Bianko

Hi all,

Sorry about the long post, but there's a lot on my mind at the moment and any advice you guys could give would be greatly appreciated.

I'm a 21 year old English/French student living and studying in the UK. In a few months I'll be done with university and will have a 2.1 (converted around 3.2 GPA I think) in marketing. My CV is in good shape, I've got a range of diverse and international work experience within the industry (plus some charity work).

I've always wanted to go to the US because everything about it has always fascinated me. I was thinking of California because I've got this idea in my head of 24/7 good weather and the beach, the sun and the sea, etc... Relaxed atmospheres, lovely sceneries and generally friendly people. But also places like NYC are appealing because, even though the weather isn't great, it's... Well... NYC! It's the epitome of venture capitalism, and the city that never sleeps. I know that the grass is always greener on the other side and I'm expecting compromises, but I'll never really know what it's like until I go there, right? I'm really unsure about which place would be best for me, as half the people I've talked to about this have said I would love the US and the other half have said I'd hate it.

The largest issue I have at present is that I'm not exactly sure what I want out of the next few years... One part of me wants to get a good job and build up valuable work experience and move up the corporate ladder, but another part of me knows that once I start doing this the years will start to fly by. This other part of me wants to travel, explore, party, meet new people and enjoy my last remaining years of adolescence. Could there be an inbetween, a compromise?

Going back to the topic of the US, there is the whole question of how I would get there in the first place. From the research I've done it's a lot easier to get a visa if you're a graduate UK student, but still really tough unless you already have a job lined up. Would US companies look at/accept my application for a job? It just seems that if I were a US employer I'd just pool from local graduates (it would save a lot of trouble), but you never know. I know you don't need a visa if visiting for under a month, and I've got around three thousand dollars saved up in my account which could get me there and back and support me for a week or two, but I just don't know what good that would do.

I was thinking that maybe the best option would be finding a 6 month or 1 year internship or work placement for an American company? That might resolve a few of the issues, but once again I wouldn't be sure where to look or whether it's feasible. Especially because they don't pay well (if anything) and three thousand dollars isn't enough to support myself.

Do any of you have any thoughts, experiences, opinions or advice that you can offer me?

Many thanks

Pulaski

If you can get an internship grab it. You have correctly identified that US employers have no interest in hiring new graduates from overseas, nor indeed is there any visa program for them to do so. Your best shot, apart from an internship, is probably getting hired outside the US and transferred (after a minimum of one year) to the US. Don't waste your money coming over and expecting to find a job unless you have a route to a visa, which from what you have told us, you don't, because the "best" possible outcome is likely to be a job offer subject to you obtaining your own visa.

If you were born in France you could enter the green card lottery, with somewhere around a 1.5%-2% chance each year of getting one.

BTW You might want to research what it is really like to live in California - expensive and with usually only two weeks holiday per year. After 15 years in London I thought I could handle life in New York, however New York sucked, big time, waaay too expensive and public transportation to somewhere vaguely affordable was too infrequent and too slow.

sherbert

24/7 good weather...only if you're in SoCal and even then you will need to question what you consider good as if you are any distance inland from the coast it quickly becomes unbearable. Cost of living is high and unless you're an experienced technical person there are not really that many opportunities here. Marketing is not an area in which the US is deficient unfortunately!

OnwardandUpward

You could take three months off ( or more if you get an extended travel visa ) and travel California/ NYC etc.
It's a lot different being a tourist and only seeing/enjoying the best places to settling down here and having to live where it's affordable and you can make a living.

Good luck!

Bob

Fresh graduate, B2 would likely be denied though and then all the problems that a visa denial brings with it.

J1 internship is a good option, that or come here to study.

The Uni, probably has someone that helps with placement years and study exchange programs, so they would be the person to first tap up for contacts, especially any alumni folks who could be in a position for a bit of nepotism...

OnwardandUpward

Oh, I thought anyone could apply for an extended travel visa for tourist purposes, but if not 'short course of study' is one of the criteria for B2, so that might work.

Sally Redux

California isn't really that relaxed.

We had a thread with songs about LA too, but search function only seems to go back a few months now.