How can an (experienced) foreign find work in the US? 1

[gunturs]

Hello,

I am from Southeast Asia. I came to the US right after highschool and received my bachelor's and master's in Civil/Structural from a university in Illinois, and passed the FE/EIT right after I got my BSc. I then worked for a couple companies in Chicago. In 2009, the company I was working for wasn't (and still not) doing so well, so I was let go. Instead of waiting around for an extended period of time, I decided to go back to my home country to work and do business here. After a while, I realized that I really would rather work in the US instead of here in my home country.

Here are some of my concerns:
1) My line of work differs greatly. My jobs back in the US consisted of mainly consulting work (I provided contractor support for my first job; and designed power plants components in my second job). But my work here mostly deals with the business and marketing side of things (construction/contractor, and also housing residence development). How do companies view differing work fields like this?
2) I got my EIT back in 2002. Back then, as my previous employer was a big company (3000+ engineers+drafters at its peak, and they had 60-ish PE holders for Illinois), I was not required to take PE and hence didn't take it. Would it look bad for me if I have so much time after getting EIT and still not obtaining my PE?
3) I don't have green card/permanent residence and hence I'll need sponsorship. How is the job climate nowadays?
4) I currently live outside of the US. I understand that eventually I'll have fly up there to meet potential employers, but how do I establish contacts from all the way over here?

From these 4 points I am most concerned about numbers 3 and 4, as I can probably explain 1 and 2.


Thanks for reading the wall of text

 

[Unotec]

Head hunter helps.

Or talk to old acquaintances/employers

<<A good friend will bail you out of jail, but a true friend
will be sitting beside you saying ” Damn that was fun!” - Unknown>>

 

[KENAT]

Is there any way you can use your familiarity with your home nation to your advantage, are there any American based companies that do enough work in your country that could take advantage of you?

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[cvg]

lack of PE and so many years after getting EIT will raise red flags. unless you can get invited to an interview, you cannot explain 1 or 2. as a structural engineer, you really need to get licensed. sponsorship and green card will be more difficult without the PE license. job climate is getting a bit better, but not a huge demand for unlicensed structural engineers

 

[hokie66]

Having worked in the US from 2002 to 2009, as an EIT, surely gives you a leg up towards PE registration, provided that you worked for qualified engineers who can attest to your experience. I don't think time is the problem, but experience may or may not be.

When you worked in the US, what was your status? Did you have a green card then? Did you relinquish it when you left the country? Are there any problems associated with your previous residency that would affect gaining permanent residency again?

 

[ztengguy]

Best of luck, but with the gluttony of laid off engineers here in the US it would be hard to pinpoint that one company that needs/wants your specific experience.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Stay home. We have too many engineers out of work here....

 

[FlashSet]

Can you get a PE with a work visa if you do not have a greencard?

You may have luck with an international company that has 1 or more US offices.

 

[brandonbw]

Go the head hunter route. I would check out aerotek.com and see what happens.

B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer

http://bwengr.com

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http://bwstructuralengineer.com

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http://bwcivilengineer.com

 

[dicksewerrat]

Search the companies working there now, talk to some of your old work friends. Ther eare many companies based in US that work in China, India, Japan, Hong Kong. Is there a national Engineering group like ASCE inthe US there? I took the PE 14 years after I took the EIT.

Richard A. Cornelius, P.E.

http://WWW.amlinereast.com