How much value does a foreign degree and work experience have in the US?
Posted by MinimumCompetition85@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 14 comments
Hello everybody,
I am not sure if this is the right sub for this type of question but hopefully someone can help me with this. I am 31 M from Germany with a Master's in Management degree from a German university, working in the consulting industry. I am thinking about moving to the US and have participated in the green card lottery for a few years now with no luck. My question is, what would my life in the US look like if I ever actually made the move?
If I applied to US consulting companies, would they even consider me as a candidate? Aside from one semester abroad at Cornell University during my masters, all of my education took place in Germany and I don't have any work experience outside of Germany either. Btw I am not working for one of the big well-known international consulting companies with offices in both Germany and the US, but "unfortunately" for a smaller boutique firm.
I wouldn't want to leave my country if it meant I'd have to work as a cab driver or something because my degree and work experience has zero value over there lol
Also, with enough experience, I was thinking about settup up my own consulting business a few years down the line. Would that also be possible in the US or would people be hesitant to do business if someone, if they found out I only came to the country a few years prior?
TL;DR: consultant in Germany wondering if my "foreign" degree and work experience would have any value in the US, so that I could continue doing what I am doing now.
Vladigraph@reddit
In terms of employment the origin of your degree and experience doesn’t matter. It’s about what you know and can.
BUT, if you want to use your higher education, then you’ll need either H1B visa, or a O1 visa, or a green card. For H1B visas in for-profit companies there’s a huge competition, and there used to be a lottery — don’t know about now. The company will also have to explain to Department of Labor why there was no US worker who could be hired instead of a foreigner for this position. So the smaller companies these days don’t even bother with people who are not yeti authorized to work in the US.
The O1 visa (outstanding ability) doesn’t require the employer to justify anything, but you need to prove that you are better than most other workers — won some competitions, had news articles about you, have an international reputation, etc. You will need to hire a lawyer to make a good case.
The green card could be obtained without employment by marrying a US citizen. Same-sex marriages are recognized as well as opposite sex ones.
Much of this seems insurmountable, but a lawyer can solve a lot of these problems. Some offer free consultations, others charge up to $300 for a consult.
Finally, as you are a German, and I have some experience with German expats, you guys tend to be too modest when you evaluate your abilities and experience. You are taught that it is inappropriate to brag. In the US it is expected that the applicants exaggerate their qualifications. So you need a US-based coach or consultant to help you write your résumé, CV, and cover letter, or you will probably write one that’s way too modest for your actual credentials.
SatoshiThaGod@reddit
I think you should be fine. Job requirements list degree requirements, not degree requirements from an American university.
Not sure why other people in the thread are so skeptical. It is closer to the US, but I know plenty of Canadians with Canadian degrees working top jobs in Silicon Valley. I have met one German with a German degree, specifically, as well.
Any respectable company will have an HR department that can do a 5 minute Google search to see if your university is legit. Given you did a semester abroad at Cornell, I’m guessing your German university was pretty good.
MinimumCompetition85@reddit (OP)
Thank you! Yes, the University has a pretty decent reputation and is listed among the top 10 business schools in Germany. But I also hope that my work experience for a completely unknown company (to an American recruiter) would also mean something to the HR department. I guess I would just have to figure out the details about doing business in the US but at the end of the day it's revenue - cost = profit no matter where you are. It's not like law or something where there are totally different rules depending on the country.
So the US does recognize foreign degrees? I have heard that in Canada that's not the case, and I would have to study all over again there, which I am definitely not going to do (thought about Canada as an alternative, as the immigration process is more straight forward). Since you seem to have experience in both countries, I was hoping you could shed some light on this.
jcsladest@reddit
Yes, it is an immigration issue not a degree issue (assuming it is from a respectable uni).
Maybird56@reddit
I think it depends, if you’re moving to a big city and there’s companies that do a lot of business within Europe. I don’t think you’d have a problem at all.
If you’re going to a smaller city you could struggle and have to consider taking a step back for your first role.
I had this experience in the UK, starting in a small city and moving to London. However, the UK education system is more qualification/exam based than the US with various levels. I think it could potentially be easier in the US because in the US you either have a degree or you don’t.
I would say the thing that made it the absolute easiest to find a job in a different company was I worked for years internationally for a company that has its headquarters in London who had an opening come up when we were planning our move.
Hitsuzenmujun@reddit
There are plenty of Germans like yourself who are working in the US. As others have said though, the easiest route for you would be to work for a large firm (maybe even your firm) and see if you can do a 1-2 year “rotation” in the US. Many firms have programs like this (mine does).
Trying to get in through the front door as it were by applying for a visa and the looking for a job will be harder.
HVP2019@reddit
Assuming you will have green card…
you will be slightly less competitive than a person who has been working in US/got education in US,
this means that you may have to look for a job for bit longer than an American of the same degree/skill as you are, you may have to settle for position that is somewhat bellow your skill level/qualifications.
But foreign professionals ( those who studied /worked abroad) are not that uncommon in US labor market. The biggest hurdles everyone has to overcome are legal.
Of course you may find that US offers not enough benefits to compensate for negatives of living in US. But that is another consideration.
Ralph_O_nator@reddit
There are plenty of people with foreign degrees in the US. I’d be more worried with the immigration side of the issue.
HedonisticMonk42069@reddit
Depends, your degree sounds more relevant and transferable than Americans with liberal arts or gender studies degrees.
bruhbelacc@reddit
I'm curious what the "USA most open country in the world" crowd will say to this, because I think the answer is - it will be tough.
You can research if people from abroad get sponsored to work in consulting in the USA at all. I don't mean international students or the occasional internal transfer, but people in your boat. If you don't have a realistic path to H1B (which is a lottery even for people from the most desired fields), then I believe the question is not how they'll look at your foreign experience, but if you can move there at all. Unfortunately, business fields (in my case, marketing) are not demanded enough for employers to actively recruit from abroad. I don't stand any good chance for H1B, even with a Master's and experience. This is not to say you can't work there if you do manage to migrate legally, but the requirements for working visa are too strict because they prioritize other fields.
MinimumCompetition85@reddit (OP)
Thank you, I know it's tough to even get there legally in the first place, but l posted this question under the assumption I already had a green card. Would I be able to work in my field or would I only get rejections because I didn't go to an Ivy League school? Because if not, I don't see why I should even go through all that trouble if it wouldn't improve my quality of life.
bruhbelacc@reddit
Sorry, I didn't get that part. My guess is the big companies will be closed because they prefer people from other big companies or recent graduates, and for the other firms, you will likely make a step back in your career (as in "you have experience, but not with American companies"). When moving abroad, I found a more junior role in marketing at a smaller company than where I used to work.
MinimumCompetition85@reddit (OP)
Well that doesn't sound too bad after all. If I had to step down from being a project lead to being a senior consultant for a year or so to get experience with American companies, so be it. How long did it take you to grow out of that junior role?
Seachica@reddit
Very little, unless you find a company with clients in Germany or you specialize in a particular industry. The US has more mba graduates than any country in the world, so companies can hire people who have citizenship or don’t require sponsorship. You having a green card will help, but many companies would still rather hire Americans unless they have a specific client need.
My advice — change to a multinational consulting firm or company, and work there for a few years so you can then transfer with them. Or network with graduates of your university who are already in the US.