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Advice please - best masters to facilitate moving to and working in the US

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  • 06-07-2010 6:28pm
    #1
    Mr. 'H'
    Registered Users Posts: 93 ✭✭


    I've been offered a place on the Smurfit MBA program starting Sept but the fees would be astronomical - 30k. :eek: Right now I am attemting to get 50% funding through a scholarship scheme they have there (Aspire.)

    I got offered the place when I got through to interview stage for the Irish Times scholarship (didn't win it but got offered a full fee place.)

    I have experience in financial sales/ business dvpt with a marketing slant. TCD Business undergrad degree.

    My goal is to move to the US and seeing as how I don't have a visa (didn't win one in the recent DV lottery) I am looking at doing a masters that would be best recognized in the states and also one that would be good for getting a job over there (and work-based visa on the back of this.)

    Putting myself in the best position for moving to the US is the aim here, not finding the best value masters etc.

    I think the Smurfit MBA would be a good one but I am worried about the fees as I am not working and can't seem to find a good job, so I know a masters is a good fit for me now.

    Any advice would be welcome - thanks.

    :cool:


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    #2
    cerebus
    Registered Users Posts: 447 ✭✭cerebus


    Have you considered doing an MBA in the US? It might offer more opportunities once you graduate. You automatically qualify for a 1-year visa extension post-MBA if you are on an F-1 which allows you to work, and there are similar opportunities for J-1 holders. Lots of time to transfer to another visa after that.

    If you believe staying in Ireland for an MBA program is the right thing for you, then ask Smurfit's career services office if they can share the recruitment statistics for their MBA graduates. The school should track how many people have gone to work overseas post-MBA, and you can probably figure out what your chances are from this data.

    You could also consider joining a US corporation in Ireland post-MBA and then ask for an internal transfer to head office/the US after some period of time (this is a bit more of a long term plan, obviously!)


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    #3
    lonestargirl
    Registered Users Posts: 1,501 ✭✭✭lonestargirl


    I would say to look into studying in the US, I know an MBA qualifies you for a H1B on paper but I don't think it's enough to get you a job in the current US job market unless you have some unique work experience pre-MBA. A friend of mine recently did an MBA at Rice University here in Houston and he got a good job a number of months later. However he contends that the MBA was most useful to him in terms of the contacts he made during the course - contacts made in Smurfit will be no use in the US.

    Would you consider doing a PhD in the US or is that too academic? Most PhDs will come with a stipend - it won't make you rich but it's enough to live on.


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    #4
    Mr. 'H'
    Registered Users Posts: 93 ✭✭Mr. 'H'


    Thanks guys for the informative replies. Yes indeed I do realize that it would be better in theory to do the masters in the States. The point you make about building contacts is a really valid one.

    BUT - in my situation it's a non runner, even with a stipend - I've got a spouse who works here in Ireland and 2 kids. Money wise it wouldn't work moving to study there (I did look into this a couple of years ago for a Stanford MBA.)

    I have been thinking that maybe a more specialized masters would be less costly and may make me as attractive to employ as an MBA....

    I think the US-corporation-then-getting-an-internal-transfer will be likely (although a circuitous route) the only viable option. Like if I got a job at Google, Facebook or LinkedIn (all of which have their EMEA HQ in Dublin.) I did apply to Google and Facebook but it only got to telephone interview with Google.

    Mmmm.... I wonder how those 3 organizations view an MBA (valuable and worthy of a high salary or the clichéd 'oh it's just pretentious and useless and not a predictor of business ability.')

    :P


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    #5
    cerebus
    Registered Users Posts: 447 ✭✭cerebus


    Mr. H wrote: »
    BUT - in my situation it's a non runner, even with a stipend - I've got a spouse who works here in Ireland and 2 kids. Money wise it wouldn't work moving to study there (I did look into this a couple of years ago for a Stanford MBA.)

    Don't rule it out - I just graduated from a US MBA, and had my wife and two kids along for the ride. If you are a realistic candidate for Stanford's GSB you should be able to get significant scholarship/grant funding from schools further down the various MBA rankings.
    Mr. H wrote: »
    Mmmm.... I wonder how those 3 organizations view an MBA (valuable and worthy of a high salary or the clichéd 'oh it's just pretentious and useless and not a predictor of business ability.')

    :P

    I know people from my MBA program have gone to Google and LinkedIn in the last few years, so they definitely hire MBAs. Again, this might only be from certain schools.


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    #6
    lonestargirl
    Registered Users Posts: 1,501 ✭✭✭lonestargirl


    Ah, for some reason I assumed you were going straight from undergrad to MBA. I think you need to look at your education and experience and maybe talk to some people in recruiting in the US and ask them what would make you worth the hassle and expense of sponsoring a visa. In previous years the annual allocation for H1Bs was gone almost as soon as they were released in April, I don't think all of them were used last year (or at least not until the very end) and this year is looking the same. It's getting harder for companies to justify to themselves, and to USCIS, the employment of someone from outside the US given the unemployment rate here.

    If you are looking into the transfer option you have to work for the US company for min 1-year outside the US before you can transfer over, one advantage of this option is that spouses L visa holders can work spouses of H1Bs cannot.

    Remember the DV lottery will be opening up again soon for 2012 and (assuming your wife is Irish) both you and your wife can apply.


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    #7
    Mr. 'H'
    Registered Users Posts: 93 ✭✭Mr. 'H'


    Wow - you both have been great with the info... thank you so much!


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    #8
    Mr. 'H'
    Registered Users Posts: 93 ✭✭Mr. 'H'


    cerebus wrote: »
    Don't rule it out - I just graduated from a US MBA, and had my wife and two kids along for the ride.

    Very interesting! I just had it in my head to apply to Stanford at the time (2008) and didn't apply anywhere else. I did the GMAT with no prep courses etc and kinda messed up on the quantitative section but I got a 600 which I guess is good but not great....


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