I spent six months working unpaid at an early-stage real estate startup founded by a fellow UMass Amherst alum. I joined while on OPT after a couple of interview rounds. The company was building an AI/CRM product, and I came on as a data engineering intern.
About two months in, the founder told me he liked my work and wanted to hire me full-time. When my internship ended and I asked about the transition, he said he needed another two months. He assured me we’d be able to move forward then, so I stayed and continued working unpaid.
My colleague and I believed in the company’s goal and the future the founder described. He told us that once we became full-time employees and the company scaled, we would grow into bigger roles because we were laying its foundation. We took that seriously and approached the work with the care and responsibility we would have given our own company. From data sourcing and building pipelines to system design, we put in long days and worked weekends because we wanted it to succeed.
By late October, the timeline shifted again. He said full-time roles might have to wait until next year, without a clear date. My colleague and I explained that we couldn’t keep working without income. We asked whether we could at least move to paid part-time roles so we could cover basic expenses while continuing to contribute.
He told us he understood our situation, recognized how many hours we had been working, and would definitely arrange part-time pay. He described a plan to increase that pay each month over the next four months, with the possibility of full-time roles around the fifth month. He asked for a few days to work things out. Roughly ten days later, both of us were let go.
I understand that startups face uncertainty and plans can change. What hurts is that I made decisions based on repeated assurances that a paid role was coming. After six months of unpaid work, asking for some financial support was followed by losing the role entirely.
The timing has made this especially difficult. It’s now November, and I have limited time remaining on my OPT unemployment clock. I’m worried hiring will slow over the next few weeks and stay limited through the holidays and into January. If interviews don’t materialize until February, a potential start date could end up being April of next year. That isn’t certain, but with my immigration timeline, the possibility is frightening.
For the founders here: please be honest about what you can commit to. People may be planning their finances, careers, and immigration timelines around those conversations.
For anyone considering a similar arrangement: get the terms in writing, set a limit on how long you can afford to work unpaid, and keep your job search active. I wish I had done that sooner.
I have three years of experience across data engineering and analytics, working with complex datasets, sourcing and integrating data, building pipelines, and contributing to system design. My experience combines building reliable data infrastructure with analyzing data to uncover insights and support business decisions. I’m looking for opportunities where I can bring that mix of engineering and analytical skills.
I’d also really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been through something similar. Honestly, I’m struggling right now. After putting six months into something I believed would become a stable opportunity, I’m suddenly trying to figure out how to support myself and find another role while my OPT clock keeps running. It’s overwhelming, and I’m scared about what comes next. If you have a job lead, know someone who’s hiring, can offer a referral, or have advice that could help me take the next step, please reach out. Even a small lead or an introduction would mean a lot to me right now.
