There are also a ton of employers here in Philadelphia who are outside the traditional tech scene, but need tech skills and are possibly able to facilitate visas. The OP jumps from entry-level job to engineering degree which is possibly an assumption that they'll be working in a pure tech company. There are more opportunities if you cast the net wider.

You ideally want to avoid the "body shops", of which there are plenty, but I found visa and entry to the US was more important than how perfect the role was. If you can demonstrate the skills people need I've found people here don't care so much about where you are coming from.