kodokan

Agreed on the degree thing here. It's not asked for because anyone cares about the technical skills you may have learned on one 15 yrs ago, it's more a proxy for 'we want the sort of person who was able to get a degree: organised, persistent, able to work well with others and priorities their life, capable of deferred gratification, etc'.

Colleges here have an admissions process that looks for those traits during high school ('did this person work diligently over 4 years and get a high cumulative grade point average, did they challenge themselves by taking the hardest courses, did they do all this while also holding down a part time job and leading the basketball team?'). So companies have effectively outsourced the selection process of candidate caliber and personality traits to the degree-acquisition process, leaving them free to just have a quick check on specific job-related skills.

Consequently, almost EVERYONE who intends to have a career gets a degree, as it's not possible to be taken seriously without it. A non-graduate is viewed with the same sort of 'what kind of slacker are you?' suspicion that someone who left school at 16 would be in the UK, that sense that 'sure, you seem to have worked hard in the intervening years, but back then you were one of those wasters - who's to say which is the real you?'

Sorry, but it really will be tough. No matter how amazing your portfolio is, you won't get to show it to anyone unless you have a network that will personally endorse you to the decision makers and bring you in the back door - everything else will be online applications, and you'll never make it through the screeners.

Hanco

You could find it a challenge without. Many times they will think there is something wrong with an applicant with no degree and you don't get "past first base".

I don't have one, but my sponsor company funded the assessment by various qualified professionals to review my background/experience and testify that I have the basis of a bachelors degree. That was needed for my visa.

If you come here knowing it could be a challenge then at least you are prepared for it!

Good luck.

phodg

I've been working in IT for just over 30 years now, 24 of them in the US. As people have said, a lot of jobs require a degree just to get a foot in the door. Do you have any project management certifications ? PMP gets pushed a lot over here, and from what I've seen project managers are a dime a dozen. You might be better off brushing up on your web skills and trying a more technical route.

md95065

Without a degree the OP is going to need to do a lot of networking in order to make contact with colleagues already working for companies in the U.S. who can help him to get past the initial resume screening process which will, otherwise, almost invariably reject him for lack of a degree.

Agile, like pretty much all methodologies, is a semi-religious cult which, to the extent that it works, does so because it embodies a couple of fundamental principles related to "getting things done" (that actually work) which it then wraps up in in its own particular brand of voodoo and almost meaningless ritual. People are starting to realize this ...

MarylandNed

I'm in software development and we use SCRUM - a framework for Agile development. We operate in an environment where the users of the system often don't know what they want until they see it - regardless of how extensive the requirements gathering process is. We also work in an environment where frequent law changes require changes to the system. Also, compliance with legal requirements is often subjective in that there are many different ways to conform.

So we need to have great flexibility in our software development process and SCRUM provides that with its iterative approach. The traditional "waterfall" approach would not work for us - users can't wait months or years to see the entire finished product because we need more frequent feedback than that methodology provides.

Like any developmental framework, there are problems with SCRUM. It can give the impression of fast development initially. However, the flexibility and frequent changes can lead to a messy code base which, as it becomes larger, also becomes harder to develop and maintain.

markcst

As for the IT degree only route into IT, that's starting to change a little bit if you have some real world experience or a very good in demand skill (proven). For example in Cyber we are taking people who understand hacking. These are often recruited despite "formal" education and more to do with "street" education. As a company, our company is also looking for analytical, quick thinking and creative minds in Cyber, not necessarily academic ones. As I stated in another thread we've taken ex-forces for example, especially Signals/Engineers.

itchytrotters

I'd seriously consider the SF Bay Area, which is actually not the answer I give to most people looking to move to the US. Your development skills should give you a good chance at positions with plenty of local startups and a few more established employers.

Assuming that you get a job offer (and I would somewhat agree with those that suggest obtaining one before moving), you ought to be one of the lucky few earning enough to live in this overheated property market. And aside from the insane price of property and the somewhat unpleasant influx of moneyed web developers ;-) the Bay Area remains a lovely place to live.

Your US nationality should make finding a job easier than for most new immigrants. The points about lack of a degree are somewhat relevant, but I would say that the software industry in general and SF in particular are getting more flexible. I'm a green-card holder working in the infrastructure side of IT. I also don't have a degree. Getting through the filters of recruiters in Chicago in 2008 was a bit of a challenge, but a good resume and relevant experience can trump academic credentials with a fair few employers.

I guess that's one factor in favor of applying for jobs in person in the US. You can meet people in person, go to recruiting fairs and networking events, and so on. If you can find a way to do that without making a long-term commitment to US expenses that would be smart. (Of course, there's a related issue about when you choose to actually change your residency and immigrate to the US.)

If you're looking for project management jobs then a certification would be helpful. PMP is preferred. I found my PRINCE2 practitioner cert only moderately helpful. Not sure though whether I would waste time acquiring a cert before moving if you don't already have it.

Tootsfromscotland

Hi there , I have just moved from Florida to Colorado , and I can safely say from what I e experienced so far and from friends and work colleagues who have lived here a long time, the climate overall is pretty fantastic . We get distinct seasons but not extremes, the sun is never far away and the blue skies are almost daily !
I'm near Boulder which is apparently a very "IT/ Techie" area for employment. Colorado might be worth a look for you

md95065

That's a fair assessment - what irks me about things like Agile is that people were doing that style of iterative development long before someone decided to slap a label on it and "market" it as a methodology ...

scrubbedexpat099

15F and the wind howling currently, woke me up.

Snow should melt out this weekend.

Dog loves it.

Anian

My smallish company will happily hire someone without a degree - but they have fixed payscales so even if you are more skilled and experienced than someone else in the same job, if they have a degree then they will be making more than you.

tht

How were you filing your US tax returns without it? or have you only recently become a dual citizen?

Tootsfromscotland

Blimey where on earth are you ???

scrubbedexpat099

Colorado?

Was hoping to be in Boulder Saturday am for Squash, but can not make it, maybe Tuesday.

Tootsfromscotland

I figured somewhere in Colorado , but where ? With temps that cold ?? Eeeeeek!!!!