Did you start your career after the set back of being on H4

Vote of confidence? Trouble-making? :eekthinkingsmiley
Don't know if I can live up to the billing, but I can certainly think out aloud re: lollywolly's dilemma. :hatsoff

 

I know of some one who got into IT job through consulting route. He/She spent huge amount of hours and effort to acquire the experience he/she actually showed in the resume. Some areas like web developing etc in IT you can learn, practice, get experience equal to real time experience on your own and show as your real time experience in CV. So as long as one really work hard and acquire that experience they show in your resume, it should be fine.

 

Sorry! Didn't mean to ignore this - just had many other distractions!
Here we go ...

 

Well, you like being a Business Analyst and here you have a little business analysis problem of your own, branding and marketing lollywolly – so you must be in hog heaven! Here are some thoughts:

Since you are educationally well qualified, your biggest constraint is the lack of work experience. Additional variables are geography (you are married, with a family, so your job search-radius is limited), the fact that you are unsure about the field (BA, management, accounting, finance, IT, entrepreneurship) and the decision between another degree program in the US (MS / MBA) vs a straight job search. So let’s start there.

Anytime you apply or interview for a job, you are telling a story about yourself. When this narrative is consistent, it puts you in a better light. When the story has a logic to it, you can frame events as part of a plan. You are the driver, taking your life where you want to go, not a passive passenger being driven along by external events over which you exercise little control. As you begin your search, keep this in mind. Learn to frame a good, proactive narrative around your choices so far.

From this point of view, your lack of experience is not a problem. Everyone in the US knows how burdensome the immigration process is. You have a ‘story’ – you can honestly say that you were motivated, but unable to work and so you took the opportunity to focus on the family. Now you are ready to start your career again. Some variation of this is a safe, logical narrative. It won’t be held against you.

Now, let me try to address your questions. Easy ones first:

Retail in the US is often a poor choice, unless you are desperate to get out of the house and make a little money. Except for some companies with a good reputation (say like ‘The Container Store’), the working conditions are poor, as are benefits, time-stealing and exploitation are common, management abysmal. Apart from flexibility, these jobs do not have many advantages, especially not for building a ‘career’. This would not be my first choice, although if you still wish to consider such positions, you can research these companies on sites like GlassDoor.

 

You already have an MBA. Regarding MBAs in the US, my bias is that the rampant proliferation is something of a racket organized by the universities. MBA programs are relatively low-cost enterprises for the university, generating outsize returns at great cost to the students.

Except for some technical courses such as accounting or 'incubator' type courses that help you implement your business plan, providing access to advice and capital, a good chunk of the coursework can turn out to be be fluff, especially at the lower end universities. The sort of thing a bright person with a technical background can figure out for themselves with access to a good university library. The MBA acquires value merely as 'accreditation'. So, you have to be careful.

If you wish to pursue an MBA, then you should shoot for a top program. Then the probability that you can achieve a justifiable ROI is greater. But, then again, your lack of work experience will stand in the way. The top schools will expect you to bring a little more business savvy to the table.

Again, think about how this choice fits into your career narrative. When an interviewer asks you why you went for (and paid for) a second MBA, what is your story? In my view, 'to get a job' or 'to get a US MBA' are less than satisfactory explanations. You have to do better.

Think of these choices as bricks in a structure. No single brick will make or break the building. However, they are all part of the whole, they have their place. And you may want to add a stained glass window or two!

 

Instead of another MBA from a university that you chose simply because it happens to be within commuting distance, you may want to explore other options. For example, HBS has a Research Associate program. If you were to apply as technically trained MBA with a CS degree and domain expertise in computing, you stand a good chance of getting a position like that. It pays reasonably well, it can expose you to other areas of business, it will give you access to university libraries and get you back to the workforce while you figure out your next steps.

Check if the university close to you has opportunities like this RA program. Even if a formal program does not exist, a business faculty member writing a book may have funds for a research fellow. Such a position might be an ideal place for you to resolve the questions running through your mind and help you define a trajectory for your career.