Welcome back to the Global Alumni Spotlight Series, where we feature early‑career alumni building careers across borders. In this installment, Louis Choo-Choy, B.S. ’25, shares how he landed his first full‑time job in the United States as an international student.
Degree: B.S. Computer Science & Statistics ’25
Current Role: Backend Python Software Engineer, NVIDIA
What was your first job in the U.S., and how did you get the role?
After hundreds of applications for software engineering roles post grad, I considered applying to grad school, although I’m not sure my heart was in it. A job appeared at NVIDA that I knew was perfect for me but I also knew I had to drop all my other plans if I was going to have a shot at it. My career advisor had been a super valuable resource to me for over a year, and he agreed that I should go all in on this job. Fortunately, it worked out and I couldn’t be more grateful.
What surprised you most about the job search, visa or work authorization process?
The job search is complicated and progress is anything but a straight line. I would encourage people in the throes of the job search to make sure they are doing what they need to do each day, like sending applications and asking for help from people, rather than fixating on results. Those will come in time and will often happen unexpectedly. Many of the people I have spoken to at NVIDIA have gotten their job through some serendipitous series of events. With respect to the visa situation, the Duke Visa Center and Career Center are invaluable resources – don’t be afraid to ask them all the little questions you have about your visa.
What’s one thing you would do differently if you were starting your career in the U.S. again?
The first thing I would do differently is to make contact with the Career Center as soon as possible and make sure you are as informed as possible about your own visa situation and what you need to do. It’s also a good idea to make friends with other internationals who are in a similar field to you. It’s always easier to do these things with others and it’s good to share knowledge. The other thing is to start the job search as early as possible and try to land an internship with a U.S company in your sophomore and junior year. I didn’t have one of these and it made everything a lot harder.
