Work/Study in USA - Possible Routes
Context: Network Engineer here, got my CCNA, CCNP Enterprise (ENARSI + ENSDWI) and a few Extreme Networks certs. Degree in Informatics Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (Portugal), which is about to be renamed Technical University of Porto. Almost 2 years of experience — spent about a year at an ISP supporting the biggest supermarket chain's platform in the country, and now I'm at a consulting firm getting my hands on experience with Palo Alto and Aruba and working directly with clients on a bunch of different tech. Also just started a master's in Systems Administration & Cybersecurity at the same uni.
It might sound cliché, but I fell in love with the American Dream — the promise of a land where anyone can become something. Ever since I was a kid I've imagined living there, even if just temporarily. It's always been my dream to move there (all by the book, of course) and actually experience that feeling in real life.
So here's my question — given how US immigration policy is looking right now (not judging btw, their country, their rules), what gives me a better shot:
- Finish my master's here, keep working, and then try to land a US job with the degree + certs + ~4 years of experience, or
- Pause the master's, save up (I have almost 10k saved up), and go do a master's in the US in a few years instead ?
Any advice appreciated about these two routes or any other that you thkink would fit, thanks!