u/Acer_34

Just graduated this July with a BSc in Business Economics from a UK university and have now moved back to the Middle East. I’m a US citizen and have lived in Bahrain for the past 10 years.

My experience so far includes a boutique consulting/finance firm, managing a student consulting project, and working as a data analyst for a university think tank. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to secure a summer internship or graduate role in the UK, partly due to the current job market and being an international student.

I’m now looking at Dubai/UAE for my first proper full-time role. I’m open to finance, consulting, analytics, etc., but I’m not really sure which direction to take. Audit/accounting doesn’t particularly interest me, although I’m open to it.

I have some contacts who have suggested prioritising a well-known firm, such as a major reputable company, Big 4, major bank, or another established financial firm, to build a stronger CV and use that experience to move into something more specialised later.

For those who have broken into the UAE job market as a fresh graduate, what would you recommend I focus on? Is getting a recognisable company on your CV the priority, or should I be more selective about the type of role?

Also, any advice on finding graduate/junior opportunities in Dubai would be really appreciated.

Sorry for the long post. I’m a US citizen who recently graduated this July with a BSc in Economics from a UK university. I’ve lived outside the US for the past 19 years and currently live in Bahrain.

My original plan was to get a graduate role in the UK, build a few years of experience, and eventually pursue a Master’s in the US before starting my career there. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to secure a UK grad role. As an international student, I found the market extremely competitive, with fewer opportunities and many employers reluctant to sponsor international graduates.

I’m now considering moving to the US and starting my career there. I have some experience in consulting/finance and data analytics, but limited professional experience overall.

At this stage, I’m not looking to be picky about the role. I’m willing to start wherever I can get my foot in the door, gain experience, and become financially independent. My thinking is to work for a few years, build my experience, and potentially pursue a Master’s in the US later once I have a clearer direction.

My main question is how I should approach finding that first opportunity in the US. I have citizenship and therefore don’t need sponsorship, but I have no US professional network and have never studied or worked there.

For anyone familiar with the US job market, where should I be looking, what roles/companies should I target, and what would you do in my position?

Just graduated this July with a BSc in Business Economics from a UK university and have moved back to the Middle East. I’m a US citizen and have lived in Bahrain for the past 10 years.

My experience includes boutique consulting/finance, managing a student consulting project, and working as a data analyst for a university think tank. I wasn’t able to secure a UK grad role, so I’m now looking at Dubai/UAE for my first full-time role.

I’m open to finance, consulting, analytics, etc., but unsure which direction to focus on. I’ve been advised to prioritise a reputable company, Big 4, major bank, or established financial firm to build my CV before specialising later.

For those who broke into the UAE market as fresh grads, what would you recommend prioritising? Is the company name more important initially, or should I be selective about the role itself?

Any advice on finding graduate/junior opportunities in Dubai would also be appreciated.

Just graduated this July with a BSc in Business Economics from a UK university and have now moved back to the Middle East. I’m a US citizen and have lived in Bahrain for the past 10 years.

My experience so far includes a boutique consulting/finance firm, managing a student consulting project, and working as a data analyst for a university think tank. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to secure a summer internship or graduate role in the UK, partly due to the current job market and being an international student.

I’m now looking at Dubai/UAE for my first proper full-time role. I’m open to finance, consulting, analytics, etc., but I’m not really sure which direction to take. Audit/accounting doesn’t particularly interest me, although I’m open to it.

I have some contacts who have suggested prioritising a well-known firm, such as a major reputable company, Big 4, major bank, or another established financial firm, to build a stronger CV and use that experience to move into something more specialised later.

For those who have broken into the UAE job market as a fresh graduate, what would you recommend I focus on? Is getting a recognisable company on your CV the priority, or should I be more selective about the type of role?

Also, any advice on finding graduate/junior opportunities in Dubai would be really appreciated.

I just graduated this July with a BSc in Business Economics from a UK university. I’m a US citizen and have lived in New Zealand, South Asia, and for the past 10 years, Bahrain in the Middle East.

During university, I gained experience at a boutique consulting/finance firm in the Middle East, was a project manager for a student consulting project, and worked as a data analyst for a university think tank. I wasn’t able to land much in terms of summer internships or graduate roles, partly due to the increasingly competitive job market and being an international student in the UK.

I’m now back in the Middle East and honestly unsure which career path to pursue. I don’t have much professional office experience yet, so I’m not really sure what I like or dislike. Audit/accounting has never particularly appealed to me and seems a bit boring from what I’ve heard, although I’m open to it and I’m good with numbers.

I’d love to hear from people in finance about how you chose your career path. Did you always know what you wanted to do, or did you just get some experience first and figure out what you liked along the way?

I’m currently trying to use contacts from my previous internship to find opportunities in a larger market like Dubai. They’ve suggested that getting a recognisable name on my CV, such as Big 4, a major bank, or another reputable financial firm, would be valuable, as I’m currently lacking that big brand-name experience. I’m thinking that could give me a good foundation before specialising or moving internationally later.

As a US citizen, I’d also like to eventually make use of that. My current thought is to build a few years of experience in the Middle East, potentially do a master’s in the US, and then look for work there if the market improves.

So, what would you do in my position? Would you prioritise getting into a big-name firm even if the role isn’t necessarily your ideal career path, and use that experience to figure things out later? Also, are there any finance career paths you’d particularly recommend looking into?

I’m also slightly unsure about staying in the Middle East long-term given the current geopolitical situation, so any advice on navigating that would be appreciated.

Any advice from people who’ve been in a similar position would be really helpful.

Just graduated this year with a BSc in Business Economics from a UK university and have now moved back to the Middle East. I’m a US citizen and have lived in the region for several years.

My experience so far includes working at a boutique consulting/finance firm, managing a student consulting project, and working as a data analyst for a university research organisation. I wasn’t able to secure a graduate role in the UK, partly due to the current job market and being an international student.

I’m now looking at Qatar for my first proper full-time role. I’m open to finance, consulting, analytics, etc., but I’m not really sure which direction to take. Audit/accounting doesn’t particularly interest me, although I’m open to it.

I’ve been advised to prioritise getting into a major reputable company, Big 4, major bank, or established financial firm to build a stronger CV and potentially specialise or move internationally later.

For those who have broken into the Qatar job market as a fresh graduate, what would you recommend focusing on? Is getting a recognisable company on your CV the priority, or should I be more selective about the type of role?

Any advice on finding graduate/junior opportunities in Qatar would be greatly appreciated.

Just graduated this year with a BSc in Business Economics from a UK university and have now moved back to the Middle East. I’m a US citizen and have lived in the region for several years.

My experience so far includes working at a boutique consulting/finance firm, managing a student consulting project, and working as a data analyst for a university research organisation. I wasn’t able to secure a graduate role in the UK, partly due to the current job market and being an international student.

I’m now looking at Dubai/UAE for my first proper full-time role. I’m open to finance, consulting, analytics, etc., but I’m not really sure which direction to take. Audit/accounting doesn’t particularly interest me, although I’m open to it.

I’ve been advised to prioritise getting into a major reputable company, Big 4, major bank, or established financial firm to build a stronger CV and potentially specialise or move internationally later.

For those who have broken into the UAE job market as a fresh graduate, what would you recommend focusing on? Is getting a recognisable company on your CV the priority, or should I be more selective about the type of role?

Any advice on finding graduate/junior opportunities in Dubai would be greatly appreciated.

I just graduated this July with a BSc in Business Economics from a UK university. I’m a US citizen and have lived in New Zealand, South Asia, and for the past 10 years, Bahrain in the Middle East.

During university, I gained experience at a boutique consulting/finance firm in the Middle East, was a project manager for a student consulting project, and worked as a data analyst for a university think tank. I wasn’t able to land much in terms of summer internships or graduate roles, partly due to the increasingly competitive job market and being an international student in the UK.

I’m now back in the Middle East and honestly unsure which career path to pursue. I don’t have much professional office experience yet, so I’m not really sure what I like or dislike. Audit/accounting has never particularly appealed to me and seems a bit boring from what I’ve heard, although I’m open to it and I’m good with numbers.

I’d love to hear from people in finance about how you chose your career path. Did you always know what you wanted to do, or did you just get some experience first and figure out what you liked along the way?

I’m currently trying to use contacts from my previous internship to find opportunities in a larger market like Dubai. They’ve suggested that getting a recognisable name on my CV, such as Big 4, a major bank, or another reputable financial firm, would be valuable, as I’m currently lacking that big brand-name experience. I’m thinking that could give me a good foundation before specialising or moving internationally later.

As a US citizen, I’d also like to eventually make use of that. My current thought is to build a few years of experience in the Middle East, potentially do a master’s in the US, and then look for work there if the market improves.

So, what would you do in my position? Would you prioritise getting into a big-name firm even if the role isn’t necessarily your ideal career path, and use that experience to figure things out later? Also, are there any finance career paths you’d particularly recommend looking into?

I’m also slightly unsure about staying in the Middle East long-term given the current geopolitical situation, so any advice on navigating that would be appreciated.

Any advice from people who’ve been in a similar position would be really helpful.

I just graduated this July with a BSc in Business Economics from a UK university. I’m a US citizen and have lived in New Zealand, South Asia, and for the past 10 years, Bahrain in the Middle East.

During university, I gained experience at a boutique consulting/finance firm in the Middle East, was a project manager for a student consulting project, and worked as a data analyst for a university think tank. I wasn’t able to land much in terms of summer internships or graduate roles, partly due to the increasingly competitive job market and being an international student in the UK.

I’m now back in the Middle East and honestly unsure which career path to pursue. I don’t have much professional office experience yet, so I’m not really sure what I like or dislike. Audit/accounting has never particularly appealed to me and seems a bit boring from what I’ve heard, although I’m open to it and I’m good with numbers.

I’d love to hear from people in finance about how you chose your career path. Did you always know what you wanted to do, or did you just get some experience first and figure out what you liked along the way?

I’m currently trying to use contacts from my previous internship to find opportunities in a larger market like Dubai. They’ve suggested that getting a recognisable name on my CV, such as Big 4, a major bank, or another reputable financial firm, would be valuable, as I’m currently lacking that big brand-name experience. I’m thinking that could give me a good foundation before specialising or moving internationally later.

As a US citizen, I’d also like to eventually make use of that. My current thought is to build a few years of experience in the Middle East, potentially do a master’s in the US, and then look for work there if the market improves.

So, what would you do in my position? Would you prioritise getting into a big-name firm even if the role isn’t necessarily your ideal career path, and use that experience to figure things out later? Also, are there any finance career paths you’d particularly recommend looking into?

I’m also slightly unsure about staying in the Middle East long-term given the current geopolitical situation, so any advice on navigating that would be appreciated.

Any advice from people who’ve been in a similar position would be really helpful.

I'm a US citizen in a similar boat, just graduated in Econ from a UK university. Been living outside the US for the past 19 years (NZ, South Asia and the last 8 have been in the Middle East). I wasn't able to land a grad job in the UK with the increasingly tough competition and the reduction of offers towards international.

My initial plan was to get a few years of experience in the Middle East at a renowned MNC and then either do a masters in the US and then get a job there, or go for a job there directly. This rough plan has been made uncertain due to the regional turmoil currently going on in the Middle East (I live in Bahrain). My plans have come to a standstill, where I'm not really sure where I should continue from here, with the US Embassy even saying that US citizens should try to leave the Middle East.

I was wondering if and how I should break into the US market, as I don't have much professional industry experience either, and would love to hear more opinions.

https://preview.redd.it/ch611rkrjdhh1.png?width=8267&format=png&auto=webp&s=61d020ff20030509bef2134182f09f40f0f58577

Need advice regarding my resume

I'm a US citizen and did my Bachelors in the UK

Just finished my undergrad at the University of Leeds and I've been wondering if I should actually be looking at grad roles in the US instead of just the UK or the Middle East (currently based in Bahrain).

I'm a US citizen, but I was born there and left when I was 2, and I haven't been back since. I grew up in New Zealand, India and Bahrain, studied in the UK, and have no real network or connections in the US. The passport is basically my only link to the country.

Part of me feels like I should make the most of it while I'm still young and don't have anything tying me down. It seems like one of the few times in life where moving somewhere completely new is actually realistic. The other options don't exactly feel amazing either. The Middle East job market feels pretty uncertain, and staying in the UK has become much harder with sponsorship requirements.

I'm mainly interested in finance, consulting and data analytics, and I'm trying to work out how realistic the US actually is. Does having a UK degree and no US network put me at a real disadvantage, or do employers mostly care that you're already authorised to work?

For anyone who's been in a similar position, what would you actually do if you were in my shoes? Is this something you'd seriously explore, and if so, what should my next steps be?

Would really appreciate any advice or experiences. Happy to chat over DM as well if anyone's made a similar move.

For context, I was born in the US and have moved around quite a bit. After leaving the US, I lived in New Zealand, South Asia, and now my family is based in the Middle East. After finishing high school in the Middle East, I pursued an Economics degree at the University of Leeds in the UK. I am currently struggling in the competitive UK graduate market. I am looking for roles in consulting and data analytics, but face a major barrier as I require sponsorship for roles in the UK. I am unsure how best to proceed—whether I should pursue further studies in the US, apply for roles in the US (which is difficult since I did not attend university there), or continue applying for roles in the UK