alt Hacker NewsAsk HN: 500 citation MSc CS, stuck in a low-trust region. How to move forward?
I’m reaching out here because I’ve hit a wall that feels insurmountable and I am looking for genuine perspective from people who might have navigated systemic barriers.
I have a Master’s in Computer Science from a European university and a research background with papers totaling over 500 citations. In my spare time, I’m a builder and I’ve developed web apps, games, and various side projects. On paper, I should have a solid career path, but my reality is the opposite.
I am currently back in my home country in the East due to circumstances I couldn't control. Despite my credentials, my degree feels useless here. I work at a decent-sized western company (fully remote), but the internal politics are volatile and I fear for my job security. More painfully, I feel a deep sense of prejudice; in daily professional conversations, I can hear the tone shift when people realize where I am based. It feels like I am watching others reap what I have sown, while my own investments in skills and projects feel futile.
The core of my problem is twofold:
Geographic and Legal: The jobs I am actually qualified for are almost exclusively in the West, but there is no current legal path for me to migrate or secure a living there.
The Trust Gap: Despite the citations and my portfolio, I lack the "signal" that makes international recruiters or local employers trust my expertise. It feels like I'm "cursed" by my place of birth.
For those who have been stuck in "low-trust" geographies or faced extreme systemic barriers despite having high-level skills:
How do you bridge the trust gap with Western companies when relocation isn't an option? Are there specific niches (Remote-first R&D, specialized consulting, etc.) where academic citations and a builder mindset actually carry weight?
I am looking for any genuine suggestions on how to leverage what I have to secure a life that doesn't feel impossible.
Comments
The easy way out for you is getting into a Phd program. You should have a easy way in if your research background is good.
Now you might not want a PhD for various reasons, but tech jobs are a bit more tricky to navigate nowadays. I'd honestly not hire someone in your position, there is really no easy to do it.
Given that, the difficult way out is starting a company, which has an entirely different set of challenges.
A classic way to bridge the gap is to put a great academic brand on your CV. For example, you could work as a research assistant in CS for a famous university (e.g. Cambridge, Imperial, ETH).
Since the salaries they offer are low, the competition won't be so intense, and they will offer support to relocate. Once you have a foot in the ground, you can apply to great industry jobs.
A more elaborate plan would be to obtain a PhD at one of those institutions, but that is quite time-consuming and the benefits might not offset the costs.
It resonates with me. I live in a small country (luckily an European one) where investments do not flow into tech. I have talked with many of my fellow countrymen that feel the same. Maybe we will never reach our full potential (professionally) by working here. Remote work is part of the solution for now, but it remains rare and requires a trust signal.
My only suggestion is to keep pushing until you make it.
tbh this seems to me like it might be less about career advice and more about emotional support. it's not uncommon for people to slip into a mindset where an external bias is internalized so thoroughly that they start holding themselves back in situations even when nothing external is.
talking to someone, a therapist ideally but any honest, skilled active listener could do, about it can help you see things from a different perspective. might help you identify things you can do to counter the things you can't control.
> I lack the "signal" that makes international recruiters or local employers trust my expertise.
And what is that signal?
please send me an email <[email protected]>. I'm a PhD student at cambridge, and might be able to put you in touch with folks who have positions to hire you as an RA if your research profile fits. even if there isn't an immediate fit, I'm happy to scout around and see if anything pops up. Best, Sid