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by hga 5840 days ago
Having a degree can make it easier to get a visa to work in the US, to governments credentials count, not real ability.

Trying to do the degree you're doing is dangerous, as you've noted (although it does allow you to maintain your lifestyle and keep current in real software development). Is there any possibility that you can change to another major or school where you can get a real CS degree?
1 comments
drRoflol 5840 days ago
I'd have to move to get another option.

I haven't done any real research into the whole visa-business, but I really should do that soon;) Is it not true that it's easier to get a visa if you already have a company that has agreed to let you work with them?

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jasonlotito 5840 days ago
Get a degree. I've been in this situation (from the US to Canada), and having a degree helps. It's easy to have a company say they want you to work for them. The thing is, visa's aren't just approved because a company says they need you. They also need to demonstrate why they need "you" in particular, and why someone local can't help them. Why can't they hire an American, or a Canadian? Why are they hiring a foreigner? These are questions that need to be addressed. Having a degree goes toward helping demonstrate that.

To put it another way, I've never seen education shut doors for me. It has, however, given my opportunities I wouldn't have had otherwise.

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unexpected 5840 days ago
It will be incredibly hard for you to get a visa without a degree. Damn near impossible, even. You DEFINITELY need a degree, especially if you're a foreigner and want to come to the United States. Very few companies, let alone startups, are going to hire you as an employee if you don't have a degree.

My advice would be to get a 4.0, get a degree, and try to go to graduate school at CMU/Boston/San Francisco area.

It's not going to be as simple as hopping on a plane and getting hired. You have a whole host of visa issues to work out, and if you do it incorrectly, you could jeopardize your chances of staying here long term forever.

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hga 5840 days ago
I think that's the only way to get a visa that legally allows you to work in the US (ignoring visas associated with going to schools), but being a US native I don't know; as you say, you need to research that.

One thing I do know is that the last time I checked this year's quota of H-1B visas is not even close to being used up. Normally they're all used up on the first day which is sometime in April.

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