Skip to main content
The Workplace

Return to Question

Added extra info in response to comments
Source Link
Toadfish
Toadfish
  • 162
  • 7

I'm an Australian software engineer in a bit of a limbo state between junior and established, having done a Masters degree before starting my first engineering job just under three years ago, kind of "skipping over" being an entry level hire in the industry here. Currently, due to reaching a perfect point in my life to do so, I'm looking to relocate to the US where there's more opportunities, a better lifestyle for me, and for the life experience of moving away from the city I've spent my whole life in to the place I've spent my whole life observing from afar!

The search for a role over there is going better than I was worried about initially, in that I was afraid my resume would be binned immediately when they saw I was Australian, but it's quickly become apparent that in a more competitive job market I might be not be considered for the same positions I'm pursued for here - especially with the relocation factor.

I'm considering whether I should be scoping my search to roles where I'd be competing against people with less education and experience than my own, e.g. junior roles, QA or support instead of development, et cetera - in fact such an opportunity exists with my current multinational employer. Once I had some experience in the US, I'm confident I'd be able to get back to where I am now career wise in a few years - but my concern is, would a "step backwards" on my resume raise any eyebrows? Or would it be easy to explain that I did what I needed to do to achieve my goal, overachieved in the more junior position, and perhaps even show a willingness to do what's asked of me while also making sacrifices for long term gains?

Edit with some extra info based on some questions/comments:

  • one of the "downgrade" roles is for a household name organisation

  • another is for my own current employer, and actually targets a big need/skill gap in the org right now

  • Australians qualify for a very good visa that's free and quick to obtain; also it requires that the role ask for a degree, so we're not talking about a downgrade to phone support here, more like a downgrade to a fresh graduate job

I'm an Australian software engineer in a bit of a limbo state between junior and established, having done a Masters degree before starting my first engineering job just under three years ago, kind of "skipping over" being an entry level hire in the industry here. Currently, due to reaching a perfect point in my life to do so, I'm looking to relocate to the US where there's more opportunities, a better lifestyle for me, and for the life experience of moving away from the city I've spent my whole life in to the place I've spent my whole life observing from afar!

The search for a role over there is going better than I was worried about initially, in that I was afraid my resume would be binned immediately when they saw I was Australian, but it's quickly become apparent that in a more competitive job market I might be not be considered for the same positions I'm pursued for here - especially with the relocation factor.

I'm considering whether I should be scoping my search to roles where I'd be competing against people with less education and experience than my own, e.g. junior roles, QA or support instead of development, et cetera - in fact such an opportunity exists with my current multinational employer. Once I had some experience in the US, I'm confident I'd be able to get back to where I am now career wise in a few years - but my concern is, would a "step backwards" on my resume raise any eyebrows? Or would it be easy to explain that I did what I needed to do to achieve my goal, overachieved in the more junior position, and perhaps even show a willingness to do what's asked of me while also making sacrifices for long term gains?

I'm an Australian software engineer in a bit of a limbo state between junior and established, having done a Masters degree before starting my first engineering job just under three years ago, kind of "skipping over" being an entry level hire in the industry here. Currently, due to reaching a perfect point in my life to do so, I'm looking to relocate to the US where there's more opportunities, a better lifestyle for me, and for the life experience of moving away from the city I've spent my whole life in to the place I've spent my whole life observing from afar!

The search for a role over there is going better than I was worried about initially, in that I was afraid my resume would be binned immediately when they saw I was Australian, but it's quickly become apparent that in a more competitive job market I might be not be considered for the same positions I'm pursued for here - especially with the relocation factor.

I'm considering whether I should be scoping my search to roles where I'd be competing against people with less education and experience than my own, e.g. junior roles, QA or support instead of development, et cetera - in fact such an opportunity exists with my current multinational employer. Once I had some experience in the US, I'm confident I'd be able to get back to where I am now career wise in a few years - but my concern is, would a "step backwards" on my resume raise any eyebrows? Or would it be easy to explain that I did what I needed to do to achieve my goal, overachieved in the more junior position, and perhaps even show a willingness to do what's asked of me while also making sacrifices for long term gains?

Edit with some extra info based on some questions/comments:

  • one of the "downgrade" roles is for a household name organisation

  • another is for my own current employer, and actually targets a big need/skill gap in the org right now

  • Australians qualify for a very good visa that's free and quick to obtain; also it requires that the role ask for a degree, so we're not talking about a downgrade to phone support here, more like a downgrade to a fresh graduate job

Source Link
Toadfish
Toadfish
  • 162
  • 7

What would a prospective employer's impression of someone having taken a "lower ranked" job to achieve a personal goal?

I'm an Australian software engineer in a bit of a limbo state between junior and established, having done a Masters degree before starting my first engineering job just under three years ago, kind of "skipping over" being an entry level hire in the industry here. Currently, due to reaching a perfect point in my life to do so, I'm looking to relocate to the US where there's more opportunities, a better lifestyle for me, and for the life experience of moving away from the city I've spent my whole life in to the place I've spent my whole life observing from afar!

The search for a role over there is going better than I was worried about initially, in that I was afraid my resume would be binned immediately when they saw I was Australian, but it's quickly become apparent that in a more competitive job market I might be not be considered for the same positions I'm pursued for here - especially with the relocation factor.

I'm considering whether I should be scoping my search to roles where I'd be competing against people with less education and experience than my own, e.g. junior roles, QA or support instead of development, et cetera - in fact such an opportunity exists with my current multinational employer. Once I had some experience in the US, I'm confident I'd be able to get back to where I am now career wise in a few years - but my concern is, would a "step backwards" on my resume raise any eyebrows? Or would it be easy to explain that I did what I needed to do to achieve my goal, overachieved in the more junior position, and perhaps even show a willingness to do what's asked of me while also making sacrifices for long term gains?