I am a first generation, used to be fresh off the boat from “Asia”, Southeast. If I have not picked a profession that has a good job market, I would literally went starved together with my family, my parents and siblings. It is a survival matter and you just have to pick the field that provide stable jobs. For me, it was not a choice, eventhough I still keep dreaming what if I have picked the field I loved all my life instead of the profession I am in now. No one would die, but it would have been a very hard life for everybody if I picked my passion. Yes, we Asians have passions like anybody else, but many got stuck with the situation we are from. I always respect and admire the many American friends who chose their field out of love and passions, instead of for money or parental pressure. I admire their success and intelligence and enjoyment. I even admire more the few asians I know who pursued their passions inspite of the situation they are in. For my kids, I have learned the lesson and would definitely try to provide them the opportunity to CHOOSE themselves.
That is just my experience as a first generation Asian immigrant. I don’t believe that one can be stereotyped to be the same as second generation immigrants, or worse, stretch it and include asians who live in Asia…we are different. But in general, I believe that you have to come into the field with passions in order to come up with big ideas.
In terms of innovation, the only thing I can brag about is the near miss patenting that I did on a major idea. It turned out a big company has already taken cared of that patenting.
In terms of innovations, I believe Asia or asians lag behind the west a very far, far distant. We are a little better than pure copy cats with some secondary innovations. The Western world’s culture, education and open thinking produced and still produce the primary earth changing innovations that everyone else is just following, in general. There would be some exceptions, of course.
Innovations depends on many factors, not just how many BS,MS,PhD degrees you have: infrastructure, protective legal system, culture encouraging innovation, business environment to provide resources, the arts, and of course the brain.
I believe Asia will need at least a century to catch up.
