u/RelationClassic303

I have been on the job market since the last semester of my PhD (around 7 months), I am now in a situation where I am not really sure how to navigate the next steps.

I have applied to many industry positions and postdocs. At the moment, I have two verbal postdoc offers, although neither is in writing yet. One is through my own PhD advisor, but honestly, I do not have much motivation to continue working there. The other is with a different group at my university, and that opportunity is more interesting to me. I have to make a decision sharp this week by Friday on which one i choose, and have to inform the other one.

The tricky part is that I have not told either postdoc group that I am also in discussions with the other. In both cases, I have given them the impression that I am planning to work with them, since at the time I was genuinely considering both options. I am now worried about what happens when I eventually choose one. Will the other PI take it badly? Could there be consequences, especially since both are within the same university?

Then there is the industry opportunity, which is honestly one of my dream jobs. I have gone through an onsite interview recently and today the recruiter asked about my availability to talk about the decision, so I am assuming this probably means an offer is coming, hopefully (i have another contact in the same company and he confirmed that he got the same email when was offered the position). However, I do not have a verbal or written offer yet (call with recruiter is scheduled for tomorrow). I also know that even if they tell me I am getting the job, it could still take some time before everything is official and I have something in writing. My biggest fear is that I turn down the postdoc options based on an expected industry offer, and then something happens during the process and I end up with nothing.

So right now I am basically sitting on two verbal postdoc offers and a potentially upcoming industry offer, but nothing is officially confirmed.

For people who have been in a similar situation, what would you recommend?

Would you wait until you have a written and signed industry offer before making any decision? And how would you handle the two postdoc PIs when you eventually have to tell one of them that you are going with the other?

I am especially interested in hearing from people who have dealt with multiple offers within the same university or moved from academia to industry. I want to handle this professionally without burning bridges, but I also do not want to make a decision based on something that is not guaranteed yet.

Hi, i have recevied an email that my case is approved, however my status on the myuscis portal and also on "case status" has not been changed. What should i expect?

Hi everyone, I have a question.

My I-140 based on EB2 NIW is approved, and I am preparing to file my I-485. I just realized that my passport will expire in December 2026. I'm from one of the 75 countries, and renewing my passport usually takes about two months.

Can I still file my I-485 using my current passport since it's still valid, or should I renew my passport first and then submit my I-485 application?

I would appreciate any advice or experiences. Thank you!

Hi friends, I have a question when it comes to online filing of AOS for me, wife and our daughter (5 yeo). For people who has done it online successfully, can you share your experience? how complicated it is and what are the things that need to be carefully done to avoid any issue/problem? Thanks so much for any help and guidance.

For reference, my i-140 is approved in the first week of april, and i am waiting for my opt ead to approve so i can file i-485, just to be safe. Currently finishing my phd.

Hi everyone,

I recently completed my PhD in the US, and two of my maternal uncles have applied for B1/B2 visas. Their plan is to visit the US, and attend my graduation ceremony, and then return to our home country.

Both of them own and actively manage a well-established local business, and they have significant family, financial, and professional ties back home. In their DS-160, they listed me as the person they will be visiting and also mentioned attending my graduation as part of the purpose of the trip.

We're trying to understand what they should realistically expect during the visa interview.

For those who have gone through a similar situation:

* What kinds of questions are typically asked in this scenario? * How much focus is usually placed on proving strong ties to the home country? * What documents, if any, are useful to bring regarding business ownership, finances, family ties, or the graduation invitation? * Are there any common mistakes applicants should avoid?

We're not looking for ways to "improve" the application, just trying to understand what a genuine applicant in this situation should be prepared for.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hi everyone,

I recently completed my PhD in the US, and two of my maternal uncles have applied for B1/B2 visas. Their plan is to visit the US, and attend my graduation ceremony, and then return to our home country.

Both of them own and actively manage a well-established local business, and they have significant family, financial, and professional ties back home. In their DS-160, they listed me as the person they will be visiting and also mentioned attending my graduation as part of the purpose of the trip.

We're trying to understand what they should realistically expect during the visa interview.

For those who have gone through a similar situation:

• What kinds of questions are typically asked in this scenario?
• How much focus is usually placed on proving strong ties to the home country?
• What documents, if any, are useful to bring regarding business ownership, finances, family ties, or the graduation invitation?
• Are there any common mistakes applicants should avoid?

We're not looking for ways to "improve" the application, just trying to understand what a genuine applicant in this situation should be prepared for.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hi everyone,

I have a question about my parents' B1/B2 visa application.

I'm graduating with my PhD in August this year. When my parents completed their DS-160, they listed the purpose of travel as attending my commencement ceremony and visiting me and my family in the US.

Their visa interview was originally scheduled before my graduation, but the embassy later rescheduled it to December, which is several months after the commencement ceremony.

The thing is, while it would have been nice for them to attend my graduation, my main goal is simply for them to be able to visit me, my spouse, and my children in the US from time to time. Their attendance at the ceremony itself is not critical.

My concern is whether the fact that the graduation will already be over by the time of the visa interview could create any issues, since that was one of the reasons mentioned in the DS-160.

Has anyone experienced something similar? At the interview, should they simply explain that the graduation has passed but they still want to visit their child and grandchildren? Or is there something else we should be doing?

I'd appreciate any advice from people who have gone through the B1/B2 process.

Thanks.

I recently defended my PhD dissertation in Computer Science with a focus on robotics (UAVs) and machine learning (Predictive AI), and I will officially graduate on August 8.

I have been applying for full-time roles in robotics, autonomy, ML, and related areas for several months now. The confusing part is that I have been able to get interviews with some pretty well-known companies like Meta, Apple, Waymo, Zoox, Zipline, and a few others. In some cases, I made it to the virtual onsite stage, but I wasn't able to convert those interviews into offers.

At the same time, I rarely hear back from smaller companies or startups. Most of my interview activity has come from larger companies, which feels a bit strange.

A little about my background:

• PhD in CS focused on robotics and ML
• Multiple publications from my PhD research
• Some leadership experience in a small robotics research lab outside the US
• No internship experience at all.
• Comfortable with coding, but my background is more research-oriented than software engineering-oriented
• Strong theoretical understanding of robotics and machine learning, but obviously there are many industry skills that can only be learned by actually working in industry
• International candidate who will require sponsorship in the future (at least on OPT)

Lately I have been feeling stuck. Every time I get an interview, I think maybe this will be the one, and then it ends with another rejection after the onsite. Logically I know making it to onsite interviews means I am doing something right, but after enough rejections it's hard not to start questioning everything.

I am also married and have young kids, so the uncertainty is becoming more stressful as graduation gets closer.

I am trying to understand what I might be missing.

For people who have been in a similar situation, or who are involved in hiring:

• If someone consistently reaches onsite interviews but doesn't get offers, what are the most common reasons?
• How can I figure out whether the problem is coding interviews, system design, behavioral interviews, communication, or something else?
• Why would larger companies be willing to interview me while smaller companies mostly ignore my applications?
• Does my profile sound like someone who is "too academic" for industry roles?
• What would you focus on improving if you were in my position?

I am looking for honest feedback and advice. Just trying to understand how to navigate this stage of my career and what I should be doing differently. Its very difficult time with a lot of uncertainty. Any advice would be highly appreciated.

Thanks.

I recently defended my PhD dissertation in Computer Science with a focus on robotics (UAVs) and machine learning (Predictive AI), and I will officially graduate on August 8.

I have been applying for full-time roles in robotics, autonomy, ML, and related areas for several months now. The confusing part is that I have been able to get interviews with some pretty well-known companies like Meta, Apple, Waymo, Zoox, Zipline, and a few others. In some cases, I made it to the virtual onsite stage, but I wasn't able to convert those interviews into offers.

At the same time, I rarely hear back from smaller companies or startups. Most of my interview activity has come from larger companies, which feels a bit strange.

A little about my background:

• PhD in CS focused on robotics and ML
• Multiple publications from my PhD research
• Some leadership experience in a small robotics research lab outside the US
• No internship experience at all.
• Comfortable with coding, but my background is more research-oriented than software engineering-oriented
• Strong theoretical understanding of robotics and machine learning, but obviously there are many industry skills that can only be learned by actually working in industry
• International candidate who will require sponsorship in the future (at least on OPT)

Lately I have been feeling stuck. Every time I get an interview, I think maybe this will be the one, and then it ends with another rejection after the onsite. Logically I know making it to onsite interviews means I am doing something right, but after enough rejections it's hard not to start questioning everything.

I am also married and have young kids, so the uncertainty is becoming more stressful as graduation gets closer.

I am trying to understand what I might be missing.

For people who have been in a similar situation, or who are involved in hiring:

• If someone consistently reaches onsite interviews but doesn't get offers, what are the most common reasons?
• How can I figure out whether the problem is coding interviews, system design, behavioral interviews, communication, or something else?
• Why would larger companies be willing to interview me while smaller companies mostly ignore my applications?
• Does my profile sound like someone who is "too academic" for industry roles?
• What would you focus on improving if you were in my position?

I am looking for honest feedback and advice. Just trying to understand how to navigate this stage of my career and what I should be doing differently. Its very difficult time with a lot of uncertainty. Any advice would be highly appreciated.

Thanks.