Not selected in the H-1B lottery? Real backup pathways

A lottery miss is not the end of your US career. Common backups: another year on STEM OPT if you have runway, cap-exempt employers such as universities and affiliated nonprofits that can file H-1B any time, the O-1 for those with strong records, and the self-petition green cards, EB-2 NIW and EB-1A, which need no employer and no lottery. The NIW path surprises people because you can start building it right now. Which backup are you weighing?