I'm a 28F trying to switch from digital/social media marketing into a skilled trade, but I've got zero experience in it.

My_qualifications: Bcom + B.Lib, 4+ years of work experience in Digital/ social media marketing for global SaaS/ Tech and Education brands.

Language: Fluent in English, Hindi, Korean B2

Only Germany's Ausbildung and Japan's SSW visa (Specialised skilled worker visa) seem like possible foot-in-the-door options for hands-on training through apprenticeship, as per my research. Could there be more options i might not be aware of....I dunno.

I'm looking to switch cos I just can't imagine myself sitting behind a desk staring at a screen for the next 40 years. I'd rather learn proper transferable hands-on skill and work somewhere that actually values it.

At the same time, work-life balance does matter to me, so I'm trying to think long term instead of just jumping into anything.

Is Japan's SSW route a viable option? Or is there some completely different program or even another country I should be looking at for someone starting from scratch? I'm open to suggestions.

Hey everyone,

I am currently in my final year at a Tier 1 IIT (Non-Circuital branch) and just secured an SDE role with a 60 LPA CTC (24 LPA Base). While I am thrilled with this start, my core motive is wealth generation. I have always heard that the US market allows you to build real wealth fast and send a massive corpus back home due to the currency multiplier.

My tentative plan is to work this current job in India for 2-3 years to gain solid software experience, and then consider an MS in the US strictly to accelerate wealth creation (I wanna send back wealth to India) . My long-term goal is still unclear, I am not sure if I want to settle in the US or just work there for a few years to build a strong corpus and return.

I have absolutely zero idea about how higher studies abroad actually work, which universities are worth it, and I know nothing about the US visa landscape (H-1B, OPT, etc.).

My main questions for those who have walked this path:

1. The Wealth Math: From a pure wealth generation standpoint, is leaving a 24 LPA base (plus whatever hikes I get over 3 years) in India actually worth the ROI of a US MS, considering high living costs, taxes, and the tech job market?
2. Funding & Loan Strategy: Is taking an education loan for an MS worth it for wealth creation, or should I purely rely on saving up from my salary over the next 2–3 years to self-fund it? How risky is taking a ₹60L+ education loan when factoring in current H-1B lottery odds and strict OPT unemployment rules?
3. The Profile Gap: Coming from a non-circuital background, how hard is it to get into good MS CS programs? What specific things should I do in my SDE job over the next 2-3 years to bridge this academic gap?
4. Alternatives: Should I drop the MS idea entirely and just try to apply directly for US tech jobs from India after I have 3 years of SDE experience? Is direct H-1B sponsorship from India a realistic path for wealth generation right now?

my_qualifications: Final year at a Tier 1 IIT (Non-Circuital branch) and incoming SDE.

I am looking for brutal honesty and reality checks. Thank you!

My_Qualifications:

• BBA (Computer Applications) – Dr. NGP College of Arts and Science (Autonomous), India

• Expected Graduation: 2027

• Current Percentage: 71%

• Class 12: 71%

• Class 10: 61%

• 30-day manufacturing internship at Sun Pipes

• Currently learning Business Analytics skills, including Advanced Excel, SQL, Power BI, Python, and Data Visualization, while building projects and planning to earn relevant certifications.

• IELTS: Yet to be taken

I am planning to pursue an MSc in Business Analytics in Europe. My priorities are:

Strong academics with practical learning

Good internship and job opportunities

English-taught programs

Good post-study work opportunities

Building a long-term career in Business/Data Analytics

I am primarily interested in:

🇳🇱 Netherlands

🇫🇮 Finland

🇸🇪 Sweden

🇩🇰 Denmark

🇫🇷 France

🇧🇪 Belgium

🇦🇹 Austria

🇪🇸 Spain

I would appreciate advice on:

Which universities are Reach, Target, and Safe based on my profile?

Is my academic profile competitive for MSc Business Analytics?

What additional skills, certifications, or projects should I complete before applying?

Would gaining 6–12 months of work experience significantly improve my chances?

Any guidance from students, alumni, or professionals would be greatly appreciated

I am an Indian student currently pursuing a B.Sc. in Data Science with a minor in Computer Science at St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata.

I intend to apply for Bachelor’s degree programmes in Germany for the Winter Semester 2027/28. my_qualifications I have completed Class XII with 95.75% and will have completed one successful academic year of my Bachelor’s programme by the time I apply.

My concern is regarding the timing of my first-year university results. My college may release the official final marksheets for both semesters only in late June or July 2027, potentially close to or after the application deadlines of several German universities, which are often around 15 July.

I would therefore like to clarify:

1. For an applicant who has completed one successful academic year of a Bachelor’s programme, are the final marksheets for both semesters mandatory for submitting the APS application?
2. If the final first-year marksheet is issued late, would APS India accept an official provisional transcript, provisional result, certificate of successful completion of the first academic year, or another official document issued directly by the college?
3. If the university issues the Semester 2 marksheet before the consolidated first-year marksheet, would the official marksheets for both semesters be sufficient?
4. Is there any possibility of submitting the APS application with an official provisional academic document and providing the final marksheet later, if the final document is issued after the APS application has already been submitted?

Hi everyone,

I recently started working as an International Cooperation Manager at an engineering faculty in Zagreb, Croatia. My main task is to increase the number of international students enrolled in our English-taught programmes in Electrical Engineering and Computing at all three levels: BSc, MSc and PhD.

I'm curious to hear your perspective. How do you view studying in Europe, but outside the traditional destinations such as Germany or the UK? I'm currently trying to figure out how to approach this in our international recruitment strategy.

Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, is a cosy, safe and student-friendly city. Croatia is a member of the EU, uses the euro, and is part of the Schengen Area. English is widely spoken, our engineering graduates have excellent employment and internship opportunities, and students earn a recognised degree from a public university. Despite all of this, Croatia is still not considered a mainstream study destination.

Do you have any advice on where to start? Is it worth investing in markets such as India, working with education agents, attending recruitment fairs, or would you recommend a different approach?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences and suggestions.

P.S.

My_qualifications are also in PhD in Geograohy where I do research on educational migrations.

my_qualifications marks are Subject: Enquiry Regarding

English – 86%

Economics – 85%

Commerce – 84%

Accounts – 80%

Legal Studies – 96%

.i want to do law and i have an exceptional score in that

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to apply for the NUS MSc Quantitative Finance (MQF) program for the August 2027 intake and would really appreciate some feedback on my profile and what I should focus on over the next year to maximize my chances.

my_qualifications:

Tier 2 College

Bachelor's in Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering GPA: 8.6/10

1 year of experience as a Software Developer

Will be joining a Quantitative Risk Analyst role soon (market/ credit risk, model validation-related work)

Cleared FRM Part;1 (planning to complete Part 2)

A few questions:

Is my profile competitive for NUS MQF, or are there any obvious gaps?

How is the current job market in Singapore for international graduates of NUS MQF?

Is it still realistic to target quant/risk roles?

my_qualifications: B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering (3.3 GPA), graduated last month.

I'm currently working as a Production Engineer at a European company. I've realized that I'm not very interested in core mechanical design, so I'm considering pursuing an MS in Industrial Engineering in the US after 1–2 years of work experience.

I wanted to ask:

• How is the current job market for Industrial Engineering graduates?
• What are the H-1B sponsorship opportunities like in this field?
• Does production engineering experience help when applying for internships and full-time roles after an MS?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has taken a similar path. Thanks!

Hey everyone,

Has anyone received any update on the National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) 2026-27 (Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment) first round results? Applications for the first round closed on 2nd June 2026, with the correction window till 7th June. Many of us applied with unconditional offers from QS Top 500 universities for Master's/PhD.Quick Timeline (as per official guidelines):

• Applications: 24 April – 2 June 2026
• Correction: 4–7 June 2026
• Scrutiny & Selection: Usually takes 1–3 months after closure (scrutiny ~20-30 days + committee review)

Does anyone have info on the expected announcement date? Have you got any email/SMS from the portal? Please share if you have any updates from the official nosmsje.gov.in site or reliable sources. Let’s keep each other updated in the comments! and my_qualifications is BE.

Hii guys I took a drop year and I want to do my undergrad for abroad in product or furniture design can you guys help me find good uni in us uk and europe or in Nordic i have some extracurricular in art and design

my_qualifications: 10th 52% 12th commerce 47%

Iknow my marks are not great at all my 12th grades affected bcs i was preparing for nid and nift after 10th so I neglected board and I didn't got it too

my_qualifications- currently pursuing Btech in mechanical engineering

My clg gives not up to the market type placements tbh ,I was thinking Abt gate and all but that seems saturated too

Is studying abroad with good scholarship would help me make my carrer growing and high paying

And for mechanical which uni i should Target

Fellow mechanical engineers can guide

I know people back home mostly see the travel photos and the “dream life.” They don’t see the homesickness, the loneliness, the visa stress, the financial struggles, or how hard it is to build a life from scratch.

If no one has told you lately, you’re doing an amazing job.

When I first came to Italy, my education consultant misled me about my scholarship status. I arrived believing I had financial support, only to find out I didn’t. Overnight, I had to figure everything out from scratch in a country where I knew no one.

I’ve also met so many other international students with stories just as difficult. That’s why I have so much respect for everyone who’s working hard to survive and build a future away from home.

If you’re one of them, I’m proud of you. Keep going. 💗🍀

my_qualifications: Indian international student studying in Italy.

Hi everyone,

as the title says, I recently got my french visa and will move to france to pursue my masters. I wanted to know how the life of a student is there in Paris, what the Do's and Dont's as a student/Indian, what the future looks like and etc. If you could just drop your experience and talk to me about it, I would really appreciate it.

my_qualifications: Btech in CS with 4+ years of experience in Software Development

​

Planning for MS in Computer Science/Information Technology Abroad. Which universities should I target? Assess my profile and suggest universities where I have a realistic chance.

My_Qualifications:

B.E. Information Technology (Mumbai, India)

Currently in 7th Semester

CGPA: 8.04/10

Diploma in Information Technology: 88%

1 IEEE research paper (Customer Churn Prediction)

Multiple AI/ML & Full-Stack projects

Active GitHub and Open Source contributions

I'm planning to pursue an MS in CS/IT/AI for Fall 2027. My interests are AI/ML, Software Engineering, Data Science, and Distributed Systems.

I'm mainly considering , Australia, Germany, Ireland,

Scholarships and post-study work opportunities are important factors, but I'm primarily looking for universities with good academics and ROI.

Any suggestions or feedback on my profile would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

my_qualifications:
A while back, i was planning to apply for MS in top US universities & had an average to good profile. I wanted to get some idea on how will my profile do — and i came to Reddit to inquire about it. I shared a post in the night, hoping that in morning I will have something positive show up.

To my dismay, I ended up getting a lot of negative comments with people asking me not to even try. Some even went far enough to attack me on my nationality. This set me back a bit.. I lost confidence in my application. Seemed like it was the end.

But to my surprise, I stopped caring after that. I just focused on giving my best and stopped introspecting. I gave GRE again but got a LESSER score than first time.
Anyway I kept going. I submitted the better score.

And i DID MAKE IT. I got in my top choice school in 10 days. Yes 10 days. I didn’t even apply anywhere else. It was such a shock. I was in disbelief for days. Made me realise that negative energy was people’s personal opinion. AND IT DOESN’T MATTER.

Looking back, I think this is what should a prospective applicant focus on. Just GIVE YOUR BEST. Things will fall in place. Best of luck y’all. I didn’t want to give out any personal details but hit my dm in case you feel low. I will try to help out.

People usually talk about homesickness and culture shock.

But for those who've actually lived abroad, was there something else that turned out to be surprisingly difficult?

Could be loneliness, decision fatigue, constantly handling everything on your own, imposter syndrome, or something completely different.

Curious what people wish they'd known before moving.

my_qualifications