Uk university to a US job?
 

Hi all,

I posted on here a couple of months ago, desperate for a solution as to how to move to the US. I still get out of bed thinking about it and I'm aiming to get the best possible mark, aka a first, in my degree (BSc computing).

I know I'm a touch under 3 years off it yet, and I need to focus on my work, but I have been looking at trying to get internships with US companies over the summer. It'll cost a bit but be WELL worth it, I'm sure.

My question however is, is it realistically possible to be able to jump from university in the UK into a job in the States or am I going to need to get a job over here in the UK for a couple of years? I'll be 24 by the time I get my degree and I've set myself the personal goal of working over there by the time I'm 30... Or being in the process of getting my visa sorted out for a job.

So yeah, I got pages of brilliant responses last time and am still spurred on by some of the things written, I'm am going to do this! I know this question is a lot more vague but has anyone heard of it being done? Uni to the US?

Hopefully the job situation there will have settled a bit too!

Thanks!

Re: Uk university to a US job?
 

Surely the best route is to get a good BSc. Save up some money. Go to US to do a Masters. Graduate. Work under Optional Practical Training for 1 year. Hope your employer wants to sponsor for H1-B (those holding a US masters have an advantage here with a separate cap on H1-B visas). Hope even more they will sponsor for EB-2.

Or find a nice American girl/boy to marry.

Re: Uk university to a US job?
 

This thread is really a duplicate of your first thread last month. I think your questions were answered in there...nothing's changed.

Re: Uk university to a US job?
 

I think I've put a good 40 hours into research of this and I've honestly never heard of this way, I really like that! I was planning on possibly doing a masters in the UK (dreaming big) anyways.

A quick google and that is a very feasible way of doing things to be honest! I will be reading up on this a lot more, but an EB-2, just to clarify, if you get a job offer, thats basically residence for you sorted, and then 5 years down the line if all goes well, citizenship?

Oh and it'd be girl for me haha! I'd love it to happen and hope it will one day, but I don't want to bank on it, get to 30 and shes still not walked into my life :)

Thanks for the reply!

And sorry Jerseygirl, I have a meeting this week with a careers advisor and wanted to be a little more clued up on my options :)

Re: Uk university to a US job?
 

Just to be sure... a person of the opposite gender, at least as the laws stand at the moment.

With a gameplan of - what - 10(?) years from now to be in the US, that's a realistic target. My "journey" from engaging an attorney to thus far is 17 months and counting, though admittedly we could have been there by now if it wasn't for avoidable hiccups along the way. And that's starting from 12 years of experience after a degree, both of which you need to do (not 12 years necessarily). Mind you, 10 years from now, you might not want the US anyway... who knows. Keep your options open.

I'd be surprised if the average UK careers advisor knew anything at all about working in the US or visas to do so!

Re: Uk university to a US job?
 

Yes! Haha Straight British male seeking straight American girl!

But fair play, thanks, yeah, I've allowed 10 years for getting there, the advantage is a degree isn't just American focused, it'll get me a job (if ones going and I work at it) just about anywhere. I would love to be able to skip any more employment in this country though aside from part time while at uni :) How far left are you to go 17 months down the line yourself?

And as for the careers advisor, it is a concern, the university careers office do 'research' into the background of where you want to go/what you want to do, but I'm not sure quite how much time if any they'll dedicate to it, I know a lot of it will have to be off my own back. They will write me, or obtain a reference for any employers if required, I'm just getting in early... I don't want to be in my final year and suddenly think where from here? Oh I needed to do this and this and this...

They'll help me with a 'career focused' CV too :)

Re: Uk university to a US job?
 

That's OK but I think all the options have already been pointed out to you.

Good luck...hopefully one day you'll make it stateside. If not the UK is still a great place to be and as a UKC you have the advantage of being able to live and work in any European country.

Re: Uk university to a US job?
 

EB-2 will give you Legal Permanent Residence (Green Card) which can mean US Citizenship 5 years further down the line. But EB-2 is not as trivial as the H1-B visa. It is a 3 step process, with the 1st step (PERM) being onerous on the employer and totally dependent on the jobs market. If there is a qualified US citizen or LPR who wants the job - tough you ain't getting a green card. But you can stay on H1-B for 6 years so you'd have quite a while for you and the employer to have a stab at this.

Re: Uk university to a US job?
 

When I was 19 I wanted to live in France..
20... Italy
21... The US
22... Japan
23... South East Asia
Then finished further education and five years later was in the Cayman Islands by way of four other countries (only one of which was on the above list).
One thing is for certain in life - we change our minds and our lives change us! :)

Re: Uk university to a US job?
 

Hopefully another 2-3 months at most. We've just had a baby which has delayed things somewhat - obviously we knew it was coming but the timing of the visas has pushed us to the other side of a kind of window. Anyway, the point was, even when you start applying it may yet take another year or more to actually get there. Different visas, different timelines.

Re: Uk university to a US job?
 

To the OP - you can rest easy in the knowledge that in one of the infinite parallel universes, an alternate you has already made it...

To be honest I had a similar hankering to you at a similar time. I had the chance to study for 1 year at a US engineering school during my engineering degree. At the time I didn't want to compromise my education in such a specific way - different systems, emphasis, curricula etc... (so I compromised my education the usual way - excessive booze, girls, late mornings etc...)

I pursued other dreams in the end - I think 1 or 2 of them might even have been my own... and then I found myself in need of a job, applied for one with a US company's UK operation with no intent at all of moving to the US. Though it was always lurking there at the back of my frontal lobes...(anybody know just where the back of your frontal lobes are?!)

I did OK, they liked me, I liked them, I saw an opportunity to make a real contribution to the company - that got me noticed at a senior level and a little bit later I pitched the logic for the creation of a new role, with me in it - they said 'yup - we had similar thoughts - jobs yours, you don't need to move to the US either' - fine with me - then 6 months later the VP in question decided that he really wanted me state-side - and so suddenly the opportunity was there for the taking...

my point is - don't lose sight of your dream, be open to a universe of other possibilities, and should the opportunity come your way, you'll be able to recognise it when it does, and to act...

good luck!

Cheers

Harry

Re: Uk university to a US job?
 

A BSc in computing isn't worth a whole lot now and depending on where you get it, may not be worth anything. In a few years they will probably be worth even less. It's a good stepping stone but don't expect having a first in it to open many, if any, doors. You need to figure out what area of IT you want to go into and concentrate on building up those skills.

Re: Uk university to a US job?
 

Aye, as mentioned, the degree won't be that important, the uni will have no kudos realistically unless it's OxBridge.

The degree will help with networking, it will help with a job in the UK and the experience is what will get you a job here in the US.

If you graduate, you could potentially get a J1 internship, but realistically quite hard to find, unless you're already here, having studied here. A masters might help in that respect.

It's all about networking and some alumni's will be of more help than others.

Something worth looking into is if the university has an exchange program with a place in the US, it'll open doors and give you a taste of life here on the cheap. My old uni had exchange programs with Milan, Brussels, Delft, Sydney and San Fran and a mate who did the San Fran one made contacts and after graduated was offered a job working here from someone he met over here, also got a girlfriend and the job got him to the US and marrying the bird a few years later got him his greencard. Wasn't planned mind, but it's all about opening up opportunities.

Re: Uk university to a US job?
 

Your focus will serve you well. My recommendation would be to specialise within your field as early as possible. Read the trends and carve out your value and niche and then overlay this with the corporates that have L-1 status and move people around the world. Then join one, work hard and build your business case to get a transfer.

Re: Uk university to a US job?
 

@BTJ, thanks, sorry I didnt get that first of all, so an EB-2 is an extension of an H1-B or you can transfer, awesome!

@Orangepants, I'm known by my family for being very very undecisive, but Americas the one thing thats stayed as a real focus, and helps in keeping focus on my degree lol, but I will keep my options open!

@GeoffM, Awesome, well good luck with it! I don't have any issues with having a baby or anything, so I shouldn't have hold ups of that nature :)

@HarryTheSpider, thanks :) gives me hope! Well I won't be cutting off other opportunities, and I think I see what you're saying what you want, can come in a very different way, just unexpected? I guess it a case of see wha the future holds! Congrats on your job though and thanks for the words of encouragement!

@Duncan Roberts, I guess so, you look at a requirement for an H1-B and it says a degree. But then theres many other factors, that would just make me eligible for an H1-B, we're doing 'career paths in IT' soon I think.

@Bob, Sorry the networking bit lost me, I remember in my last thread it was mentioned I should get a LinkedIn and work on that to help get contacts. I was talking to some friends at uni as well and they mentioned an exchange program, even if my uni doesn't do it, it'd be another option for a masters :)

@IPM, Thank you :), I'll have to have a good look at the career paths, and not necessarily the ones I wan to do but the ones that will project me high in the business world and go from there. Do you know if you can still get a green card and then citizenship on an L-1?