Confused looking for a job

Hi everyone, my name is Kailash Choudhary I am a newbie here. I am from India, presently pursuing my masters in US in Electrical Engineering with specialization in Signal Processing and Communications. I will be graduating in December 2011.

My plans are to work in US for some years and later get back to India.

Q1) All the job postings in my field (Signal Processing and Communications in US) I have come across require a US citizenship. So, do I need to opt for jobs in other fields ?

Q2) Many of the entry-level jobs say knowledge of signal processing along with expertise at C programming, Object-oriented programming, FPGA, Assembly language is a must. But in my masters I have been coding in MATLAB only for courses like :
-Statistical Signal Processing
-Communication Systems Engineering
-Detection and Estimation
-Research work too

I have some exposure to C programming, micro-processors, micro-controllers in my undergrad but need to brush by basics from scratch :(

What would you suggest me to do in terms of getting a job ?

Will be waiting for some advises :)

Thanks-in-advance

Kailash,

The best way to get a job is through a referral - that means finding someone you already know that is willing to recommend you to their colleagues for hire (or an internship).

Go to as many relevant conferences/expos as you can and network with engineers that have your same interests.

Put together a portfolio of your projects, blog about things you're doing, and have a resume ready to handout on a moments notice.

EEWeb easily allows you to setup a resume, blog, and share your design projects, so that's one option you can easily share with potential employers.

Hope this helps, and feel free to ask more questions.

wow nice advice but can it be beneficial for non amercain ?

Yes, if you come across as someone the company must hire they will find a way to bring you into the company regardless of your citizenship.

Also, with global communications it's increasingly common to hire contractors to help solve specific problems.

Once you're established as a trusted contractor, full-time employment is easier to obtain.