A third-year engineering student in Bengaluru has sparked a detailed discussion on social media after sharing the unique challenges of being an American citizen who has lived and studied entirely in India. Despite holding a US passport, the computer science student expressed feeling “stuck” when it comes to navigating the global job market. The post was shared on an NRI forum on Reddit.
“American citizen, studied entirely in India — unsure how to approach jobs abroad,” the Reddit user wrote.
The student explained, “I’m an American citizen but I’ve lived in India my entire life. I’m currently in my 3rd year of engineering (background in CS) in Bangalore. I’ve been trying to figure out my options after graduation. I feel a bit stuck cuz of: 1)Most of my education was in India. 2)In India, documentation/hiring preferences sometimes feel like a barrier in my opinion (not sure).”
The individual continued, “For NRIs or Americans who studied outside the US — how did you approach applying for jobs abroad (US/EU/elsewhere)? Did you apply directly from India or go through internships? Any advice would really help.”
What did social media say?
An individual suggested, “Well, firstly, there is no concept of separate job portals or situations for American citizens. Companies in the US do not hire interns from India, as it is logistically and cost-wise expensive for them to pay for relocation and other expenses. You need to apply like any other job application, and your advantage is that you don’t need sponsorship. A wise scenario would be to move to the US for your master’s and figure it out.” The OP responded, “I was thinking along those lines as well. Thanks for the info!”
Another commented, “Learn some skills and get a job in India. Apply to jobs in the US a year or two after starting this job, using the experience gained in the first job. Entry-level jobs are drying up in the US due to the impact of AI tooling, so get a leg up by not being entry-level via your first job.” A third expressed, “Looks like you are doing B.Tech in India. Apply for and do a masters in the US right after completion of your bachelor’s in India. Job will follow after your studies.”
A fourth wrote, “I think you should do a master’s from a decent but cheap university in the US. That will give you an easy ramp into American life and, at the same time, a US education for applying for jobs. Another option is to get into Infy, etc., and eventually ask for a US placement. Considering that you have US citizenship, you may get preferential treatment.” The OP replied, “I’m with the mindset that masters would set me back with a student loan, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted that. Hence why I was seeking jobs directly, will look into it tho. Thanks!”