Struggle to Success – A True Story
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Although America is looking for IT professionals, in 80% of cases, it is not a red carpet welcome. This struggle to success story applies to those 80% of newcomers to the USA. If you’ve been living a luxurious life in India and you used to come to the USA for spending holidays like going from Mumbai to Matheran then this is NOT your case. The struggle to success story has been written for a traditional Indian IT professional from a middle class family who comes to the USA on work visa or student visa to full-fill his/her e dreams on this land of opportunities.
First 2-3 Months in the USA
- Many talented Indian professionals starts their lives by becoming a member/roommate of already an over populated apartment or a home in the USA. The Desi employer based in the USA has a fancy term for those places, namely, Guest House or Corporate Apartment.
- With the overpopulation sometime they happily sleep on a carpet. Yeah! Some unlucky one does not get a bed with good quality mattress.
- Time to time tell to his/her friend/relatives/people in India that they are in this country but s/he really miss his/her home country India and Indian climate, friends and relatives, and proudly announce that I am here just to earn money.
- Often complains to friends around them that I am not really able to understand what my American fellows talk!!
- Praise America for every good moment and talks about it with a great enthusiasm to his friends/family members in India.
- Do not miss any opportunity to criticize anything which conflicts with his traditional upbringing in India.
- Counts for each penny, and doe not spend much on bad habits such as Alcohol or going to a pubs or nude club. Very few spend too much in alcohol and $ex like they have never seen such thing before.
- First converts the money in the Indian currency before buying any item.
- 100% flexible to work in any city, or any location in the entire USA.
- Works overtime, and work like a slave to impress immediate boss at the client side. And in 90% of the cases excels in the job and also recognized by his/her American colleagues and manager.
- Speaks very fast English in the British style, and his/her American fellows need to listen it with a close attention.
After a few months in the USA
- When such a talented and super intelligent person is on the bench without any salary benefits or at pretty much reduced benefits, he/she (H1B Employee) treats the current employer like a GOD. And constantly live under a fear that my employer may send him/her back to India or ask me to vacate the apartment. (In 80% of cases, after a few more months he/she will realize that this scumbag H1B employer is a DOG).
- Buys a car, and starts sending different pictures to his friends/families in India. He will take the pictures of his car (front and back), showing him in car, out of car, opening the door of the car, driving the car etc… in different positions. Sounds funny ? But it is true. Other photographs may be that s/he is standing in front/behind of big building, Statue of Liberty and so on..
- Lap dance, visiting adult night clubs are some of the adventures that he would share happily with his friends for rest of the life. He would tell that “Yeah , I have been there” nothig is wrong in that as I didn’t do anything. This would be simply a inconvenient lie !
- Helps brothers/sisters/parents financially by sending money to India on a regular or need basis.
- English listening power improves drastically.
- Now starts cooking at his apartment, calls mom/wife (if married) /sister in India on how to cook certain recipes.
- Parents start hunting a good match for this gentleman.
After 1 or 2 Year
- Starts realizing that it was a costly mistake of sticking with the same employer forever. Few are never able to leave their current employer because their green card processing is under way with their employer. Few of them are now offered a full time job to join the respective client , and very few of them are able to terminate the employment with the desi employer and join the client for full time. Most other H1B employees continue to hop from one contractual assignment to another.
- Goes to home country with lots of electronics items purchased from USA.
- Goes to India, gets married at jet speed, and after few months/days of marriage, his/her spouse also joins him/her.
After 2-3 Years
- If he is recently married, gets in to impressing spouse, showing her malls, taking her out for a long drive, successfully deliver a (wrong!) message he is $exy, loving, adventurous and trustworthy.
- The honeymoon period is over. Now this H1B fellow realizes that getting a Green Card is the way to go. He spends much time researching on the Green Card rules and regulations, and time to time spends much of his time talking with their friends about Green Card processing.
- The H1B couple decides that while we are in the USA (short term or long term); we need to have at least one baby who is not bound to this Green Card stuff. So wife gets pregnant and soon they will be proud parents. Now, the same guy who used to be 100% flexible to work in any city, any location in the entire USA now becomes less flexible.
- With kid’s arrival, s/he calls parents for help and parents happily joined them in the USA. Now, he/she is not so flexible.
- What will happen if his/her contract at client side gets terminated because of budget constraints brings a cold chill. Now s/he thinks that my employer is my GOD. And many who realized that my H1B employer was not a GOD but a scumbag DOG will find a better position somewhere else and tries to start a stable life.
- This is the time, many H1B visa professionals find that they are paying the cost of not taking right steps during their first 12 months in the USA.
- Now he has a good friend circles in the USA as well.
After 4-5 year
- Kids are now 1-2 year old. Green card is either half way through or may be person is timid enough not to start the Green Card processing with the right employer. Now the same guys tells that he is here to stay. There is no immediate plan to go back to India!
After 5-6 year
- Finally, couple realized that one thing that they should have done it many years ago is to buy a home. So, finally they buy a home. Meanwhile, they gets their Green Card. With the adequate savings live very comfortably in his own home.
After 10 year
- Now becoming rich who speaks fluent English with little mix of the American and Indian accents , and very social person, participates in various community activities.
- Most probably wife may also also be working.
- If this H1B fellow (who is now Citizen or GC holder) is Gujju , he might have ventured out in owning a Subway or gas station!!
- Their kids are now ABCD (America Born Confused Desi), H1B fellows keeps pushing these ABCDs to participate in religious celebrations . However, after a few years, these ABCD kids continue to confuse themselves and their parents about which culture to follow : Indian or American? And which culture is the best?
After 15-18 Year
- Job, money and stability are no longer a concern. Now NRI parents have a good reputation in the community. But their kids are definitely a number ONE concern. As an Indian he wants his ABCD kids to follow ABC (the alphabets) of Indian culture. Being Indian, they want their ABCD kids to follow the ABC( the alphabets) of the Indian culture. They always think that As they were born and raised in India, their parents had a full privilege about asking any questions about their life, even they let their parents participate in certain important decisions of their lives. But the same does not hold true with their grown up ABCD kids. And finally, the H1B fellows look back in their lives and spend rest of their life in deciding whether coming to America was a right or wrong decision?
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