u/dareDevil4949

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some honest advice from people who may have been in a similar situation, especially those on F-1 OPT/STEM OPT or early-career software engineers.

I recently started working as a contractor at a large Bay Area tech company(FAANG) as a Software Engineer in Test. The brand name is strong, and I feel like having this company on my resume for a year could help my future career. The work is more testing-focused than development-focused, and it is not exactly the domain I want long term, but in this economy I’m grateful to have something.

The issue is the pay. I’m making around $35/hr as a contractor, and I also have about $50k in student loans to clear. On top of that, with the current H-1B wage/filing uncertainty and my pay level, I’m worried this role may not help much for next year’s H-1B situation.

At the same time, I may have an opportunity for a full-time California state government IT/Application Developer role in Sacramento. The work seems closer to software development, mainly application development, and internal government applications. It is full-time and the monthly pay before taxes would be around $8k. The downside is that it is government/legacy workflow, likely not as modern as big tech, no sponsorship, and I would have to relocate from the Bay Area/San Jose area to Sacramento. My STEM OPT extension is still pending, and changing employers during this process is also something I would need to handle carefully.

The monthly difference after considering rent, relocation, taxes, and living expenses may only be around $1,000–$1,500 more, but that extra money matters to me right now because of loans and financial pressure. Career-wise, I’m torn.

Option 1: Stay in the big tech contractor Software Engineer in Test role
Pros:

• Strong company name on resume
• Bay Area location
• Better chance to network internally
• More modern engineering environment
• Could help future job search

Cons:

• Lower pay
• Contractor role
• Testing-focused, not my preferred long-term domain
• No sponsorship certainty
• May not help enough financially right now

Option 2: Move to Sacramento for full-time state Application Developer role
Pros:

• Higher pay
• Full-time stable role
• More development/application work
• Better for paying down student loans
• Government experience and stable work environment

Cons:

• No sponsorship
• Relocation from Bay Area to Sacramento
• Possibly legacy systems and slower tech stack
• Leaving big tech name early
• Need to manage STEM OPT employer change carefully

Long term, I want to grow as a software engineer/backend or application developer and eventually find a role that can sponsor me. But right now, I also need to be realistic about money, debt, immigration timelines, and the current job market.

Has anyone here chosen between a big tech contractor role and a full-time government/state developer role while on OPT/STEM OPT? Which option would you choose in this situation, and why?

Any advice on career impact, STEM OPT employer changes, future sponsorship chances, resume value, or financial tradeoffs would really help.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some honest advice from people who may have been in a similar situation, especially those on F-1 OPT/STEM OPT or early-career software engineers.

I recently started working as a contractor at a large Bay Area tech company(FAANG) as a Software Engineer in Test. The brand name is strong, and I feel like having this company on my resume for a year could help my future career. The work is more testing-focused than development-focused, and it is not exactly the domain I want long term, but in this economy I’m grateful to have something.

The issue is the pay. I’m making around $35/hr as a contractor, and I also have about $50k in student loans to clear. On top of that, with the current H-1B wage/filing uncertainty and my pay level, I’m worried this role may not help much for next year’s H-1B situation.

At the same time, I may have an opportunity for a full-time California state government IT/Application Developer role in Sacramento. The work seems closer to software development, mainly application development, and internal government applications. It is full-time and the monthly pay before taxes would be around $8k. The downside is that it is government/legacy workflow, likely not as modern as big tech, no sponsorship, and I would have to relocate from the Bay Area/San Jose area to Sacramento. My STEM OPT extension is still pending, and changing employers during this process is also something I would need to handle carefully.

The monthly difference after considering rent, relocation, taxes, and living expenses may only be around $1,000–$1,500 more, but that extra money matters to me right now because of loans and financial pressure. Career-wise, I’m torn.

Option 1: Stay in the big tech contractor Software Engineer in Test role
Pros:

• Strong company name on resume
• Bay Area location
• Better chance to network internally
• More modern engineering environment
• Could help future job search

Cons:

• Lower pay
• Contractor role
• Testing-focused, not my preferred long-term domain
• No sponsorship certainty
• May not help enough financially right now

Option 2: Move to Sacramento for full-time state Application Developer role
Pros:

• Higher pay
• Full-time stable role
• More development/application work
• Better for paying down student loans
• Government experience and stable work environment

Cons:

• No sponsorship
• Relocation from Bay Area to Sacramento
• Possibly legacy systems and slower tech stack
• Leaving big tech name early
• Need to manage STEM OPT employer change carefully

Long term, I want to grow as a software engineer/backend or application developer and eventually find a role that can sponsor me. But right now, I also need to be realistic about money, debt, immigration timelines, and the current job market.

Has anyone here chosen between a big tech contractor role and a full-time government/state developer role while on OPT/STEM OPT? Which option would you choose in this situation, and why?

Any advice on career impact, STEM OPT employer changes, future sponsorship chances, resume value, or financial tradeoffs would really help.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some honest advice from people who may have been in a similar situation, especially those on F-1 OPT/STEM OPT or early-career software engineers.

I recently started working as a contractor at a large Bay Area tech company(FAANG) as a Software Engineer in Test. The brand name is strong, and I feel like having this company on my resume for a year could help my future career. The work is more testing-focused than development-focused, and it is not exactly the domain I want long term, but in this economy I’m grateful to have something.

The issue is the pay. I’m making around $35/hr as a contractor, and I also have about $50k in student loans to clear. On top of that, with the current H-1B wage/filing uncertainty and my pay level, I’m worried this role may not help much for next year’s H-1B situation.

At the same time, I may have an opportunity for a full-time California state government IT/Application Developer role in Sacramento. The work seems closer to software development, mainly application development, and internal government applications. It is full-time and the monthly pay before taxes would be around $8k. The downside is that it is government/legacy workflow, likely not as modern as big tech, no sponsorship, and I would have to relocate from the Bay Area/San Jose area to Sacramento. My STEM OPT extension is still pending, and changing employers during this process is also something I would need to handle carefully.

The monthly difference after considering rent, relocation, taxes, and living expenses may only be around $1,000–$1,500 more, but that extra money matters to me right now because of loans and financial pressure. Career-wise, I’m torn.

Option 1: Stay in the big tech contractor Software Engineer in Test role
Pros:

• Strong company name on resume
• Bay Area location
• Better chance to network internally
• More modern engineering environment
• Could help future job search

Cons:

• Lower pay
• Contractor role
• Testing-focused, not my preferred long-term domain
• No sponsorship certainty
• May not help enough financially right now

Option 2: Move to Sacramento for full-time state Application Developer role
Pros:

• Higher pay
• Full-time stable role
• More development/application work
• Better for paying down student loans
• Government experience and stable work environment

Cons:

• No sponsorship
• Relocation from Bay Area to Sacramento
• Possibly legacy systems and slower tech stack
• Leaving big tech name early
• Need to manage STEM OPT employer change carefully

Long term, I want to grow as a software engineer/backend or application developer and eventually find a role that can sponsor me. But right now, I also need to be realistic about money, debt, immigration timelines, and the current job market.

Has anyone here chosen between a big tech contractor role and a full-time government/state developer role while on OPT/STEM OPT? Which option would you choose in this situation, and why?

Any advice on career impact, STEM OPT employer changes, future sponsorship chances, resume value, or financial tradeoffs would really help.