IT jobs in America - Boston area - Quick question

galwaydude

Hi,

Just have a quick query.Me and my GF are planning on moving to the states in the next 6 months or so. I have found websites that have plenty of good IT jobs that i can do but the sticky thing is should i wait till im over there to apply for them or apply now.My GF thinks i should apply now.She really wants to head home as she misses her family and friends, shes been working here in Dublin for the last 16 months.What happens if i get an interview, it would be mad to travel to the states just for an interview.Has anyone else done this then?

Cheers in advance

qwertz

Do you have an American passport/green card? What are your IT-skills?

Kernel32

I have to assume you can work legally. If you can't you will not get anyone to sponsor you, they won't even talk to you. Any companies doing sponsorship are doing it through the Indian consulting companies, its much cheaper.

I live in Maine, a couple of hours north of Boston. I work in IT and have a good general idea of the IT market. My advice is to wait until you get there, unless you have some very high demand skills. Companies are constantly getting resumes from all over the world from very qualified people but unless you have some exceptional skills your resume will get binned.

Also, a lot of companies simply will not interview people who want to relocate, even if they are paying for it themseleves. I wasn't clear on why that is myself until I talked to a recruiter. People will say they want to relocate, will pay for their own interview expense but in many many cases when they get the job offer they don't take it because they manage to get something local. The company has to start all over again at that point and its costing them money and time.

My advice is first transfer your CV into resume format, no one here wants to see a CV. When you get to Boston, or even a week or two before start firing some off. Get yourself in front of some recruitment companies so they can see you actually exist. Also try the consulting companies, Keane, RHI etc, they are basically body shops, you get an hourly rate, little or no benefits and they cream off the top. If you have good experience you can get a good rate, if you have no expierence they won't talk to you.

pwd

"If you can't [work legally] you will not get anyone to sponsor you, they won't even talk to you. Any companies doing sponsorship are doing it through the Indian consulting companies, its much cheaper."

leaving the more interesting option of making 500k - 1 million dollars and going over to start your own business. Or, better, have 32,500 dollars a year to pay for a MSc/PhD course over there.

I would suggest that you apply now, and that you give your gf's family's address as your current address. This way you go over as a guy with a good job; less of an unknown quantity therefore.

galwaydude

i think i will wait till im over there but it looks like the only way i can get a decent IT job is after me and my GF marry, not very romantic is it!!!!!!!!

On the other question i have 3 years IT experience in a technical analyst/ desktop support envoirnment and have a bachelors of science in computing.

pwd

When she is over there she be in a completely different environment with completely different influences, many of which may be distrustful and hostile to you.
She might change her mind about getting married. If her family and friends don't know you well enough she may feel she should gain their acceptance before marrying you. As you say, your current plans are hardly the most romantic too, and she might feel she is doing it for the wrong reasons. even if her family think you are the dog's bollocks she might see things from a different perspective.
If she does change her mind, and you don't want to give up, you have to see it from her perspective and not take it personally. Your only option then is to go over and work illegally for a while so that you can be introduced in a more regular manner over there, the way I see it. You'll probably be able to get work off the books doing some menial job, as well as possibly freelance work doing programming or web design. There's obvious risks involved in doing that, since they are getting stricter regarding border control and if you're caught you won't ever be able to get a visa. But if she changes her mind, then she is unlikely to change it back, so at that point you don't really have anything to lose.
Or if you have $63K and a decent dgeree you might be able to do a Masters in UNH.
This is all based on personal experience, and might be totally irrelevant to your situation of course.

galwaydude

PWD
i get on great with her family and friends and have met them many times already, going over again in may for 2 weeks.We have been going out for 14 months so i dont think its that sort of relationship that your implying. Anyways we have have just bought a 3 bedroom house together too so the relationship is definately for keeps, not some dodgy thing your thinking of lol.
As for going over illegally thats not an option as if i get caught and i would then i would be barred from living in america for years to come. Maybe this was the wrong forum to put this in, maybe it should have been PI instead.

Thanx for your advice though.

Regarding the hostile part when im over there, non issue as have been over there a few times already and i love it there, so different to ireland and cheaper!!!!!!!

this isnt some refugee story, i will marry her when we are both ready and can afford it.

pwd

Wasn't implying anything dodgy at all, or suggesting the relationship wasn't for keeps. A year ago I would have described my situation identically to yours, only we hadn't enough money to buy a house.
People can be extremely two-faced, and in America this is true to a greater extent than here.
I don't pretend to know anything about your situation and don't take what I say the wrong way.

galwaydude

sorry to hear that mate, Regarding my situation I doubt very much shes two faced though as know her well enough after 15 months together to know she aint taking me for a ride so to speak.

pwd

my ex wasn't two-faced either. An awful lot of people she knew were though, including her mother, and I looked really stupid for taking them at face-value.

galwaydude

have to admit thats true as well.Some of her so called friends in america are a bit two faced but sure as i tell her shes better off without them. Anyways dont we have that problem everywhere. Her family is not two faced for sure as get on great with both parents and her sister.
Anywas way down towards the future we are going to commute between ireland and america as she loves it here too and she gets more money too(jobwise) and less hassle.