Rusty Chainsaw

Intra-company transfers. Lots of these Indian IT workers already work for Indian branches of large US-based companies and competition for transfer opportunities is fierce. Otherwise, it's people who've been on the H1-B waiting list for 5 years finally getting their break.

As someone working in the IT industry (web develpoment) I concur with everyone else who has said don't bother. The pay isn't really any better, the working conditions are worse (you'll be lucky if you get any holiday time in your first year, then maybe 10 days a year after that), you'll be doing a lot more commuting (ie, driving), you'll have to deal with the stupid US healthcare system and putting up with the insular, backwards attitudes of many people here.

Can you tell I'm rather jaded with the whole US experience?

cjanus

A lot of negative posts in response to this post so I will try to set the record straight.

I am 32 years old and moved over to Silicon Valley this year to work for a software company in Palo Alto. I have an H1-B visa for which my new employer provided sponsorship. (the visa process took about 4 months).

I found getting a job here easier than in the UK. If you target small to medium sized businesses and get straight to the boss, they have the leverage to employ you and avoid being restricted by complex HR processes.

Is there demand for IT professionals/ engineers in Silicon Valley? Put it this way, last year $40bn of venture capitalist investment was ploughed into the Bay Area. That is one third of the World's venture capital. This supports the myriad of startups that pop up all the time. Good engineers ar very highly valued out here and pay is excellent. I get paid 50% more here than I did in the UK and only pay 33% tax in the US as opposed to 40% top rate in the UK.

The lifestyle in Cali is awesome. People are laid back and friendly and the weather is good. Compare that to London. From Silicon Valley you can be at Santa Cruz beach in 1 hour and skiing in Tahoe in 3 hours by car. Las Vegas is a cheap flight away. 30 mins drive from San Francisco. Need I go on?

The best way to snare a potential sponsor is to invest in a trip out here as face to face really works here. Set up some meetings with companies before you come and have your resume primed and sparkling. Worst case you get a nice holiday. Your search may start on Craigslist or on this site http://www.ventureloop.com/foundersfund/.

Don't listen to the people who tell you that you can't do something. They over rate themselves and will never achieve anything significant in their lives. If you want it, go and take it! Good luck my friend ;-)

ian-mstm

Respectfully, the truth of your statement will depend on someone's definition of "significant".

Ian

Rete

Nothing like dragging up deadwood is there. Not the best way to start your life on BE.

Duncan Roberts

You may also want to list your skills and experience since getting a job and sponsorship is completely dependent on that. A 32 year old with basic skills and experience is unlikely to get anywhere but somebody with a good skill set and experience may stand out quite well. I work and have worked with a lot of H-1b employees, none are your average IT folk.

anuny

Spot on. Unfortunately, the folks I know who were in H1B category were all grad students from top tier US schools with few years of experience between their undergrad and grad school years.

My frustration stems from the vagueness of folks who post "I am looking for a job in the IT industry.. yada yada yada" Why can't you say what you are ? Help Desk, Linux SysAdmin, Network Analyst, Operations Manager, Systems Analyst, DBA, Q&A Manager, Web Developer......

md95065

Exactly!

The term "IT" is hopelessly generic and, for me at least (with over 30 years experience as a software engineer) has very definite negative connotations.

If the best that you can say about yourself is that you are "looking for a job in the IT industry" then it really suggests that you don't have a clue what you are doing.

It is, of course, true that you will almost certainly not end up doing exactly the same thing for your entire career, and a willingness to do new and different things is a definite plus, but if you are looking for a job in the US you really need to have something specific to offer - what skills do you have, what have you done, what notable successes and failures do you have under your belt?

In short - why the heck would anyone in their right mind want to hire you?

md95065

The fact that you managed to get a job in the US shows that it can be done and that you were able to do it, but I bet you didn't post a question on an internet message board asking how to "move to the US and work in the IT industry" ...

I often find myself responding to people who ask questions of the form:

"Can I do X?" or "How do I do X?"

by saying:

What you want to do is possible, and it can be done, but if you need to ask how to do it in such vague terms then, no - you personally probably can't do it ...

Ray

Oh Wow.. you are brilliant and an inspiration to everybody

Giantaxe

Yeh, I cringe when I hear someone say they are in "IT". It's a meaningless acronym that covers a multitude of sins.

I can only speak for software development, and imo you just need to look at where the venture capital is being invested. And that's still primarily in the US, especially Silicon Valley. It's not what it used to be, obviously, due to the financial crisis and the rise of India/China, but there are still good opportunties here for strong software developers.