After working “in the field” as a visual designer for almost a decade, I started teaching design in college and vocational schools. The number one question I always get from students is — how do I build my portfolio (so I can get a job)?
Say that one morning, you come into the office and attend your meeting as usual. When you dash for the exit after enduring rounds of boring status updates, you are stopped by the HR manager. You know something is wrong. When you’re told that due to corporate restructure, your position will be eliminated, your heart drops.
After numerous mishaps while working with a small law firm hired by one of my previous employers two years ago, winning the notorious H-1B lottery was the biggest relief to my endless panic attacks waking up every morning thinking that I would have to pack up and leave the country for good. Since then, I have changed employers multiple times and effectively doubled my salary within a year while holding the H-1B visa.
