Per rules set by USCIS, they have to pay H1B workers the prevailing wages of US workers per rules of the work visas.

https://www.dol.gov/whd/immigration/h1b.htm

This is new with USCIS, they are the one whom issue all visas to the USA

https://www.uscis.gov/legal-resources/buy-american-hire-american-putting-american-workers-first

Obviously if you are working in a trade, the certificate from the trade school would be the way to go. Not so if you want to be a brain surgeon.

Lawyer, some states still don't require a college degree.

Just need to be able to pass the bar

This is true except the larger health care organizations are not even interviewing unless the RN has a BSN.
While many graduate with ADN they are almost all on dual tract bridge to BSN programs. Self scheduling also
has a lot of requirements a new grad will see lot of holidays and weekends. Looking forward there will be in the future a large demand in this field. To travel, like to nice ocean front towns, will require a lot of desirable experience. There is an ongoing demand for NPs, CRNAs, not to mention those trained in management. These jobs pay very attractive salaries. Check out what a CRNA or critical care NP makes. The job openings are there and the chance for making a very nice income are there.

One of my daughter in laws has a nursing degree from Baylor. Just the university name is a big deal. She is Chemo Certified and makes a good living. I think she is working on her Masters or getting ready to start it.

In the oilfield pump and engine mechanics are hard to find. My company offers over $40 an hour with great benefits, electronic instrumentation is another great wide open field. Plant operations can be a good trade and Sr. Plant Operators can easily make in excess of $150,000 a yr.

did both...worked in the printing business as cameraman,stripper,platemaker at night while I went to college and by time I got out of school I had made journeyman...was making good money and stayed in printing business for another couple years but I could see there was a ceiling on what I could make in printing trades so I got out and worked in market research (A.C.Nielson Co.) for many years.....

Still don't think the ones living in 300-500k houses are typical IT guys that are making it on salary alone. Corporate IT guys, the coders, systems, engineers, etc., are maxed at 90-100k right now, at least in the industry I was in.

Honestly I don't know, Not in the industry. There are many Patels in the my area, and I am 100% sure they came here on H1B visa, and not born here or raised here.

I have 30 years with a major oil refinery. Instrumentation/ electrical/ analyzer all at different times in my career. . Very high demand for analyzers. Light work, Most technical of the three. Highest paying as a contractor. Only down side. Very little overtime. Instrumentation second most technical. Still a high demand. Tons of overtime. down side. Fair amount of climbing. Minorities are breaking into this field so a major refinery will higher a minority before white. Just a fact. Least skillful and least demanding is electrical. There are some more technical sides to electrical but it�s a smaller group of people. If you like overtime you can almost double your salary to $150,000 a year in a refinery

A big plus with these trades is working in different industries. I used to work for a power plant, then a paper mill before refinery