southbound

When I did my CPT more than a decade ago in an age before the current admissions policies, I had to ensure that the place I was going to work at was a good fit for what I was studying, and there needed to be a written explanation of why it would directly benefit my studies. And it was no joke, I couldn't do an internship for a role not directly in my field of study.

Either Berkeley isn't doing things right, or this is a shakedown. International students are the biggest money-spinners for universities (to the detriment of everything else at this point, from what I hear), and ICE is going for the jugular.

Interestingly enough, I went the other way round. AI made results readily available, but there was a combination of needing to fine-tune the process + adding corrections which I found a lot better than tinkering with code. I was never a craftsman, but I had interests in areas adjacent and not-so-adjacent, so AI freeing up my time made me able to link other things together.

I actually enjoy work more now.

> Having graduated in 2025 I've experienced the horror of competing with infinitely many third worlders in my small country, who will gladly take 1/3 my pay and be serfs

You should really read up on disruptive innovation. Many of those who you call "serfs" who'll "take 1/3rd of my pay" will tomorrow establish themselves, justify their presence, and move up the wage/income scale, while you'll be left complaining.

I am from and live in a third-world country and have spent some time in a first-world one. I've seen the ETH Zurich tag open doors that I didn't even know existed. If you aren't leveraging your passport, your education and your network to reach a place where you don't need to worry about "serfs", then you're doing something seriously wrong. What you have, compared to the competition you denigrate, is invaluable, making best use of it is your job.