Updated: March 2020

Let me start with a jaw dropping statistic – number of international students in the United States reached a new high of 1.09 million in 2018. In other words, over 1 million international folks were getting closer to their dreams in US a.k.a. the land of opportunities.

…and I was one of them. ☝🏼

Fall 2015 is when I came to the beautiful city of Tampa, Florida for my master’s in marketing program. My journey so far has been nothing short of amazing – both personally and professionally. Still a long way to go on both fronts but hey...isn’t that a never-ending process? 🔄

My hands have been itching since a while now to pen down a few tips for international students who are considering US for further studies. 👩🏻‍🎓 👨🏻‍🎓

Basis my personal experiences of ups and downs, here are 5 tips for international students (both undergraduate and graduate). Before you begin, keep in mind that it is important to follow these tips in the right order. ⬇️

1. Do what you Love. Love what you do.

Ask yourself – Are you in love with the program you plan to pursue? Do you have at least one solid reason (if not more) to choose one degree over the other? Most importantly, do you see yourself working in that field in the long run? 🏃🏼

It is imperative to have liking towards a field before taking the bold step of leaving your motherland. Most likely, you are going to be thousands of miles away from your family for at least 2 years, so you better make it count. ✈️

Choose the program in the field you love and be loyal to it. Your reason to pick any program must help you reach your long-term professional goals.

I am guilty of making this mistake myself. 😶

My decision of pursuing Instrumentation Engineering in India was a classic example of herd mentality. It certainly did not work for me, as I completed my 4-year degree in 5 years. 😅

However, that was the turning point of my life. Halfway into Engineering, I realized that Marketing was my real love. That’s when I decided that everything I’d do moving forward (professionally) would be related to marketing.

Post Engineering, I joined a digital marketing agency and met some of the best people who were equally passionate about marketing. After 3 awesome years of working, I started looking for a master’s in marketing program in US.

Most of my friends who were already in US as well as my colleagues advised me to get into some “Tech + Marketing” or “Engineering Management” or “MIS” program which falls under STEM category. Reason: STEM degrees give you 3 years of OPT after graduation (compared to just 1 year for Non-STEM programs).

But I just didn’t want to repeat the same mistake of choosing something I wasn’t super sure of. Instead, I chose a MS Marketing program which offered courses that I absolutely loved. ❤️

I won’t deny that it would have been amazing if my master’s program fell under STEM. But the point I am trying to make here is, STEM or Non-STEM was never a deciding factor for me.

Having said that, if you are genuinely into Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics - Congratulations! You are all set to enjoy the perks of STEM. #LuckyYou

2. Kill it with your Skill Set

Now that you have picked the right program, it’s time to ready your inventory of skills. ⚔️

Set this in stone - You must think beyond school courses and develop real-world skills to even begin your career in US. 📈

Free/paid online courses, certifications, tools, soft skills etc. are the game changers. These are even more critical for students without any prior work experience.

Gone are those days when having additional skills on your résumé had a WOW factor. In the super competitive world of today, it is more of a prerequisite. Check out this post by LinkedIn Learning which highlights the top skills companies need most in 2019 and how to learn them.

Here are few other resources to enhance your skill set -

🔸 Udemy

🔸 Lynda

🔸 Coursera

🔸 Future Learn

Remember, it does not end at learning fancy new skills. Showcasing your skills in an easy-to-digest way on your résumé is equally vital. Your résumé should be a Masterpiece! 📄

To be honest, résumé building deserves a separate blog post on itself. I’d love to write a detailed post about it at some point but for now, here are few tips strictly basis my personal experiences with US companies/recruiters –

🔸 Stick to a maximum of 2 pages.

🔸 Just mention the City you live in and not the entire street address.

🔸 Add your contact details (telephone, email) on top of both the pages.

🔸 Reduce white-space as much as possible but make sure text is read-able if someone prints out your résumé.

🔸 Highlight your key skills and tools relevant to your area within the first fold of your résumé. These are the valuable keywords searched by recruiters.

🔸 Showcase your past work examples or projects you have been a part of. Companies prefer hiring professionals over students. Freshers with no work experience, make sure you add your favorite (and obviously relevant) course projects, certifications and be ready to talk about them in detail.

🔸 Résumé does no good sitting on your laptop. So, reach out and share it with people who matter in PDF format. (no Word doc please)

3. Network makes the Dream Work

With the right degree, killer skills and a masterpiece résumé to flaunt, now is the time to grow your network. While there are thousands of ways to build new professional relationships, I’d like to list down a few tactics that worked for me –

🔸 Join University Clubs and Organizations related to your field. Don’t see anything exciting? Go ahead and start your own!

🔸 Connect with your professors and share your areas of expertise with them.

🔸 Join Meetup to connect with like minded people.

🔸 Attend cultural events and festivals for some valuable cross-cultural learning. Make the most of the amazing global perspective US education has to offer. 🌎

🔸 Last but not the least, build meaningful connections on LinkedIn. Keep in mind, merely "adding" people is not enough. Share your thoughts and point of views on topics related to your field and try to start discussions with your network.

4. Internships will Sail your Ship

If you religiously followed all the above steps, you are now all set to go out in waters. 🚢

The first platform to flex your skills is an Internship or Co-Op. 💪🏼

You must be on a constant lookout for opportunities across the county and even be open to move to a different city for Summer internships.

As an intern you should go above and beyond to prove your worth. This is your chance to prove that you are not just a student anymore but a highly qualified professional who is ready to rock and roll. Contribute to the fullest and soon you’ll become irreplaceable.

Lastly, be flexible and step out of your comfort zone. Build relationships with other department folks too – who knows, they might turn out to be your advocates when push comes to shove. 😎

P.S. In my two years of master’s, I did 4 internships in two companies and got full-time job offers from both. Internships surely sailed my ship real smooth. 😊

5. H-1B Visa is not a Godzilla 🐉

H-1B visa is undoubtedly a huge factor in shaping your career but don’t think of it as a monster capable of destroying all your dreams (or should I say the American dream).

At the end of the day, it is based on a lottery, so luck plays a big role. But as the wise man once said - Luck favors the brave (read intelligent). 💡

Yours truly is not an immigration expert so you’d need to do your own research about the nuances of H-1B visa process and its scenario in your field of interest. ℹ️

I would just like to share a few H-1B myths floating around among international students –

🔸 Small companies do not sponsor H-1B

Good news! No matter how big or small the company is, it can file for your H-1B visa provided the job is related to your education/degree, salary is in the right wage level bracket and the need for an international employee with your skill set can be justified by the employer.

🔸 $60,000 is the minimum wage to file H-1B visa

Nope, there is no fixed minimum salary. The salary range depends on the job position, wage level and prevailing wage of the job location (which varies even at the County level). For instance, the wage bracket for the same Marketing Analyst job in Brooklyn, NY would be different than in Queens, NY. 💲

To summarize, I’d advice you all not to overthink and worry about H1-B visa coming into US. Strive to be competent. If you have the right skills and determination, you will be super successful in any part of the world. Therefore, don’t make living in US the goal of your life. Instead, set a professional target and work towards it. 🎯

That's all folks! 🏁

Thank you for being patient with this super long post. ❤️💛💚💙💜

To be honest, I wrote this post with my fingers crossed, hoping you all make it to the end. 🤞🏼

Now, the only way for me to know if this was helpful is to hear back from you. So please like, share and comment your thoughts below. ⤵️

All the best and see you soon in America! 👍🏼

Follow #WiredPriyam for more tips :)