Is it worth doing an MS in the US after the recent developments in the H-1B visa?

This is a really good question. Before I answer that, take some time to think through the following :

Why do you want to do a Masters?

1. To gain quality knowledge on latest technologies hands on, do some amazing projects using the same and get industry experience.

1. Do a Masters for namesake to eventually want to settle in the USA. Basically looking for an opportunity to settle abroad.

I’m Bhargavi, I came to the US to pursue my Masters in Spring 2014 at The University of Texas at Arlington, Fall 2015 graduate. Considering the finance aspect, I mostly considered the universities from Central and East Coast(Texas and North Carolina specifically) simply because, the quality is good, the fee is reasonable and so does the living expenses. At this point in time, H1B was not really my concern.(of course for many it is, I just took one step at a time ) .

1. Building your resume.

1. Working on interview skills like technical skills and soft skills by practicing questions from various websites.

1. Networking with people(LinkedIn, meetup groups, etc) .

1. Building your profile in the form of a personalized website and showcasing your skills using technologies.

1. Completing desired courses online (Coursera/Udemy/Pluralsight etc) that will definitely add on to your profile.

1. Starting a blog on the skills you’re good at (even if you’re not that good or confident, you can always learn and write about anything).

1. Approach recruiters on LinkedIn - send your resume with a brief message even if positions are not open, you’ll never know who you might impress 
2. 
   

1. and so on. . .

If you fall in the first category, YES, I’d definitely recommend you do your Masters here. If you fall in the second one, you know my answer. DON’T !

Before I go into the details, let me give a brief introduction about myself. 

So, I started my Masters in Spring 2014. Believe me, all the factors that decide you getting a job starts from the very first day you start your course. How many students actually take the courses thats just easy enough to get the credits vs those who actually decide their courses based on various factors like the best course offered, the technologies you get to learn, the best Professor for a course(considering that multiple Professors offer same course), and finally the outcome of the course. This plays an important role because the next step after you start your Masters is to find an internship to gain industry experience, which again increases your chances to find a Full Time job(either the internship gets converted or the experience itself adds value in your profile which opens up more opportunities). Few may also get GRA, GTA etc on campus which is equally good. Bottom line is, for you to get into any of these programs, you must definitely have good knowledge on the stuffs you’re learning which again comes to the courses you select.

Moving on, you finish your internship or GRA/GTA and then you are thinking about finding a job. For many who do internships, they get offer for full time . However, there are exceptions. Say your company didn’t or couldn’t offer you a full time for whatever reasons, what next? How many students proactively start preparing and searching for full time way ahead of time vs the students who wait until the last minute? I am not even going to talk about the ones who start their job search when they are days away from their graduation!

When I say search for full time, its not just applying to jobs and waiting for the recruiter to call you. When I mean preparing, it includes -

The number of ways you can make your profile strong is limitless. Anyway, after you have done all this, I am definitely sure you will get a job IRRESPECTIVE of the visa situation. Forget about H1B, you still get to work for couple of years on F1 visa, which is definitely a plus. The chances of you getting a job for at least until you’re on F1 is greater than remaining jobless.

When I was in my graduating year, I did start my prep way ahead of time(2 semesters ahead). I got my offer letter almost 4 months before my graduation, thats one semester early and I started working immediately after my graduation.

Many of you may argue that the situation during my time was not the same. All I can say is the competition was still the same. Prospective Students were still asking if its a good time to do MS in the US. This question is always there regardless of the situation. You just have to be optimistic about your goals, do the things the right way, work hard and take calculated risks.

In a nutshell - if you’re really passionate about learning, you’re ready to work hard and face challenges, go ahead and do your masters, its totally worth it and most importantly it all depends on you, how you make your way regardless of the country. At the end, when you are finally done with your Masters, you would have grown into a well knowledgeable and a strong individual because you made your way through all alone.

Good luck!