Passport to Payday

Navigating the U.S. Job Market
An Event for International Students

Passport to Payday is an annual event for international students at NDSU who would like to know more about navigating the U.S. job market. Through an evening of presenters, students will learn about CPT, OPT, and internships, get an update on current immigration laws, better understand employment in academia, and information on preparing for the upcoming career fairs.

This event is hosted by the NDSU Career and Advising Center and the International Student and Study Abroad Office.

**The 2022 date and location of this event are yet to be determined. 

Please find information on Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT) on the International Student and Study Abroad Services webpage.

>> NDSU ISSAS Immigration Resources 

Links and Resources:

Contact Information:

NDSU International Student and Study Abroad Services
Memorial Union 116
701-231-7895
Staff Contact Page
Gokey Immigration Law Office
1129 5th Avenue South, Fargo, North Dakota 58103
701 356-5995
www.gokeyimmigrationlaw.com 
Tabitha Thomas 
Director of Faculty Immigration
Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty & Equity
701-231-8052
tabitha.thomas@ndsu.edu

International students are encouraged to seek out internship opportunities as their immigration status and academic schedule allows. Internships can be a wonderful way to learn more about an industry, and in some cases, can lead to longer-term employment.

Internship Can Help Students:

  • Test a career decision before graduation
  • Gain a competitive edge in the professional job market
  • Gain “real life” experience
  • Earn money to help with college expenses
  • Network with professionals and potential employers
  • Improve resume writing, job searching, and interviewing skills

#NDSUintern Experiences:

Interview with Swetha Thiyagarajan | Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.) | Biogran

[Link to interview transcript]

Interview with Adikie Essegbey | Construction Management (Master’s degree) | McKenzie County

Jasmin Kaempfer | Marketing/Sales (Bachelor’s degree) | Korber Medipak Systems NA, Inc. Fargo Automation Division

Where to look:

  • Upcoming career fairs will be a great place to start looking for jobs and internships!  Click here for more information about the Spring 2022 Career Fairs.
  • Handshake – Did you know that NDSU has a job board that is only for their students and alumni?  That means that the employers are posting in this system because they want YOU!
  • Looking for more options?  We’ve compiled a whole webpage dedicated to different job boards and some unique and helpful features of each.  Check out this page to learn more.
    • Considering applying for faculty positions down the road?  We’ve got a video for that too – click here for Faculty Job Search Tips and Tricks!
    • Maybe you are interested in applying for an industry position and have some questions on which documents to use, how to find “hidden” job markets, and  how to best us your time.  We have a video for that, too!

How to prepare:

Staying organized:

  • There is likely a lot of information you have to keep straight, so consider using tools to keep things organized!  Here’s a Job Search Log to help keep track of contacts, dates and times for follow up, website details, and so on.
  • Handshake also allows you to upload many documents to be used for applications through the system and for convenient storage. You can also track notes about interactions with each of the employers on the platform.

Contact the Career and Advising Center for any additional questions regarding your job search.

Career and Advising Center 

Ceres Hall 306 | 701-231-7111

ndsu.cac@ndsu.edu