Life After DACA (MAVNI Army or Job Search)

Hello,

I am a college graduate with a double degree in marketing and finance. I did not go to top 25 school in the nation, but I went to a pretty good college. I received decent grades (3.5). Due to DACA program, I was able to get internship and part time jobs while I was in school. I graduated last year and the fact is while my friends are working full-time making 40-80k, I am working as a part time SAT instructor. It has been very hard to find a full time position and sometimes my two year work permit hindered the hiring process.

Now, I am not sure what to do. I recently joined some marketing clubs and I feel like I have a way to start networking and look for more jobs. I also got a call from the army recently saying my MAVNI application has been approved (US Military program that gives you US citizenship when you pass all the test and etc). I am torn about what I should do. It is not even a guarantee that I am going to pass the exam and get in the army, but a choice I need to think about.

Fact is nobody knows what is going to happen to the DACA program. Will it disappear if the Republican takes the office? Will we never have a chance to get a citizenship or a greencard other than marriage/military? Will top companies hire me because it is not a guarantee that my work permit will renew every two years. Will I get promoted?

Due to this uncertainty, I decided to just go to the military for 3-4 years and get my citizenship. Problem is I am partially color blind, which eliminates a lot of job choices in the army. And my electronics, science, and mechanics knowledge is horrible so it eliminates even more jobs (I studied but I just seem to be horrible in those subjects). I consider myself a smart person, but those areas are not just my fields. So only jobs that I can do is financial management, health specialist, shower/laundry specialist, or mortuary affairs specialist (Dead body). And positions like F. management, and H specialist are so popular, there might be no openings. I really do not want to wash clothes or deal with dead bodies for 4 years.

A lot of people are applying for MAVNI program, but it seems like a lot of people are just sticking to their work permit and trying to find jobs. Is anyone else having similar problems? What do you guys recommend? Has it been easy to find jobs at a good company that pays over 40K for entry level? Any advice? DACA outlook?

Thank you

Sounds like a good problem to have to be honest.

well, i don't know about you, but there are many people who are older than 25 and by the time we come back from the army, we are in the 3os...

in your case, you are getting your citizenship once you get on board... whatever it is, if you don't know to deal with washing clothes or with corpse, then don't choose to go to the army. But because this is a DACA issue, I will choose to take army route... there is no job for us nor because it is temporary thing, we can't do much on our own..

I am sure that others are choosing to do the same thing.

In my case, I want to go back to school (grad school) and start anew... because i had bad grades and because I don't have the status, it's really difficult for me...

anyways, i hope everything works out for you and all of the dreamers out there... really.

well, i don't know about you, but there are many people who are older than 25 and by the time we come back from the army, we are in the 3os...

in your case, you are getting your citizenship once you get on board... whatever it is, if you don't know to deal with washing clothes or with corpse, then don't choose to go to the army. But because this is a DACA issue, I will choose to take army route... there is no job for us nor because it is temporary thing, we can't do much on our own..

I am sure that others are choosing to do the same thing.

In my case, I want to go back to school (grad school) and start anew... because i had bad grades and because I don't have the status, it's really difficult for me...

anyways, i hope everything works out for you and all of the dreamers out there... really.

Holy crap, I literally had no idea something like MAVNI existed. I'm 20 years old now but I've only taken a few classes at ye olde community college. They only want people with degrees, though, right?

Wrong. You need a high school diploma, and you need to speak one of the foreign languages on the MAVNI list. No degree required unless you are trying to be a MAVNI doctor.

Wow i did not know this program exist. Had i known, i would have applied years ago. I spoke cebuano and tagalog from the list of languages. I was stuck in h1 for 10 years before i got my gc.

With the way things are going with immigration, i suggest you try this route. After you get your citizenship and serve the army, you can get out and apply for different jobs. I think being a citizen, your opportunity is endless.

Wow, unfortunately I don't speak any of the languages listed there. I can hold up a conversation in French from all the years that I studied it at school, and I can write really well too, but I don't have citizenship from any African country.

Does anyone know if they would accept anyone who didn't speak the language natively? For example, if you actually learned it as a third or fourth language? I'm really interested in learning Arabic.

I do speak one of the languages they have. If I was 18 and had DACA, I would have joined this in a heartbeat. Citizenship and paid to get yelled at and worked out? My skinny 18 year old self would have loved it.