Qualification Translation for IT Professionals: UK to US

[pax 0]

Hello all!

For those of you who came to the States from the UK (with UK uni degrees) and were looking to get into IT, did you face the problem of needing your qualifications translated? Ewen's B.Eng is from a university in Scotland, and it constitutes the culmination of a 4.5 year course which included a work placement.

From what I've read, qualification translation is more of an issue for people with multiple certifications, or for people whose work requires specific legal authorization and licensing (like teachers, nurses, pharmacists, etc.) However, if any of you programmers, web developers, or computer engineers could share your experience with how your UK qualifications and work history held up stateside, we sure would appreciate it.

Thank ya!

[luv2teach77 41]

Pax,

I don't have a technical degree but I do have a degree from a British university which I have listed on my resume. I was never asked by any of the agencies I registered with to have my qualification translated and I was hired for an IT position by one of those agencies. For what its worth, on my resume I omitted the level of my degree (2:1) and just put the degree title and type (BSc)

I think that in the IT field, although a related degree is helpful, I felt that more emphasis was placed on my practical experiences than my academic qualifications. I beleive that there are companies out there who you can pay to have qualifications translated, but I'd say that initially it probably won't be nessercary. If he finds that a lack of a translated qualification is being cited as a reason why he's missing out on jobs then that would bethe time to look into that paying to have that done. until then I'd save your money !!

Edited to add... if it would be helpful to see how I laid out my UK work experience into a US style resume then i'd be happy to email that through. PM if that would be help.

Mark

Edited March 29, 2006 by luv2teach77

[pax 0]

Thanks very much, Mark; that was exactly what we were looking for!

I'll keep that offer in mind. I'm sure it would be very helpful to Ewen once he starts job-hunting.

[Jasman0717 9]

I have an Englishman that works for me as a contractor and for him to get position with us he would have to take is college certificate to a professional transcript company that can translate his certificate to college units here in order for him to meet our minimum requirements.

[pax 0]

You work for the government, though, right, Jim? I would imagine that would be the case for government work in which there are very specific and stringent requirements for foreign applicants.

[chri'stina 190]

Sujeet's degree is from India and it caused no problems while he looked for his job. He is in IT too. The way they check qualifications is often with skill tests(for the IT industry). At least that's how it was for Sujeet.

Edited March 29, 2006 by stina&suj

[pax 0]

Good to know, Stina--thanks.

[lucyrich 20]

I work for a large commercial software development firm. About half of the programmers I work with are immigrants. I've been involved in interviewing and hiring some of them.

Don't worry. Generally, it's important to have at least a four-year university degree in order to get your resume past the HR folks, but beyond that, the specifics of the degree aren't as important as the candidate's specific skills, work experience, and demonstrable knowledge.

If he's been out of school awhile, employment history is far, far more important than the degree. If he's a recent graduate, the degree becomes more important, but if there's a question about the degree, a transcript of classes taken will usually tell an accurate enough story of what the degree covered.

Expect some technical quizzing to be sure the knowledge listed on the resume is actually present in the candidate's head. I'd rather hire a programmer who went to a second or third-rate school but remembers the important parts of what he studied than a guy who graduated from a top school and forgot everything after each exam.

[pax 0]

He was a returning student; he got his degree in computer engineering after spending a number of years in civil engineering. A field he'd really like to get back into is CAD support, which is what he did in Glasgow about two years ago. It sort of combines both fields; he was quite good at it and really enjoyed it.

So the consensus seems to be that while translation might be a good option at some point and might indeed be necessary, it will probably be more important for him to be able to answer skills-based questions or do well on skills exams...?

Thanks SO much; you have no idea how helpful you've all been!

[karenros 0]

i do have a masters of computer application, and i havent translateed my degree to the US equivalent, computers are the same in the whole world, just a few ppl have actually asked me some questions about it.

cause its normally the skill set that matters

Edited March 29, 2006 by karenros

[ChristinaM 0]

If Ewen is really worried about it and has good knowledge in the field, he could look into getting Microsoft certified. There's all kinds; MCSE (Systems Engineer), MCSA (Systems Administrator), MCDBA (Database Admin).... They're internationally recognised and if he has the skills already all it would cost is a little revision time for the specific material and the cost of the exams themselves.

[rebeccajo 14]

How do you take these microsoft certifications? Can you get them thru Microsoft (like the website) or do you need to go to school or university to get them?

Gently people. I know nothing about IT and my techie is busy at work selling lotto tickets so can't ask him....*blushes*

Edited March 30, 2006 by rebeccajo

[luv2teach77 41]

I asked several recruiters about their take on qualifications like MCSE etc.. and the feeling seemed to be that while they look good on a resume and are obviously recognized worldwide, someone can go ahead and get themselves MSCE or MSCA without having ANY realworld experience.

For that reason, while they may be able to perform under exam conditions, regurgitating information that they have been taught, that doesn't nessercarily make them a more attractive potential employee than someone who has a number of years actually WORKING with microsoft products who is able to demonstrate knowledge that they have acquired through previous appliccable employment.

In my research into Microsoft qualifications back in the UK prohibiting factor was ALWAYS cost. They are not cheap and I would have to be very sure that they were going to make a big difference to my job search before I funded them myself.

Mark:)

[TracyTN 237]

Mark is right - they're not cheap and not a great measuring stick for actual skill level. Most recruiters know that so the gig is sort of up.

But at any rate, go HERE for more info.

[ChristinaM 0]

I certainly wasn't suggesting that they be substituted for real-world experience - I know how important that is! But if you have that experience and you're concerned about your qualifications translating, they're a possible option. After all, the thread is about qualification translation, not the pros and cons of getting an IT job in the US

Becca, my hubby is doing his MCSE to supplement his experience because he fell into the jobs he had before and needs the paperwork to back him up (especially since his Batchelors is in Music Education!). He took a 16-week intensive "Passport" course at our local techy school which covered the Microsoft stuff, A+, Network+ and Security+. It was horrendously expensive - $15,000 for the tuition, which he now feels he could have done on his own. The exams are not cheap either, but it's a matter of priority. <sigh> He's at home studying full-time now to make sure he knows everything he needs to do the job (NOT just what he needs to pass the exams), and is working his way through it all a little at a time.

I also have a contact through my work who is a consultant, who has very kindly agreed to take Chris out on a "work-shadowing" basis. I'm hoping that it will encourage him to keep on working, and that it will broaden his circle of contacts for when he will be jobhunting in the area.

Edited March 30, 2006 by clmarsh