Time to move forward?

I've been really stressed out by the H1B (US work visa) situation lately. Since last year, the number of applicants has exceeded the total number of visas issued, making a lottery inevitable. Last year, 85,000 out of 120,000 applicants were selected; this year it's 170,000. The chances for graduate students are only 60%, a probability that can only be hoped for. Actually, I'm not even the one who needs it most. Some people are almost out of OPT (Optional Practical Training, 29 months for engineering, 12 months for humanities). If they don't get selected, they face either returning to their home country or enrolling in a language school. Last week, I met someone working in New York who, to maintain his status, works in New York from Monday to Friday and drives four hours to Virginia on Saturday mornings to attend school, every week. It's heartbreaking to think about. Why suffer such a huge loss to stay?

It's not that America is so great, but rather that we are simply too weak, too weak to dare return home. If we had millions in assets or connections in high places, we could boldly go back to realize our ideals. But what can we do if we return penniless? That's the question: go back home and be an ordinary citizen, or stay here and persevere in our dreams? We are still young, we can still withstand setbacks. If we don't cherish this time, perhaps our lives will pass by very quickly.

We can never get back what's in the past, but we can decide what's in the future. Whether we stay or go back, I wish everyone a good future.

Spring has finally arrived in Washington, and this kind of weather fills me with boundless joy. Life since leaving school has been rather uneventful. My current goals are: get an H1B visa, then apply for a green card, then find a decent job, settle down… my expectations are getting lower and lower; it seems like just surviving is good enough. But spring is here, everything is coming back to life, and the animals are mating season again… um… sorry, I'm used to it. It's just that spring is here, and I feel like I need to revive myself too; I can't go on like this.

I've recently had a strong urge to pursue further education, partly because I feel that if I miss this age, I might not have the chance to study again. I don't feel like being a programmer is my destiny; I prefer creating things, so I'm considering moving towards management. Are managers with technical skills particularly capable? I don't know. I looked into MBA programs and fell in love with them. Of course, it's still early to apply for an MBA, since it requires several years of work experience, but I think now is the time to contact suitable people and find useful resources. Maybe I'll go for it after working for a few years, and this time, I'll aim for the best. I also need to start preparing financially early; it seems like good MBA programs rarely offer scholarships.

Actually, I feel like I haven't done any serious long-term preparation in the past few years. The last time was probably the "college entrance examination". Other things like the GRE and sports competitions were all projects that took half a year or a year, which was very rushed. I don't like this feeling of being ordered to do something in a crisis.

Okay, enough of this daydreaming. Let's get back to the work visa situation. Actually, this is one way I'm avoiding the torture of the H1B application process. Since I haven't been selected in the lottery (the current probability is 0.064% after three years), I can work in the US until 2016, which would be perfect time to apply for an MBA. But I still hope I get selected soon! The probability is 60% this year, but it might be different next year!

Actually, I also want to complain about the immigration service, but you can skip this part (those interested in the H1B lottery can read on). Normally, a national institution handling such a major event should at least have a system or announcement mechanism. The immigration service has released two announcements so far: one saying they stopped accepting applications on the 7th, and the other saying they received 172,500 applications and the lottery was completed. We have no idea how the lottery was conducted, or whether we were selected. We can only wait anxiously, and some people with low tolerance are already going crazy. In China, this would have caused a rebellion long ago. Why? Because it's too easy to cheat! Leaving that aside, at least let us know if we were selected or not, so we can be safe sooner rather than later. They said they would process them one by one and send emails when they were processed. Apparently, the last person to find out last year was in June—and they weren't selected! Sigh, it's truly speechless. And about these emails, you probably think they're emails, right? Wrong! They send emails to those who are prioritized for expedited processing (which costs 00), and then send regular mail for those being processed normally! Yes! You heard right, regular mail is telling you you're lucky! Others who weren't selected will have their materials returned later (apparently quite late), meaning that until you've processed all the information (who knows when), you can only pray that what you receive by regular mail isn't a returned document. Isn't that frustrating? Actually, it's quite in line with the American way—organized and methodical. We're just too impatient!

Okay, I hope everyone will pray for me and send me their blessings~~ Thank you so much!