RENOWNED2:

Oga macky, we wey read civil engineering for Nigeria, wetin we go come do?

1. All hope is not lost, get admitted for an MSc in Civil...
If you can achieve PR, no problem, you'll get a job easily.

My focus was on studies where numerous opportunities abound and employers 'easily' file for immigrants.


2. Get an admission for Civil with the knowledge you'll be switching course...
Take courses close to your desired end point...
Ask to switch: worst case, you start afresh - lose all 3 courses OR you lose 1 course.

You take undergraduate pre-reqs, the switch is finalized. All your sins in Civil are washed away.

You become a whole new person, your career is realigned.

It will cost you more money and time when compared with someone that did their interest directly and finished in 18 to 24months.

Floda:

...I was basically able to gain directions about my engineering career and draw a feasible roadmap....

Yes I know life can move crazily and easily scatter my roadmap but I want to know that at least I got the best advice possible and tried my best to achieve the goals.

I believe with God, guidance and a good plan backed with actions, everything is possible.

Good points
Get a plan and put in the sweat, tears and blood and it will likely click!
Aim of this thread achieved - creat a plan and chase it. Learn lessons & Fine tune as you go along and Las Las... Everything go deh alright.

Timiofak:


Exactly, been taking classes on C++, javascript

The summer I am focusing on Node.js

Money must be made oooo

Did you get any internship?
Intel hires lots of Chemical (process) and Electrical engineers.

In Nigeria we focus on Power.
Look into Electronics e.g.: Controls, Networking, Systems Design/VLSI, Circuit Design... you might end up as a SWE later on...
Make $500,000/annum and they give you chieftancy title in your village

BunmiBie:

Thanks boss

Received. Please modify and delete.

Timiofak:


Electrical Engineering concentrating on computer engineering

I actually just logged in today to say, choice of courses in Engineering should be in this order:
1. Computer Science
2. Electrical engineering
3. Number 1 or 2
4. Industrial Engineering, due to its versatility
....
8. Mechanical engineering and all its variants, e too hard

Focus should be anything software related.
Opportunities abound and pay is better. Tech is the new Oil n Gas.

BunmiBie:


You came back at the right time.

Welcome boss. We need you around here me I don miss you gan

Miss who?? Flora, you never give am the life saving advice?


Congratulations! Hard to believe they granted you and baby an F2, embassy eyes deh red.

Paccus:

We go soon celebrate your citizenship Macky ...

Olumighty123:

Abi nah, make he do giveaway by then

That's right!

Olumighty123 yhen yhen yhen You too like oshofree

Paccus, how we go take celebrate am?

In roughly 60days, it'd be 5years since I arrived in the US and it has been an interesting and a rewarding ride...

We'll gradually wind down as I barely come online to answer questions or write updates.

My pikin hold me for neck like bow tie, over-agility deh worry am so from sun up to sun down, she grabs any available time we have outside of work.

Floda:

...MackyNaija I would really love to still keep in touch with you...

With this kind statement, my wife go kill you throway

Paccus:

Welcome back

See Paccus, welcome to where?

Me wey deh plan officially shutdown this thread so people will stop waiting.
Busy with life and not always available for NL updating.

smartkester:
Macky where are thou? We’ve missed you here

I deh here na..
Anything for your boy?

...÷ I have opted for Msc.microbiology in Texas A&M university..

I wanna apply for thesis program due to the research and internship. I plan to stay back after my msc .

Is getting a job as a microbiologist very hard?

What's my chances of staying back after my msc.
Please reply

[quote]
Yes except you get a phd

Reading through this again and I just have to highlight:
Even within the sciences, some course wield more weight than others.

Opportunities abound more in Information Technology, Electronics, Engineering (minus Civil) and Math/Stat...

Just my experiences.

There is a little know path:
FAANG Program Manager or
Amaz0n Operations Manager
Both roles are 'easy' post MBA.

chiboy429:

Many thanks for your reply MackyNaija. I deeply appreciate, your response didn't confuse me rather it gave me a better glimpse into the picture. However, could you still further list and buttress the available PR ways you mentioned .
Thank you so much

From simplest (non is easy) to .....
- Marriage, more straightforward
- Employer filing (opt to h1b to green card)
- Self-petition (national interest waiver)

One can also
- Apply for the Canadian PR

isyourboy:

Please how did you go about ending your lease without incurring the dollars for the remaining part of the lease period?

I incurred some costs but only what was necessary.
Choose an option that allowed me cover the cost until a new tenant was found. It was cheaper than paying for 2 months upfront.

If your rent is around $1200 monthly, just pay and break - the stress will be too much for the money you'll save.

In our case, a two month penalty was closer to $6,000.


If the home owner allows, You can
I. Sub lease the apartment, landlord still gets their rent monthly
II. Find a new tenant to complete your term
III. Find a new tenant to start a new lease after you leave (most times at a higher rent for the landlord)
IV. Negotiate your way out of it, ask to pay less.

Abandonment is not an option, you'll have collectors on your neck for the full sum + a penalty.

Dremca:
I would have tagged someone as regards the highlighted part but I don't like looking for trouble

You sef be winch
You like trouble! Lmao

chiboy429:

My question is what are the possibilities for Nigerians to get job and most importantly PR after studies in US?
Is this a good move or the advantages of US outweighs that of Germany ��

1. Nobody can predict chances. There are high possibilities depending on your course if it's in the sciences.
I have very very strong faith in Phd Electrical Engrg or Phd Computer Science and their affiliated minors.
There are many routes to permanent residency in the US.

But do not discount coded courses e.g Phd Material Science.
All this might mean something different depending on your course, work experience and specialization.

2. I can bet my kidneys that the US is the most immigrant-friendly country in the world today.
I can see many many job openings every day, if you have the right skills or you can even build them during your studies, you'll get a job.
Some skills are in higher demand than others.
Germany also has a language barrier.

Hope I have been able to convince and not confuse you with my answers.

Tyleet:
@Mackynaija, pls I have some questions about Mpower loan. 1. If I get approved for the loan but my visa gets denied, what will happen?
2. What if I get to the US and after landing I decide to attend a different school other than the one the mpower loan was approved for, what will happen?
Thanks so much.
Others who have an answer can chime in too pls.

Predstan and 1stGenAmerican were very close to what I'd answer.

My experience: I applied, got approved and it was disbursed straight to the school.
The school withheld taxes and gave me what was left after applying the Mp0wer payment to what I owed them.

1. If there is nowhere to disburse it to within the timeframe given, then they keep their money.

2. I know for the other lender I mentioned, they tie their approval to the school you are attending (they have a select list of schools they fund).
So you might have to ask Mp0wer if they can carry this over to the new school you intend to transfer to.

BunmiBie:

Actually, after reading all your posts I gingered my husband to apply to schools, in fact I dragged him to this thread and he was motivated as well.

He applied to many schools but got admission into TTU with out-of-state waiver for the first and second academic year. We were not even expecting any waiver.

He graduated in 2014 in the dept of mechanical engineering. He had his MSc from same dept too but he only worked has an engineer for let's say a year. Since then he has been working as a freelance writer.

Our worries now:
1) he applied for industrial engineering but I guess due to lack of job experience they redirected him to Engineering (MEN), which is interdisciplinary. He has the option to specialize in some areas. This department does not have GA, TA and internship. It's a taught course with OPT. What's OPT?

I am assuming you mean MSc in General Engineering?
There is a possibility to change departments after the first semester - he might have to take pre-requisites to qualify for an enrollment into the Industrial Engrg program.

i. BSc Mech should have already qualified him for this.
ii. He might lose the waivers after the switch; those waivers are for the MSc in General Engrg.

OPT na optional practical training. Has a sibling called CPT - in simple terms, he can do internships and is granted post-study eligibility.

Do you think he should go ahead with this and which area do you think he should specialize in; biomedical, aerospace, biosystems, Computer, engineering physics, environment, materials science and engineering, mechatronics, and nuclear engineering. uPdate
He mailed the department and they told him to select his first semester courses from industrial engineering dept to be able to switch fully after first semester.
So we are fine with this.

I just saw this after all the plenty explanations I did earlier.
Yes, select courses in IEEN and switch after first semester. Let him verify what happens to the out-of-state waivers.

2) without much work experience in Nigeria, will he be able to get a job in US after his program and will he cope with the system.

Very possible, he should highlight his 1 year experiences and he would get an internship.
These internships would show further work experience.

DannyFX2638:
macky see how your workers just day busy with work.. u day pay them well ooo

Buying is different in the US...

In the simplest form:
i. You get pre-qualified (moneylender/bank checks you have good credit and some money for down payment)
ii. You find a seller/builder, indicate interest, pay 'Earnest money' ($3k in our case)
iii. They build with borrowed money from a bank (so I think) till completion
iv. At 'closing day', you bring your downpayment 3.5% to as much as 20% and some other closing costs
v. Who initially pre-approved you at step 1 gives the remaining 80% to 96.5% to the seller (you repay normally over 30 years) and..
vi. Seller gives you the key.

You become a homeowner! Yayyy!


When person no fit keep up with the monthly payments due to lost jobs or other reasons, money lender don show for 'foreclosure'.
House don go be that.

Honlucas,
Both individuals above have answered your questions the way I would have.

Dremca:
Please why don't they build houses over there with block and concrete. I believe its the reason hurricane carry their house during natural disaster.

Alexgeneration:
Why using wood to build when there's snow,hurricane, fire and flood to contend with?

Do concrete houses also not get affected by natural disasters?
I know wooden house here can withstand snow and hurricane as much as a block house would... Sam roof loses.
Fire would have a likely total loss on wood. Flood almost same effect.

TWoods:

Simple answer - economics. It is cheaper (although it is debatable if the cost difference is as wide as we assume) to use wood and less complex. You can build a wood home in a few days.

When I did searches online, I learned some of it is historical.
Initial settlers used what was readily available which was was cheap and fast.

Truly it is very fast - their weight carrying columns are multiple Woods merged as one.
No rebars or waiting for concrete to dry.

Drove past yesterday and they were 50% done with roofing.

Sample Pix 6: Roofing plywood and water insulation done.
(Poor quality pictures taken thru my car window as there was active work at the site, will get a clearer one).
There is the "true insulation" done inside the houses.

December 12th 2021, I took pictures A and B. Upcoming community.

Pix C is what our street looks like now, in just 3 months the home with an arrow costs over $50k extra on the base price. Taken Feb 26th 2022.

Pix D is directly behind where I stand to take pictures. Taken Dec 12th, 2021. They have made more progress.

Don't delay, pull the trigger on your house purchase. You are never too young to buy one if you are thinking about it.

House is coming together..

Pix 5: Cornice installed (think parapet in naija building) and entire Siding done - basically plywood on the sides before tyvek (wraps to keep water away) and bricks.

Next should be plywood on the roofs before roof tyvek and roofing sheets.

If you no get money, at least get book sense:
An approximate narrative of a true story...

I met someone on LinkedIn last year when he came to solicit for funds to pay application fees.
He made a passionate plea and by the time I saw his post, it had already been taken care of by well meaning Nigerians.

Fast forward to the end of the year when he had to leave to start the Spring semester, he came looking for 750k but this time it was different...

He had been admitted and had a full tuition waiver - I wad blown away!
His i20 showed his total cost of schooling for the first year as $0, the school was covering all of it - this opportunity could not go to waste.

Story short - after he had raised about 100k, a well meaning individual came and covered the remaining cost of the flight ticket. People believed in his dreams.

He is settled in now, gotten his SSN, started on-campus assistantship and life is gradually beginning to make sense in America.

In summary, use what you have got to get what you need.
Read book, blast, show evidence and people will go to the moon and back for you.



Additions: I know someone that goes to educational threads on Twitt3r, Li1nkedIn and Nairal4nd to seek genuine and smart students that have financial needs they can help for studies abroad.

Dremca:
...I wouldn't be surprised because your role model, Donald Trump...

I don die for laughter
Later una go call am my papa.

I like the way you have spoken, devoid of any attack or insult.
See as all of una deh try to break my head because of immigration; mostly for the illegal people or processes.

As a principle, I don't discuss politics, religion and more recently I added race and immigration because people cannot set aside their emotions (me inclusive) to have healthy discussions when it comes to these topics.

Remember, this thread which started in 2017 was/is a part of my little quota to encourage Nigerians to come to the US.
Let us not allow our political views distract us from what matters.

Hi Justwise,
I have never had any issues with anyone posting here but Twoods is violating Rule 1 by derailing this thread.

He can create a topic and call me out there and that wouldn't be a problem but he is distracting those interested in some of the nonsense I have to say here.

In the last 3 months, I have
Occupied myself with taking care of my daughter,
Taking on more responsibilities at work and
Keeping an eye on the house construction.

Pix 1. Site prep was done immediately after we got into contract (they are currently prepping multiple lots before releasing for sale).
It has the footers and underground plumbing.

Pix 2. Foundation prep where they put the pre-tension cables and ground water Insulation (black nylon in naija terms).

Pix 3. Pouring the concrete and tensioning the foundation cables (I don't think metal rod are used in this style).

Pix 4. Framing where they put a bulk of the skeleton together and the roof trusses.

It is coming up nicely.

Dear Twoods,
Don't bother replying or writing anything aimed at me as I won't be reading it.

Thanks.

GdexFolami:
Please id like to ask something? What are the advantages of buying a house in US right before leaving for yankee?
@mackynaija

If you are paying in full, it's simple!
No monthly payments and a permanent place to live!

sonnie10:

Share your own first hand experience as an undergraduate, graduate student and then worker in the US. Thanks.

Abeg where that meme where okOcha burst laff?

You no get joy.

Olumighty123:
MackyNaija bro, it's been a while oo, hope everything is going smooth? Compliments of the season bro.

My super fan, thanks once again, jist deh unto the current major project- house...
Na small sabbatical I take, addiction is real.

If I say everything smooth, na lie I deh like but I still give Oluwa all the Glory.

I finally finished reading the whole of this thread, thank you for sharing your experience. Well appreciated!

u are doing a great job, u have kept the thread alive for years.

I wish to have a thread like this when I enter Yankee too, but for now make I go find garri weh I go drink. Eye deh turn me

..
Thank you both.
Richmond, garri go damage your eyes o