Kajal Shrivastava

The winter in Cleveland is brutal.

I discovered this firsthand while working parking services at Cleveland State University to sustain as a student—my very first job in America.

Not exactly what I had envisioned when I came to the US to pursue my Master's in Computer Science.

But life happens…

The job wasn't glamorous. It wasn't tech like I wanted. But it was something.

Then came the promotion to Desk Assistant. Later, Teaching Assistant for Analysis of Algorithms and Introduction to Database Systems. Small steps forward.

This was just a part of the bigger picture.

1,000+ applications. Career fairs. Handshake. LinkedIn. Monster. Indeed. Dice. You name it, I tried it.

The responses were all just silence Quite deafening to be real.

Days turned to weeks, then months. With each rejection, my hope of landing a tech job slowly slipped away. My confidence took a dive. Even friendships that were once my support system slipped under this growing anxiety.

The 90-day OPT countdown to find a job breathed down my neck like a ticking time bomb.

The pressure was ON. Find a job or leave the country.

Then August 2024—a friend's referral. A small ray of hope.

September 2, 2024—an offer.

Relief, a bit. Excitement, sure. Victory, not quite?

West Virginia. Far from where I'd imagined. Salary? Well below average for software engineering.

But it was a job. It was “experience”. It meant staying in America.

The journey taught me something profound: sometimes the job you get isn't the job you wanted. But it might be the job you need.

Every day in parking services taught me customer service. Every hour as a TA built up my technical knowledge. Every rejection built resilience.

The professional-looking resume I created with Unimad's builder might have helped me stand out in that final referral. But the journey itself was all perseverance.

Today, I'm still working. Still learning. Still searching for that ideal opportunity that aligns with my long-term goals.

But I'm here. I'm employed. I'm adapting.

And perhaps that's the real victory, learning to thrive in the imperfect one while keeping your dreams alive.

Perseverance and adaptability. That's the real learning of an international student.