No LinkedIn, No Green Card: How I Landed My H1B Job in America in 2002

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Sep 23, 2025

Imagine job hunting in America with no LinkedIn, no green card, and a post-9/11 economy in freefall. That was my reality in 2002 as a PhD student who needed the H1B(!!) visa sponsorship. This is the story of how I still found my first H1B job.

Over the past few days, the U.S. government has announced significant updates to the H1B program. For many international students and employees chasing their American dream, the news has sparked anxiety and uncertainty. America’s superpower has always been built, in part, on bringing together top talent from around the world. The country will remain a dreamland for many, especially as conditions in their home countries are often far worse. The H1B system is not perfect. It has defects that must be fixed. As an immigrant and now a proud U.S. citizen, I support a visa system that serves both America’s advancement and those who pursue their American dreams. I am not here to debate policy or delve into the nuances of H1B visa issues, but I want to share my own experience in finding my first American job, which required H1B sponsorship. I hope this story may be helpful to those who are navigating the same journey today.

It took me back to 2002, when I was finishing my Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Chicago, just after 9/11. At the time, I was still years away from becoming a U.S. citizen. I needed H1B sponsorship. And this was before LinkedIn even existed.

The timing could not have been worse. The dot-com bubble had burst, the economy was still reeling from 9/11, and companies were freezing hiring. As a chemistry PhD student, the odds looked slim. Employers were reluctant to hire internationals, and research jobs in chemistry were scarce. For every position posted online, there could be hundreds of PhDs applying, whether recent graduates or those with additional postdoctoral experience. My own research had made good progress, but my papers were still “manuscript in preparation.”

What helped me was mentorship. During my first year at UChicago, I met Bonnie, an MBA student at Chicago GSB (before it became Booth). She was like a big sister. Despite her busy schedule, she coached me on how MBAs approached the job search with structure, persistence, and hustle.

By spring 2002, I began emailing industry contacts I had met at conferences. Nearly everyone replied. None had job openings, but they generously shared their career stories. At the very least, I gained practice in English, my second language, and continued to move forward.

Then came the turning point. I emailed Brian Goodall, an accomplished chemist and inventor, whom I deeply admired. The email bounced back. Surprising! He was far too young to retire. My instinct told me he must have joined a new company.

I asked around. Weeks later, my advisor, Professor Rich Jordan, mentioned that Brian had moved to Rohm and Haas, the largest specialty chemical company in the U.S. at the time, and a Fortune 500 giant later acquired by Dow Chemical. But he did not have Brian’s new contact information.

This was before LinkedIn. Finding someone meant old-fashioned detective work. I pulled up the Rohm and Haas website. The company had many locations, but I figured Brian would still be in the U.S., and unlikely to work out of a sales office or production site. Then I spotted the Spring House Technical Center, their global R&D hub, located about an hour north of Center City, Philadelphia.

I dialed the main number and asked the receptionist for Brian Goodall. Fifteen seconds later, Brian was on the line. He was pleasantly surprised to hear from me. Even more remarkably, he had just started at Rohm and Haas three weeks earlier and was assembling a new team. My research background and skills matched exactly what he was looking for.

A few weeks later, in June 2002, I flew to Philadelphia. The interview day was intense: it began with a 9 a.m. presentation, followed by eight one-hour interviews. By the end, every interviewer gave me a thumbs-up.

That was the only job I applied for, the only offer I received, and the start of my career in America. My H1B visa was issued swiftly, and I began my first post-graduate job later that year.

Later, Brian praised me for my resourcefulness. I have carried that word with me ever since. My journey in the U.S. has been largely unstructured. I have often had to find not just a way through the door, but even where the door was in the first place.

That resourcefulness has shaped my career. On June 10, 2003, after six months of investigation, my research at Rohm and Haas achieved a breakthrough. I made a series of inventions that later led to four issued U.S. patents. Years later, as I began investing in American startups, that same mindset continued to guide my decisions. Through those investments, I have been fortunate to contribute to the creation of thousands of American jobs.

Takeaways from that journey:

Do not wait until a few months before graduation to prepare for your job search and career.
Do not be discouraged by setbacks: what does not kill you makes you stronger.
Take accountability. Be proactive. No one will do it for you.
Be resourceful. Whether there is LinkedIn or not, whether the tools are new or old, find a way.

Opportunities favor the prepared mind. And without Bonnie’s mentorship and the generosity of others, that first door would have been much harder to find. The road ahead will always be full of uncertainties. That is why I share my story to remind myself, and hopefully others, that persistence, accountability, and resourcefulness can still open doors, even in the most challenging of times.