What is OPT and how does it relate to an F1 visa?

What is optional practical training (OPT) and how is it related to an F1 visa? I'm very confused by this. To my understanding, F1 is a non-immigrant visa and cannot be adjusted to a different status inside the U.S. But I've heard through many other people that foreign students who have graduated are going on to work in these OPT positions instead of returning back to their country of origin.


What are these OPT positions and how do they relate to an F1 visa?|||http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optional_Pr鈥?/a>



http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/m鈥?/a>



Basically Optional Practical Training (OPT) is temporary employment that is directly related to an F-1 student鈥檚 major area of study. Under the prior rules, an F-1 student could be authorized to receive up to a total of 12 months of practical training either before (pre-) and/or after (post-) completion of studies.



its a way to get you to work really cheap