ocean herald
Hello, I am a freshman at UC Berkley and I heard rumors on reddit that International students (Bachelor of Computer Science) almost has no chance to get an intern because of the regulations. This is extremely frustrating for me because I might not be able to pay the loans.
Is this the case even if I am a promising candidate (studied CS in high school and know problem solving and so on)?
Please understand my frustration.
Thanks in advance,
wicked furnace
almost has no chance to get an intern because of the regulations
can you elaborate what you mean by "regulations"
ocean herald
> almost has no chance to get an intern because of the regulations
can you ela...
These are the replies of some people on my question or similar question:
Companies are under pressure right now to focus on hiring US citizens due to how bad the market is right now. It's a bad look if you hire someone from outside of the US when skilled US Taxpayers(whose money goes to these companies) are unemployed.
and this is a reddit post about it: https://www.reddit.com/r/csMajors/comments/1ayx8fz/2023_grad_im_leaving_cs/
wicked furnace
These are the replies of some people on my question or similar question:
> Compa...
As someone in the field usually the reason to cut back on hiring people who are international is because they require sponsorship to work in the US which can be costly
It’s not anything more complex than that tbh
ocean herald
So what can/should I do? I work hard and I think of myself that I am higher than the average (I know C++, Java, Python well, DSA, PS, SQL) and know how to do things
wicked furnace
What do you mean what can you do ? I would argue nothing in your control has changed
ocean herald
I am social and I think that I have some professional communications and soft skills
wicked furnace
Can’t do anything about companies not want in to spend money to hire international people
Not every company can afford to do it
ocean herald
What do you mean what can you do ? I would argue nothing in your control has cha...
I mean study more, do something that puts me further on the edge even compared to colleages.
wicked furnace
I mean study more, do something that puts me further on the edge even compared t...
I mean again, there is nothing different to be done
Pay attention in school, work, make friends, apply to jobs and keep at it
ocean herald
So should I drop out or just contrinue trying?
wicked furnace
? Why would you drop out ?
ocean herald
Because I applied to loans and I may not be able to pay them in case I cannot get a job as per the reddit thread
That man is super lucky of having family to pay for another college but this is not my case.
wicked furnace
I didn’t realize that Reddit thread was the end all be all of the situation
ocean herald
I didn’t realize that Reddit thread was the end all be all of the situation
Sorry, could you rephrase that?
wicked furnace
Sorry, could you rephrase that?
I’m saying that Reddit thread isn’t the whole world
Why are you putting so much emphasis on one Reddit thread from one persons situation?
I just don’t see why it matters
Because no matter what you still have to pay the loans
ocean herald
I saw ~1000 people agreeing with him and other comments saying the same which frightened me
wicked furnace
If you can’t afford it, that’s a different situation
wicked furnace
I saw ~1000 people agreeing with him and other comments saying the same which fr...
Is 1000 people a lot of people?
Compared to the number of people just in CS in general I don’t think so
But again, it’s just a data point
ocean herald
If you can’t afford it, that’s a different situation
I cannot afford the debt if I grad after 4 years and couldn't have a job, but the small debt that I took now can be manegable
ocean herald
Is 1000 people a lot of people?
IDK
wicked furnace
I cannot afford the debt if I grad after 4 years and couldn't have a job, but th...
No one can make financial decisions for you
ocean herald
No one can make financial decisions for you
I understand and agree.
wicked furnace
But to me it makes no sense to quit so early but if you are so worried then go to a college you can afford
CS is a powerful degree
But you did understand the risks of being an international student, employers will have a harder time making the choice to hire simply because of money
At least that’s my understanding of it
ocean herald
I see, I am really hoping if anyone can suggest any thing that I can do to alleviate such potential threat.
I do not want any work around like marriage... Just what to work on from a Visa perspective or interpersonal skills to leverage my options
Sorry, I forgot to thank you LewDaChris! Thanks so much 🙂
noble prairie
I'm an international student who graduated in 2022 around the time the market started taking a complete nosedive. I did 2 internships, 1 of which gave me the FT offer at a company I'm currently working at. I can empathize with your qualms and concerns - and just have a few things to say.
The "regulations" you mentioned about companies prioritizing U.S hires aren't official (except maybe for PERM/green card), but have historically been a thing even years back. Visa sponsorship requires extensive legal oversight (hiring lawyers, submitting applications, vetting applicants) and is very expensive - not many companies (especially smaller ones) can afford to really do that. This is where focusing on bigger companies (big tech) with generous sponsorship should be a focus during application. I found that in my experience though, even smaller startups don't generally have an issue with hiring international students as interns since CPTs don't require as much overhead as OPTs do. My first internship was at a mid-sized startup (~100 people), and the only paperwork needed was required from my college (not the employer). What you're experiencing right now with the lack of luck isn't an effect of the "regulations", but is just part of the declining job market in CS that's widely felt by everyone.
I've found that the first internship will always be the hardest one. It took me 100+ applications, 2 of which gave me final interviews, for me to land a single offer at an alumni-run startup. It took a lot of networking, going to conferences/career fairs, reaching out to alumnis, cold applying and sheer luck for me to get there. I imagine with the competition and economic landscape right now it will require even more effort and luck. You're working on a UCB degree, that is a prestigious degree and opens yourself up to a lot of prospects and the vast alumni network. Do your best to utilize that and I hope it will bring you the opportunity you need to succeed.
As for financial concerns, I don't have much advice other than doing your best to look for opportunities within and outside of UCB to make some money and pay off the loans. Does UCB offer a work-study program or teaching assistantship allows you to make some money while you're enrolled? If financial burden becomes too much, then transferring to a cheaper college is an option, but I would suggest that as last-resort if you really cannot afford the education.
If you're concerned about employability as an international student - perhaps consider grad school (specifically PhDs) as an alternative option to stick out a few years of this competitive job market without having to worry about financial obligations. This will require some planning in advance, but this is always a viable option if you choose to pursue it.
Saw that you were a freshman - I had very little luck as a freshman applying for internships and knew very few people who managed to get one (they were exceptional) even as a U.S Citizen. Perhaps try to pursue paid research opportunities (there are plenty of labs that offer such even at low wages) as an alternative, and there's also no harm in doing something else for the summer to pay off loans. You've got a few years ahead of you - focus on your degree and doing your best.
I hope all of this helps, and wish you the best 🙂
visual trail
Hey man, so in addition to what others have said, there are still places hiring and sponsoring visas for new grads. It's less than it was before, but not impossible, esp with a Berkeley CS degree. By the time you graduate, things might be better or worse.
You can get it. A lot of worry is for people trying to get a green card rather than a visa. Those have been stalled due to layoffs (companies are not allowed to convert visas to green cards if they recently laid off)
And if you have some visa issues (it's possible to have bad luck and not get an H1B visa in the lottery), Canada has a nicer system for immigration and pretty happy to have good tech workers move there. There's negatives for sure, but even if things don't work out (and that's a low chance, tbh), you have that fallback option. Good luck!
chilly wraith
this is straight up just not an issue lol. Many of our interns from my company last year were foreigners (read: not american citizens, people who did masters/school here and did not grow up in america, "fresh off the airplane" folks).
word of advice as well: stop worrying about issues that you can't control. You are young so this is very important mindset to change, you need to focus on the things in life that you can change. No point giving rent free space to issues that you have 0 impact on.
otherwise your life will be consumed by negative emotions/stress about things that you ultimately can't change.
ocean herald
First of all, all of you should be under UN legal protection cuz you are all a world's treasure!
Don't want to mention spam everyone but I hope you read it.
I am really thankful for each tip and motivational boost that you provided. I do not know how I can pay back the favor to y'all but please let me know.
I will continue to persue the degree because of you all.
lavish mirage
Can an International Student get an Intern/Full time?
yes