited about going and working in the US. It just didn't click for them. I almost heard them say " Why should I go "? They thought they would be better off working in China.
Here is another evidence of the massive change happening in China. Parts of China are clearly first world. There's enough money to be made here. The action seems to be here. Exciting careers can be had here, without having to go anywhere else. For this group of students at least, the US is far from the Promised Land.
Sure, one session with a group is no evidence of anything. But sometimes the penny drops.
The world beware. You better start learning Mandarin. There's a tectonic geopolitical shift happening.
Ni Hao world !
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