Where does the top Mechanical Engineering talent in the US work?

[cosmicfish]

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That’s just it though - engineers are being disincentivized to remain in engineering, at a cost to the well-being of the field. A simple case of a pursuit for greater self-interest leading to a negative externality for the country.

Yes, but:
(1) The reverse is also true, in that the relatively high pay of engineering also draws talented people from other fields.
(2) A relatively small number of talented engineers are capable of achieving the great wealth that finance, law, management, etc. offer, and too often the pursuit of that wealth draws those who lack that broad talent and interest needed to make a worthwhile career in those fields.
(3) Actively encouraging this (as sakky does) only makes it worse.</p>

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At least the solution is relatively obvious: encourage manufacturers to stay in the country, with either subsidies or tariffs and taxes. Maybe restructure the H-1B system in a way that doesn’t harm local workers as well. The problems in the field of science are deep structural deficiencies that make people dependent on the ever-capricious field of Washington politics and probably won’t be fixed for years.

I think that will increase demand for engineers, but will not necessarily improve salaries, management positions, or “status” as sakky seems to want.</p>