Expert: Mark Janus - 12/30/2011

Question
Sir,
I am a Malaysian citizen interested in furthering my studies in the field of aerospace engineeering. I also plan to transfer to a US university when doing my degree if possible as I think they  have well-equipped facilities compared to the universities in my country. However, I am quite concerned with the job opportunities for a fresh college graduate of a foreign nationality in the States. Do large companies such as Lockheed Martin or Boeing still employ foreign aerospace engineering graduates? Or does the lack of a US citizenship complicate matters when applying for a job? I do know that certain jobs in this industry require security clearance, which in turn requires a US citizenship. Thanks in advance for your time.

Answer
Hi Joel,

You are correct that large companies have many military contracts that require US citizen labor, but for example Boeing has a tremendous commercial aircraft division.  If you do good in your studies, companies in the US will pay for the paperwork to apply for permanent resident status which enables you to work in the US (maybe not on those military projects, but others that don't require citizenship)...  Many foreign students go on to get the PhD and have found employment at the universities themselves...  Think of it this way...  if you seek to work in the US, really the most expedient way is to get a degree from a US university and then interview...  most large companies hiring in the US do not recruit foreign students from outside the US...

Thanx and I hope this helps,
mj