International Students in STEM Concerned About Tech Economy

International Students in STEM Concerned About Tech Economy

Large technology companies including Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft, recently announced that they would cut thousands of jobs.

The reductions are worrisome for students in the fields of science, engineering, technology and math, also known as STEM. For international students, the cuts were even more unsettling for those who hope to stay and work in the United States.

Under U.S. laws, after finishing school, international students are permitted to work in the country for one year under the Optional Practical Training, or OPT¹ program. For STEM students, the program extends their work permit for an additional two years in their field of study.

Voice of America recently spoke² with two students who are working on advanced degrees in technology. The students are finishing their studies this year.

A data student from Spain

Marta Martinez Fernandez is a 27-year-old student from Valencia, Spain. Later this year, she will complete an MBA, or Master of Business Administration, in interpreting data at Brandeis University, near Boston.

Fernandez had an internship³, a training position, with a company in California last year. The company, Postman, makes a product that helps computer programs from different companies work together. She said that the company plans to offer her a job.

But she said some of her classmates who finished their study programs in December are not so lucky. They are unemployed⁴, and their time to find a job is running out.

Students in the U.S. on an F-1 visa must find a job within the first 90 days after completing their studies. Some job offers have been withdrawn⁵, Fernandez said, because of the economy.

"It's definitely made everybody more competitive. It's made everybody more stressed. The market was already competitive like crazy for international students before the tech layoffs⁷ happened, I feel like right now, it's at a different level than at least I had ever witnessed before."

An artificial intelligence student from Iran

Ervin, who did not want to give his full name, is a 27-year-old from Iran. He studies the "intersection⁸ of language and technology" at a school in the northeastern U.S.

He said he came to study in the U.S. because of "the educational quality." He said he risked everything to come to the U.S., hoping for a chance to use his skills.

Ervin said there are technology companies in Iran, but there are too many students competing for a small number of jobs. In the U.S., it is the opposite. There are a lot of good jobs for experts in language and technology.

Right now, he is applying to do research in a lab at Stanford University in California. If he does not get a job with Stanford, he hopes to work for a company that makes computer programs to help humans speak to machines.

Although Ervin believes he will get the research job, he worries when he hears about job reductions at big technology companies. That is because there are more experienced people looking for tech jobs than ever before.

Advice from a professor

Christopher Perrello is an assistant professor at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies. He said even students who graduated from Syracuse three or four years ago are asking for help finding new jobs.

"I'm worried about this," Perello said. "Our international students get hurt the most when these layoffs occur..." Perrello said students in technology studies who planned on working in Silicon⁹ Valley might need to consider something different.

For example, he said they should look at healthcare and hospitals because hospitals have experience bringing in workers from other countries. And, "healthcare pays very well," he said.

The other areas he suggested include working on computer systems for airlines or hotels. Those companies work in countries around the world and have experience with international workers. And the third place to look for work would be in higher education.

Perrello warned students against spending more money just to stay in school in order to stay in the U.S.

"What you're really doing there is now you're just setting that candidate up for another few years of uncertainty¹⁰ and ambiguity¹¹. And that could cause some further mental health challenges or further, you know, anxieties with getting other jobs."

Back-up plans?

If Martinez Fernandez's job offer from Postman does not come through, she said she might consider staying in the U.S. and trying to start her own business.

For Ervin, if he does not get a good job or research position, he said he still is happy that he came to study in the U.S.

"I think the biggest risk is to stay stable and not do anything."

Even if it does not work out, Ervin said, he has a great degree he can use in his home country.

Words in This Story

advanced –adj. a higher level than something else

interpret –v. to work to understand something

stressed –adj. a feeling of worry or anxiety

layoff⁶ –n. when a business eliminates workers

intersection –n. the point where two things meet

apply –v. to write or express interest in a job, school program, etc.

occur –v. to happen

ambiguity –n. a lack of clarity or understanding

anxiety –n. a feeling of worry or nervousness

1 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 internship   

n.实习医师，实习医师期

参考例句：

• an internship at a television station 在电视台的实习期
• a summer internship with a small stipend 薪水微薄的暑期实习

4 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

5 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

6 layoff   

n.临时解雇，操作停止，活动停止期间，失业期

参考例句：

• Finally, prepare an explanation about what led to your layoff.最后，要准备好一套说辞来解释你被解雇的原因。
• Workers were re-employed after the layoff.在暂时解雇不久后工人们又被再度雇用了。

7 layoffs   

临时解雇( layoff的名词复数 )； 停工，停止活动

参考例句：

• Textile companies announced 2000 fresh layoffs last week. 各纺织公司上周宣布再次裁员两千人。
• Stock prices broke when the firm suddenly announced layoffs. 当公司突然宣布裁员时，股票价格便大跌

8 intersection   

n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集

参考例句：

• There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
• Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。

9 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

10 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

11 ambiguity   

n.模棱两可；意义不明确

参考例句：

• The telegram was misunderstood because of its ambiguity.由于电文意义不明确而造成了误解。
• Her answer was above all ambiguity.她的回答毫不含糊。