I was told to go back to Vietnam by my professor
Ironically, he’s the one that taught me the most.
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I was an international student. And if you did not know, it is very hard to get sponsored for a job in the U.S., despite many online sources saying we are stealing jobs from Americans.
To give you a rough idea, in order to stay and work in the U.S., we need to be sponsored by an employer under the H-1B visa. There are other ways to be sponsored, but this is the most viable option.
The most challenging part about getting an H-1B is not finding employers who are willing to sponsor us, but rather the luck factor that comes with it. To apply, one needs a sponsor (a.k.a. the employer) to apply on their behalf. Then the application needs to get approved, meaning the sponsor can prove that they have attempted to hire Americans yet could not find qualified candidates. Once approved, the application is dropped into a pool with other approved applicants to be picked in a random draw.
Since the quota for visas being handed out in a year is a lot less than the number of applicants, many talented international students miss out on their job and many employers miss out on their employees every year.
Because of this factor of luck in the employment-based visa system, many employers opt to not sponsor at all.
As an international student in college, I had tried everything to catch the eye of a recruiter. I did not want a full-time job, just an opportunity for an internship to utilize the knowledge I learned prior to coming back home.
I joined school clubs. I volunteered at conferences. I showed up in every free training and job fair there were. Nothing was going anywhere until I met my professor, let’s call him Dr. W.
Dr. W was the director of the Supply Chain program at the school I attended. He built this program to be so ruthless that most people drop out after the first course, which no other professor but him taught.
As he constantly brought previous students to visit his classes, as hiring managers from big companies, I had a lot of interest in working for these companies.
I remember staying in class after employees from a big aviation corporation visited to ask him for guidance on how to get a job, I was in utter shock when he told me: “oh, you’re an international student? What are you doing here? They’re not gonna hire you. Go home!”
What he said sent me to so much shock that I still remember it, word for word.
I can’t lie about how I felt about it, despite how much of a strong and independent woman I wished to be. I cried for 30 minutes, slept for 10 hours afterward, then brushed my hands on my jeans, and kept going.
I showed up to MORE training workshops.
Since it is incredibly difficult to get sponsored, I needed to stand out among other candidates. In my field (or any field really!!), data is king. Any data skills will set us apart. And as this was such a well-rounded program, we had constant opportunities to attend SQL, Tableau, etc. training workshops, free of charge.
I showed up to EVER. SINGLE. ONE of them. This is a big deal since these were always on weekends. But I knew that I had to sacrifice my time and put in more effort than others to even get noticed.
Words I told myself: My starting point does not define my worth, my efforts do.
I signed up for business case competitions.
The big aviation corporation mentioned above was one of the major businesses in Portland. They were a big deal.
Every year, they host a case competition for business students from five colleges in the PNW to compete against each other. The main prize was a guaranteed interview for the member of the winning teams
THIS. WAS. MY. CHANCE.
I was warned about how demanding this competition would be. And it really was challenging. Outside of class, my team of five spent over 80 hours together in a week to solve the case. Dr. W, who was the advocate for this competition in our program, really emphasized that only the best of the best students can win our school level for a chance to present in front of the corporation’s executives.
It took me two years of competing, with different team members, to win. But the moment we won, I knew that my hard work has been partially paid off.
Was I scared and nervous when I signed up for it? Hell, yes. But did I do it anyway? I had to.
Words I told myself: I will NOT miss out on a great opportunity just because I am a coward!
I negotiated my opportunities.
The year my team won was the first year our school ever won regional. It was a big deal. This brought more than just recognition for our program. We received more sponsorships.
Knowing what I helped bring to the table, I came to see Dr. W in his office. We had a long chat about what he could do for me after the competition.
Though I knew I was not getting a shot at the aviation company, despite winning first place in their competition, due to security concerns, I was connected to hiring managers in multiple other corporations.
I was able to use Dr. W’s network for an internship at another company that suited me better. The internship turned into a contract, which turned into a full-time opportunity.
Words I told myself: Know your worth, and negotiate! You worked hard for it.
I asked about his intention.
Thinking back about my immediate reaction after Dr. W’s comment, I was quite shocked. It is not what a professor should ever say to his students, regardless of their employability. Despite all the things I did to prove him wrong, I wanted to give the man the benefit of the doubt, that his intention was not bad and the problem was in his delivery.
After working with him to gain me an internship, I took the opportunity to ask about his intention when he made the initial comment to me. Though there is no excuse to say the things he did, the man did not mean to say that I should have gone home.
It was a hectic night. Everyone wanted an opportunity with these hiring managers. Since this is an aviation company that holds national secret technology, I really did not stand a chance as a non-US citizen. And that’s for good reason. He told me to go home, where I resided at the time, so give other students more time with them. And he had a plan to connect me with those from companies that would hire non-citizen.
Words I told myself: Despite how I feel about one’s action, I should give everyone the benefit of the doubt once.
I am not telling this story to brag about my accomplishments or to give any excuse for this type of behavior. The messages I want to convey are more than that.
1. My starting point does not define my worth. My efforts do.
2. Being scared will NOT be the reason that I don’t try something.
3. Self awareness is key, and use it to negotiate for what you want.
4. Sometimes, people deserve a chance to apologize and explain themselves.
This interaction started a chain of life lessons that I have been carrying with me through life. And if I can achieve anything in life, I hope it would be to take every hurtful, or offensive, interaction and turn them into valuable lessons like these.
