How I Fought to Stay in the USA, and Ended Up at Google

USA and Google said "no" to me… several times.

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 "𝘆𝗲𝘀".

I didn’t think I was smart enough. My background wasn’t impressive. And… well, my English? Let’s just say it wasn’t great.

Oh, and someone once told me Google required you to speak three languages. I only spoke two: Spanish and Andaluz (which is technically a dialect, but let’s not tell anyone 🤫).

So how in the world did Google end up hiring me?

The Beginning: A Shot at the USA

Thirteen years ago, I was building frontend websites when I landed a contract with a startup in San Francisco called Hattery. They brought me to the USA on a 6-month contract, with the option to extend it to a year.

I was a junior developer who loved creating things that made people smile—unique, fun, sometimes terribly written things (looking at you, hackathon projects).

I spent evenings and weekends coding, pushing myself to learn and grow. Since I couldn't speak much English, I decided to let my work do the talking.

The First “No”

Four months in, I asked Hattery to extend my contract.

They said no.

I was crushed. How could this happen? I felt like I was working harder than anyone else. But deep down, I knew my English wasn’t helping.

My dream of staying in the USA was farther than I thought.

Google’s Rejection

Determined to stay in the USA, I applied to every job I could, including Google.

And then, I got the dreaded email: “Thank you for applying, but…”

You know how it goes.

A Glimpse of Hope

Just weeks before my visa expired, I got an offer from a big e-commerce company: 4x my salary and an H1B sponsorship. It felt amazing.

Then, a week before my contract ended, Hattery came back. They offered to sponsor my H1B. Curious, I told them my new offer was 2.5x my salary (I didn’t think they’d believe the real number). Their counteroffer? $1 more.

Seriously? 😒

But over the weekend, I realized something important: I loved working at Hattery. The team was talented, and I got to help build startups from scratch.

So on Monday, I said yes. Goodbye, e-commerce. ✌️

Chaos Strikes

Everything seemed to be going well until financial trouble hit Hattery. My H1B was "TBD", and it felt like everything was falling apart.

Our founder told us companies were interested in acquiring the team. One of them? Google.

My Second Chance

Google wanted to interview a few of us. I prepped like crazy, did all the rounds, and felt like I nailed it.

But then the news came: “They’re looking for someone more senior”.

Ouch. That hurt. 😔

I told our founder Google was making a mistake, but there wasn’t much he could do.

A Twist of Fate

On Monday, I got a surprising update: another team at Google wanted to interview me.

My third chance.

So, I prepped again. Another full day of interviews at Mountain View. Everything went smoothly, but I didn’t get my hopes up.

Weeks passed. No news.

Then, one day, they said yes. 🙌

Google offered me the job, and they'd sponsor my H1B as well.

The Celebration

I couldn’t believe it. My dream of staying in the USA and working at Google had come true. I cried like a baby. 😭

To celebrate, I went to Hawaii with my friends and did something that scared me the most: jumped out of a plane. (Yes, there’s a picture of me screaming midair somewhere).

The Learning

Sometimes, your journey takes longer than you expect. You might hear “no” more times than you can count.

But if you keep going—working, learning, putting yourself out there—you create opportunities for yourself, even when things feel impossible.