please send me an email <siddu.druid@gmail.com>. I'm a PhD student at cambridge, and might be able to put you in touch with folks who have positions to hire you as an RA if your research profile fits. even if there isn't an immediate fit, I'm happy to scout around and see if anything pops up. Best, Sid
A classic way to bridge the gap is to put a great academic brand on your CV. For example, you could work as a research assistant in CS for a famous university (e.g. Cambridge, Imperial, ETH).
Since the salaries they offer are low, the competition won't be so intense, and they will offer support to relocate. Once you have a foot in the ground, you can apply to great industry jobs.
A more elaborate plan would be to obtain a PhD at one of those institutions, but that is quite time-consuming and the benefits might not offset the costs.
Well, you have many options. Given that you seem to have a good publication record, I'd expect a couple of offers after making 5 or 10 applications.
If you are a good programmer, avoiding areas that are too hot (e.g. ML) and focusing on things that can make best use of your skills (e.g. compilers, verification) could be a good idea.
Research assistant positions are also great a backdoor to PhD offers, in case you are interested in that.
The easy way out for you is getting into a Phd program. You should have a easy way in if your research background is good.
Now you might not want a PhD for various reasons, but tech jobs are a bit more tricky to navigate nowadays. I'd honestly not hire someone in your position, there is really no easy to do it.
Given that, the difficult way out is starting a company, which has an entirely different set of challenges.
It resonates with me. I live in a small country (luckily an European one) where investments do not flow into tech.
I have talked with many of my fellow countrymen that feel the same. Maybe we will never reach our full potential (professionally) by working here.
Remote work is part of the solution for now, but it remains rare and requires a trust signal.
My only suggestion is to keep pushing until you make it.
tbh this seems to me like it might be less about career advice and more about emotional support. it's not uncommon for people to slip into a mindset where an external bias is internalized so thoroughly that they start holding themselves back in situations even when nothing external is.
talking to someone, a therapist ideally but any honest, skilled active listener could do, about it can help you see things from a different perspective. might help you identify things you can do to counter the things you can't control.
this is exactly what I was referring to. You are saying it is emotional without understanding the real circumstances of the situation.
There is no legitimate way for me to migrate out or to get a position that is remote other than the one I have. I do not have skills that can attract any other roles to myside. The only skills I have is very specialized to a narrow field.
Anything that would make my resume standout. I do not have that "wow" factor that screams, "I want to work with this guy." As a result, even for the jobs that I am qualified, I can't get an interview. It is average. Super average.
Plus I feel that no one wants to work with me. Current work environment has made me question my skills. I believe I am sub-par at what I do.
I have a PhD, ~2000 citations, I earn a decent amount of money as a contractor doing ML research and development at startups and a large company, and I also feel subpar regularly. Although people don't usually talk about it, it's probably very common.
Remind yourself often of the achievements you are proud of.
please send me an email <siddu.druid@gmail.com>. I'm a PhD student at cambridge, and might be able to put you in touch with folks who have positions to hire you as an RA if your research profile fits. even if there isn't an immediate fit, I'm happy to scout around and see if anything pops up. Best, Sid
A classic way to bridge the gap is to put a great academic brand on your CV. For example, you could work as a research assistant in CS for a famous university (e.g. Cambridge, Imperial, ETH).
Since the salaries they offer are low, the competition won't be so intense, and they will offer support to relocate. Once you have a foot in the ground, you can apply to great industry jobs.
A more elaborate plan would be to obtain a PhD at one of those institutions, but that is quite time-consuming and the benefits might not offset the costs.
That sounds like a solid advice!! Thanks for pointing it out!! What if they reject me there too? What is the plan B in this situation?
Well, you have many options. Given that you seem to have a good publication record, I'd expect a couple of offers after making 5 or 10 applications.
If you are a good programmer, avoiding areas that are too hot (e.g. ML) and focusing on things that can make best use of your skills (e.g. compilers, verification) could be a good idea.
Research assistant positions are also great a backdoor to PhD offers, in case you are interested in that.
The easy way out for you is getting into a Phd program. You should have a easy way in if your research background is good.
Now you might not want a PhD for various reasons, but tech jobs are a bit more tricky to navigate nowadays. I'd honestly not hire someone in your position, there is really no easy to do it.
Given that, the difficult way out is starting a company, which has an entirely different set of challenges.
Yeah, PhD would be an overkill. On top of that, PhD at top labs are super-competitive.
Thanks for some check & balance.
It resonates with me. I live in a small country (luckily an European one) where investments do not flow into tech. I have talked with many of my fellow countrymen that feel the same. Maybe we will never reach our full potential (professionally) by working here. Remote work is part of the solution for now, but it remains rare and requires a trust signal.
My only suggestion is to keep pushing until you make it.
tbh this seems to me like it might be less about career advice and more about emotional support. it's not uncommon for people to slip into a mindset where an external bias is internalized so thoroughly that they start holding themselves back in situations even when nothing external is.
talking to someone, a therapist ideally but any honest, skilled active listener could do, about it can help you see things from a different perspective. might help you identify things you can do to counter the things you can't control.
this is exactly what I was referring to. You are saying it is emotional without understanding the real circumstances of the situation.
There is no legitimate way for me to migrate out or to get a position that is remote other than the one I have. I do not have skills that can attract any other roles to myside. The only skills I have is very specialized to a narrow field.
I go to therapy and its hard. Even he agrees.
> I lack the "signal" that makes international recruiters or local employers trust my expertise.
And what is that signal?
Anything that would make my resume standout. I do not have that "wow" factor that screams, "I want to work with this guy." As a result, even for the jobs that I am qualified, I can't get an interview. It is average. Super average.
Plus I feel that no one wants to work with me. Current work environment has made me question my skills. I believe I am sub-par at what I do.
I have a PhD, ~2000 citations, I earn a decent amount of money as a contractor doing ML research and development at startups and a large company, and I also feel subpar regularly. Although people don't usually talk about it, it's probably very common.
Remind yourself often of the achievements you are proud of.