How to get a job in the U.S.
I received an email from a student who asked: “I am planning to go to the U.S and study Computer Science this year. What is the chance for me to get a good job in a technology company there after graduate? Please advise.”
Answer: It depends on whether you get hired by a U.S. tech company and obtain an H1B visa to work there. Currently, due to the shortage of Information Technology skilled workers, many technology companies are hiring Computer Science graduates and help them to obtain the H1B visa. However, under the current administration, the issuing of H1B has become much stricter, as you will need to prove that you are better than any US citizen that also apply for the same job. If you are going to the U.S. this year, you will not graduate until the next four or five years and things could change by that time. Of course, no one knows what will happen in the future.
Since you will study Computer Science at a U.S. university, my advice is to work hard and get the best grade possible. After graduate, you may want to apply to a Master degree from a good university to distinguish yourself from others since there are many international students, mostly from China and India, who also study Computer Science and Information Technology and the competition for obtaining the H1B will be tough. (The H1B Visa limit is 85,000 per year but there are several hundred thousand graduates apply each year)
Even you get accepted to a Master degree in Computer Science or Information Technology, you must focus on specialization in a particular area such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, Robotics, Cloud Computing as these are areas that have high demand but fewer people. Avoid general Master degree program that does not focus on specific skills training, as it does not distinguish you from others when applying for the H1B program. For example, there may be hundred thousand people with programming or web development skills but few in Robotics or Artificial Intelligence skills so you may have a better chance.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
