“Will 2021 be a good time to go to the USA for a masters?”, “Will I get a job after graduation?”, “Will I get a work visa?” – with the pandemic creating a slowdown in recruitment and layoffs in many sectors and the US government putting a temporary freeze on H1B visas, several students are reconsidering their plans of pursuing their Masters in the US. After all US education involves a significant financial investment, and many students and parents are wondering if it’s worth the investment. But before jumping to conclusions on whether it’s advisable to go to the US or not, let’s take an objective look at the situation, its impact on you as a student, and what are the best ways to combat it.
Don’t shelve your plans
If you have plans of pursuing your master’s abroad from the academic year of 2021, and have the financial capability to afford it, let not the fear of a recession, pandemic, or visa issues, be the reason for change in plans. You need to understand that education is not a momentary fling, but an investment for lifetime. The returns are not just your ‘job after graduation’ but instead the benefits of your education would continue for life; throughout your career and even otherwise. So think twice or thrice before you shelve your plans for higher education; let them not be shelved forever. You can perhaps, and that’s not recommended either, postpone your plans by a year, but make sure that you don’t procrastinate and completely drop your plans to pursue your higher degree. If you think you are ready to embark on your higher education next year, then just go for it. After all the pandemic will go away, economy will improve in a year or two, and you don’t want to regret later for having missed out on an opportunity.
Things will improve, but work on a plan B
The job market in the US is expected to improve in 2021. By early 2021, the US government, should also roll out a new merit based H1B visa policy, which is again expected to be MS student friendly. So let’s be optimistic. But while it is good to be optimistic, always have a plan B in place. What if things do not turn as expected? What if the job markets don’t improve? What is US work visa and OPT policies do not end up being international student friendly? I thus recommend that you should consider programs in other countries too. Consider applying to mix of programs – some in the USA and some in other countries. Look at programs in Canada, Australia, UK, Ireland, Europe. Canada offers Masters degrees as well as post graduate diploma programs, both of which pave your way for a quick PR (Permanent Residency) in Canada. Australia and NZ also offer good quality education and so does UK and Ireland. You can look at programs in Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, or Finland, based on your educational preferences. All these countries offer 1 to 3 years of post study work permits for international students.
Be prepared for a tough job market
Whichever country you go to, be prepared for a tough job market. Thus ensure that you take your education seriously and maintain a high GPA/grade. Put in significant amount of time and efforts towards your job search. Be proactive towards your job search. Make sure that you have a well drafted resume, put efforts to enhance your skills – both the subject related skills as well as your communication skills, develop a good professional network, and approach your job search with a positive mindset.
If at your university, say only 20% of your graduating class gets a job before graduation, ask yourself the question “What should I do to be amongst those 20% ?”.
Jothsna is the co-founder of Academy One, a career guidance and study abroad counseling venture. Prior to founding Academy One in 2005, Jothsna worked as an IT and business consultant with companies like Motorola and Trajen Inc. in the USA. She holds an engineering degree in computer science from Andhra University and a MS from the University of Texas. She also received her MBA from the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, USA.