Let's assume for a moment that I'm job searching correctly; I'm applying to places that I would actually want to work at with a relevant resume and a well-written cover letter, I'm networking on Linkedin and setting up phone calls with engineers and recruiters, I'm leveraging my existing network and getting referrals to almost everyone I know, etc.
So far I've had ~zero responses. After getting speedily rejected from FB, even with a relatively strong recommendation, I managed to get feedback from the engineer that it's basically because companies aren't willing to sponsor for entry-level positions, especially if the candidate doesn't have a degree. Is this true? Is there a limiting factor of my situation here? Why am I being ignored?
My resolve is starting to break because I have zero visibility on _what_ exactly is going wrong. If it's something about my situation that doubles the bar, then that's fine– I'll go work in Europe for a few years, and I'll be back in the US soon. No hard feelings. But because I know that I'm more than competent enough to hold down the positions I'm applying for, I wonder if it's something about my situation or something that I'm doing wrong.
What are the conditions that companies offer sponsorship on? Is there a hard limit on the # of times a company can sponsor? Am I not being taken seriously because I'm too young? Or because my only experience was a 6 months? Is my job gap a problem?
Regardless of these questions though, my single biggest fear is that I'm wasting my time. I don't care about comp or prestige, I just want to work and build things. But I've had to instead spend the last few months writing fucking cover letters, using all the businessy buzzwords. It's so cringe and debilitating to me.
Am I doomed? Or am I being too fragile? Should I keep calm and carry on? I can do that, but I have a vauge sense of angst that I could be wasting my time without knowing it.
What do?
Sending in resumes and cover letters is not the correct way to search for a job, though it's the most common approach. With no degree and only six months of experience you are entry-level at best. Right now the demand in the US tech industry is for senior-level people. There's no shortage of entry-level US citizens/green card holders looking for first jobs.
You're not doomed, but you should realistically assess where you are in your career (the very beginning) and how that looks to companies desperate for more senior people. Add to that the complications of not having the right to work in the US and you can start to understand why your applications get ignored. The US has limits on H1-B visas, with exceptions for people who have advanced degrees or specialized skills. I can't imagine a company going to the trouble sponsoring a visa for an entry-level candidate. I know at places I've worked candidates who didn't have US work permits were ignored -- it's simply too much trouble to sponsor a visa and not worth it for entry-level/junior positions.
I'm trying to give you helpful advice but I realize I'm painting a bleak picture. Large companies like Facebook don't have a problem attracting candidates and they can sponsor visas for more experienced people (or people with degrees). Smaller and less sexy (not tech-oriented) companies do have trouble attracting candidates, but they are likely unfamiliar with and skittish about hiring a foreigner. Companies used to post "US citizens/permanent residents only" in their job ads but that seems less common now -- perhaps the employers (or recruiters) worry about lawsuits for "exclusionary" hiring practices, or they don't want to take the chance of missing a truly great candidate they might sponsor.
A 4 year bachelors degree or equivalent is required. Exceptions are made for people with a lot of experience or if you are an extraordinary person (e.g. You have no degree, but you are Euler).
If you google, The basics of the H1-B process is well discussed and explained by lawyers on multiple websites. Since there are a lot of immigrants who have gone through the H1-B process, there are a lot of forums where lots of nuances have been discussed by people on all types of visas, people applying for green cards, etc.
> I'm a 20 y/o bootcamp grad with no college degree and 6 months of professional experience
Six months experience out of a bootcamp isn't even enough experience to know what you don't know. I don't care what they told you in the bootcamp. IMO it's one of the main problems with bootcamp programs, they're a sort of ponzi scheme for becoming a programmer. It's like learning to swing a hammer and calling yourself a carpenter.
In SF, you'll be going up against BS in Comp Sci grads at minimum, that are probably from an Ivy League or "Public Ivy" type of school, who most likely also have a solid internship and references under their belt and were actively recruited by the FAANG company.
I think your expectations are a bit too lofty. You're gunning for FAANG and you simply don't have the qualifications. That's the harsh reality.
The good news is there are plenty of places around the world that need competent programmers. You should probably return to your home country and target a smaller company somewhere in the EU, that will give you the experience that sets a solid foundation. While you're doing that you'll need to build your online presence, e.g. open source code contributions, open source code repos, blog posts on seemly simple subjects where you pull the subject apart and lay it open for the reader. Basically you need to establish yourself so that when people search for your credentials, they exist and demonstrate clearly what you're capable of doing.
We've all been there. While it can be frustrating, it's not so much different than anything else in life. Hopefully you love to program and will find a joy in your growth as you learn new concepts and ways of applying the languages you utilize.
Best of luck!
I've applied to American jobs. I'm told my resume is solid but the conversation stops immediately once I tell them I don't have a work permit there. The only exception were dodgy seed stage companies who had like 9 months runway and no applicants, but even they decided not to go through with it.
2) sponsorship is more of a commitment (in time at least) than hiring someone without sponsorship, so you might need more than 6 months' professional experience to convince someone to do that
3) remote work might be a lot easier to get now, if you are willing to go back to Europe for a while, and if you've been doing remote work for a given employer then in a year's time they might be a lot more interested in sponsoring an H1B because they will know you're worth it based on having worked with you remotely
Otherwise, FAANG and the like, have a very high bar. Unless you stand out, why hire you, when they can hire the kid out of MIT, CMU, UCB, Stanford, etc? Unless you've spent the last 6 months doing something awesome (building side projects that are taking off, making meaningful contributions to the linux kernel, etc.) it's going to have to be hard to differentiate yourself.
The only other path I can think of, is find a startup that has money, but is desperate for talent. However, if they'll take you, there is a high likelihood they aren't familiar with immigration, so be very careful.
> since mid-September I've been applying for software engineering positions across the US.
> Let's assume for a moment that I'm job searching correctly.
You are not indeed. This is a showstopper, even before having a look at your resume to try and figure a fit.
What was your motivation for the tourist visa?
There's your problem. H1B is just such a difficult and lengthy process today. Even for experienced candidates - I have a decade yoe at faangs, still couldn't crack it recently. And in your position, without experience and a degree, yes you're just wasting time.
You have to apply for H1B in March for a sub-30% chance (it's a heavily oversubscribed lottery) that you might get to start in October. Few companies are willing to go through it to import brand new overseas talent. Most just sponsor people already having permission to work somehow (H1B transfer from another co, F1 OPT, L1, through spouse etc) to retain them in the states.
Some alternatives of what you could do:
* Go study in europe on the cheap. An undergrad degree is not a must for programmers, but still a very important piece of paper that you need to open doors later in your career. It's actually even a requirement for H1B: degree or 12+ yoe.
* Go for masters afterwards in the US, not cheap but you can stay work for 3 years on STEM OPT and no lottery involved as with H1B.
* Work for at least a year for an american company in europe, then you can transfer to the states on L1, lottery free.
* Go to Canada, they can issue you a passport in 3 years with which you can come work in the states on TN visa, also lottery free.
* Find second half with the right type of passport / visa that allows you to work in the states...Hold on.
What were you doing before getting laid off? Were you working in the US? How?
That said… dude, relax. You’re 20. No one has job experience at 20. If building stuff gets you excited, then build stuff. It will make you happier, and having stuff to show off on GitHub tends to be a good investment in your career.
Lots of good advice in this thread. I just wanted to add, if you know the above to be true then don't give up. Maybe your first job won't be FAANG or a US company, but you can get your foot in the door somewhere and prove yourself.
And from Canada it's much easier to get to the US.
Keep looking and get a job in tech support and move to Canada and then try to come to America if you still really want to for some reason