JustLikeMe

Hi,

I'm a 24 year old guy, and a recent graduate from the University of Nottingham with a 2.1 in American Studies with International Study, currently living in London. Having spent four years studying America, a year living in Virginia, and having also travelled around the country a fair bit, I'm interested in returning to live and work there - perhaps not permanently, but at least for a while. I'm well aware that my options are limited - I'm not going to engage in a sham marriage, I have no real discernable talents that would allow (or even entice) a US based company to hire me, and I do not have large amounts of money available to me to either start a business or invest in one. I have no relatives based out there, and I was born in England so I am not even eligible to enter the Diversity Visa Program. In short, I'm not oblivious to how difficult and long the path ahead of me may be - but I'm interested in giving it a shot.

I'm at that terrifying point in life where I really need some direction as far as work and careers are concerned, and seeing how much I enjoyed my time in the States, I thought that focusing my attentions towards a career that may one day enable me to return wasn't a bad place to start. I'm also a hard worker, and tend to get along well with those around me, which hopefully will put me in a good position for possible career advancement in a large organisation. Hence, I think that applying for entry level jobs or graduate training schemes in large multinationals with a strong presence in both the UK and the USA may be a good place to start.

However, this is where I am a little stuck. There doesn't seem to be any real resources focusing on my particular situation, and seeing as there seems to be a large amount of expertise on the subject of emigration on these forums, I thought I'd ask for advise on the best route to take. I have many many questions, but I thought I'd start with two extremely broad ones, and hopefully go from there.

1. Which are some of the large multinationals I should be focusing my attentions upon?

2. Within a large multinational, what sort of career path would put me in the best position for eventual transfer to the USA? By this I mean which departments would most likely lead me to a position where my skill set may prompt the company to consider or even request my transfer to the States.

I realise these are incredibly broad questions, but I have to start somewhere, and couldn't think where else! Whilst moving to the USA is an eventual goal of mine, the potential for this to occur isn't the only criteria I am considering in a career - I wouldn't for example focus on a career I hate just so I could get there in the end - and I would like to find something that also has the potential for a good level of career enhancement/compensation. May as well shoot for the stars! I'm willing to work hard, and I'm fortunate enough that I have parents who are willing to help support me financially should I have to start off working for either very little or even for nothing.

I hope I'm posting this in the right forum, and if not please accept my apologies. Any advice, insight, or even personal anecdotes would be most welcome and much appreciated.

Many Thanks

Guy

avanutria

Hi Guy,

Welcome to the board. While I can't answer your questions, your post is well written, and I hope someone will have some advice for you.

Perhaps you can answer a question that *I* have always had. What exactly does someone who studied "American Studies" do? What kind of things did you learn about? What are the ways that you could apply those things in a multinational company?

Who knows, maybe answering my questions will help you with yours.

JustLikeMe

Hi,

Thanks for the welcome! I actually get asked what American Studies entails quite often, although the question is often put forward in a slightly judgemental or snide manner - ie some individuals consider it something of a joke. However, this opinion is thankfully shifting somewhat.

American Studies is essentially a humanities degree that you can customise to some extent, but the basic foundation is a focus on American literature, history, politics, and culture. This broad range of study (along with the year spent abroad) is actually what enticed me to take it in the first place. Over the course of the degree most people get drawn towards certain areas of study, and my main focus over the latter two years of my degree was slavery - not just the history of it, but literature related to it, and the legacy that lies in its wake.

This interest is also one of the reasons I applied to study in Virginia for a year, at the College of William and Mary. Whilst I was there I was introduced to the Federal Writer's Project, and the slave narratives gathered through it became the focus of my final year of study, and the topic of my dissertation. It was a fascinating degree and I'm very happy I took it, but as with the vast majority of humanities degrees, it hasn't left me with a very marketable skill set - it simply proves that I'm intelligent and dedicated enough to complete a four year degree, which doesn't render me particularly unique. As such, there isn't much I could really legitimately claim to apply to a large multinational, and hence I think my best option is to start at the bottom and learn on the job, or apply for a graduate training scheme where I would be trained to fill a particular role/gain a particular skill set.

Anything else you'd like to know don't hesitate to ask, I'm more than happy to talk about it, and hopefully do my own little part in establishing it as a legitimate area of study in the public imagination!

avanutria

That's very interesting, thanks!

OK, so in my very layman's opinions, a couple of things that pop out right away. You could get involved in HR, because in a multinational company there's going to be cultural barriers. You could try to become an expert in translation between Americanness and Britishness. My DH used to work for an advertising company in London which was owned by an American company and they used to bring American people over to run various departments. There were definitely occasions when miscommunication occurred!

Another one might be to think about whether a life in academia might be right for you. Have you ever thought about being a university lecturer? This would be a VERY long career path with a lot of publishing involved but you could ultimately end up as a British instructor in an American humanities university - with background in American literature, history, politics, culture and a history of slavery (in addition to your experience with British culture etc) you would fit into a number of departments, I'd imagine.

scrubbedexpat099

I have not come across HR being transferred, would not most of their stuff be country specific?

Bob

Welcome to BE and a big kudos for doing some actual research for a starting point, we don't get much of that!

I don't know what kind of work you'd be interested in following, but with an American Studies background, I think stuff involving knowing the difference in culture could be good for sales and marketing, think of companies like Tesco's who are starting to branch out in the US, you might be missing the boat on that company, but you get the idea, where they will need to understand the US market and culture to get a foot in.

If you got a masters and perhaps considered more than that, perhaps get into teaching with a slant towards politics/law/banking.

Bob

Depends how niches the industry is and how broad a company has for presence. I've heard of a local company bring over a senior recruiter from Canada because of her niche skills/knowledge and mostly contacts. So while rare, could be possible.

hobbes79

Welcome. And nice uni I first lived in Rutland Hall then in Lenton. Graduated in 2001... 10 years ago... god I'm getting old

That'll be a tough degree to allow a transfer.

If you have the money, continuing studies toward a masters over here is a possibility. Would get you more time in the US and perhaps tailor your education a little for better opportunities in the US.

Another possibility is the J-1 visa for recent graduates. If you can line up the job, it'll get you a few months over here. That's what I did and it eventually led to an H-1B visa... then greencard (through marriage) and I'm a few weeks away from American citizenship. But things were admittedly a little easier when I stumbled through the process.

Good luck

sir_eccles

Just wanted to say Derby Hall was the best hall :-p

rpjs

It need not be a large multinational. The Internet advertising company I work for is based here in New York but the company started in the UK and still has a large office in London. Now, I got my GC through marriage to an American, but my company let me transfer over which made emigrating practical. I work on the software development side but my degree is in History and Classical Studies!

Even if IT doesn't appeal to you, my company frequently takes on new grads in campaign or account executive roles. These are entry-level and of themselves wouldn't lead to a transfer but a bright person can swiftly progress in a company like this to a role that could transfer. One of my product management colleagues transferred to NYC on an L-visa and stayed here for several years before heading back for family reasons.

So do look around and research and you might be surprised by what you might find.

hobbes79

What!? No way!

One of the better bars though if I recall, but things get hazy when attempting a campus 14

NEW2LA

Hi,
I'm 32 and moved to the USA about 8 months ago, I always was keen to make the move, and very happy I've been able to do so.
I'm old enough to know I am not wise, so this is not advice, it's just something to think about.

- For me it's worth having moving to the US as a secondary goal, your primary goal should be doing something you love & are well suited to. This will doubtless bring more happiness, more success, more money and more progression. It's when people are great at what they do that transfers are more likely to happen, be it being amazing in HR, Advertising, Marketing, Finance, Accountancy, Academia, it's the people that are very good, very likeable, that will be "in demand". in order to achieve the move, someone will need to want you- depending on the Visa you go for it could vary from a slight thirst to you being absolutely essential. It is this thirst for you that makes chequebooks for lawyers open, makes your proposed job spec seem more likely to get the Visa, you need this willingness.

- Something else to consider as part of the on demand thing is specialization, not easy to specialise on day one of your career, but give thought to avenues where specialization's are to be found. Uniqueness to perform a role is your friend and far more likely to bring about the thirst to move you. It may be as a researcher who knows more than anyone about a molecule, it may be as someone with more experience of a type of credit derivatives, it may be that you know the ins and out's of a Global Ad agency network , it it may be that you have 150,000 followers on your blog. Be good at what you do and find a way to be remarkable and vital.

- A by product of the above will be enough merit, charisma, money, success, reputation to make that move, be it H1b, L1, J1 or whatever- it may take a while, it may be while working you travel to the US a lot and find someone special to you. Who knows what will happen but have faith that if you are a successful person, with confidence, a goal and commitment, it will happen and if miraculously not, your likely in the UK or another country with a great CV, a big smile and a nice life.

- One other way may be to work in a non location specific field, for me the world right now is ripe for people who work anywhere via telecommuting, it may not easily be legal now, but increasingly people will be freelancing, writing, consulting, via VIDOIP and such. In 5 years, the global marketplace for talent will again make world class experts, able to work a lot more freely.

and to echo the comments of another poster, it need not be a large company, it's more about their footprint, their needs,and your vitalness.

Hope this helps and does not seem preachy or a bit happy clappy.

Orangepants

...or had a few too many at lunch

NEW2LA

It's only just gone noon here, after a beery lunch it would have been far worse.

E3only

+1. Good luck to you OP. sorry I dont have anything to contribute....