So I promised that I would write something about NSHMBA, and here goes.

It was both good and bad. What do we go with first?

Let's get the bad out of the way... It is really difficult to be able to get even an interview as an international. I think everyone knew this coming in, but it didn't really sink in until I had been sent off repeatedly in a span of a few hours. A lot of companies would ask immediately if I had authorization to work in the US, and once I said I did not, would apologize and say that they are only hiring US citizens.

This was immensely frustrating because I know that a lot of internationals (myself included) have so much to offer - skills, experience, personality - but we won't even get the chance to show that. We can't get our foot in the door, because it's closed in our faces from the get-go. :(

At first I was discouraged, but now I just keep going. It'll definitely be a tougher uphill climb, but one that we just have to do if we want to get to our goals.

Ok, now the silver lining. Yes, there is some! You still get to network with people, get a couple of interviews and find out what questions people ask, practice your pitch and get a feel for the whole recruiting process.

I say this not to discourage anybody, far from it! I hope that we just learn to be better prepared and know what obstacles there are so that we can put in the effort necessary to overcome them. We just have to keep moving forward. :)