Are you an Australian techie interested in working in Silicon Valley? This talk was delivered at the Pivotal Labs Sydney meetup on 1st May 2018 to
around 150 attendees. A half-hour talk gave attendees an on-the-spot
check on whether they were eligible for Australian-only E-3 visa
‘fast track’, how to avoid the biggest mistakes that Aussies make when
trying to move, and the easiest path to putting ‘Silicon Valley startup
experience’ on their own resume.
What: From Silicon Beach to Silicon Valley: How to Land a Job in the USA
Where: Pivotal Labs, Level 11, 155 Clarence Street, Sydney
When: Tuesday 1st May 2018, 12:30pm-1:30pm
Boomerangs!
I think the Aussie startup scene would benefit massively from having
more “Boomerangs” – Aussies with Silicon Valley experience who moved
back to Australia to settle down. If you’re a software developer who
wants to launch your own startup, but you don’t have an idea ready, then
the quickest way to level up is by doing a stint in the USA with a
successful startup.
I gave this talk primarily because I’m
surprised that so few people seem to be taking advantage of the E-3 visa
and boomeranging back like I did. I don’t think that the Australian
startup scene should be scared of losing our best to the Valley either –
some people are going to stay there, while others are going to come
back and start companies. There are ton of local market gaps here that
are very visible once you’ve lived elsewhere.
I’d also like to
help Aussies avoid some of the more expensive mistakes that I saw people
make when trying to move to SF, like arriving for a one week stay with
no contacts or job interviews lined up. The talk is focused on
developers and engineers but should be useful to anyone who meets the
E-3 visa criteria (ie highly technical, in-demand, Aussie citizen,
relevant degree).
Last, but definitely not least, since telling people about this talk, I’ve had a ton of interest from people looking for a cpncrete path to getting a job in the Bay area. As a result, I’ve decided to try connecting some of developers I’ve spoken to with the startups I know personally who I can recommend. If there’s enough interest, I can run this as an E3 hiring program to help with some of the main problems of jobhunting from Australia. Just get in touch if you’d like to know more.
Event Photos
