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Moved to the land of opportunities in 1997 after spending 16 years as a Scientist at ISRO Satellite Center, Bangalore. It was rather a very late move in my career. I was in my late thirties. Such was the craze for software during that time, I decided to try my luck in software. I had spent my time at ISRO as a failure analyst of electronic components used in satellites. It was a major challenge for me to adopt software development. The mere thought of surviving in USA presented me with migraine attacks during the last year of service at ISRO. The driving force for the change was that I felt stagnated at ISRO. The regular promotions got delayed, and I did not visualize myself climbing up the career ladder fast enough. The transition to software development was not that easy. The initial 4 years in the USA was very challenging.
Having joined a software consulting company, I was sent as an expert whereas I was just then learning the ropes of software development. Having gone through this experience, I would highly recommend anyone coming to the US to come with the required skill set and experience and have someone to support you. I was lucky that my wife was an experienced software architect, and I could depend on her whenever I ran into trouble. Unlike in India, the jobs in the US are not guaranteed. It is easy to hire and fire. Even if you are very good at work, the fortunes of the company may affect you. If you are able to get a green card, that will help in switching employers and not to worry about your visa status. With all these uncertainties, if you are able to survive here, it can turn out to be the best place to live and raise your family.
American Politics: US has only two parties: Democrats, Republicans. When I moved to US in 1997, I used to enjoy the presidential debates. The contestants were very civil to each other and all-important issues affecting the country were debated. But over the years, the presidential debates have deteriorated. There is a real danger to democracy with voices promoting authoritarianism.
Issues affecting the US:
- Gun violence: Mass shootings in US is very common now a days. A mass shooting is when more than 4 people are killed. Even after seeing so many mass shootings, no real progress is made to control this menace. There is more support for possessing guns in US. I do not understand the need for automatic machine guns for civilians. This issue alone makes me wonder if I should return back to India immediately.
- Abortion: This issue totally divides US into two groups. Republicans going all the way to ban abortions as early as 6 weeks, when you don’t even realize you are pregnant. Republicans are supporting the ban even against rape and incest. Democrats are in favor of having the choice left to the pregnant women. To me it looks like this issue is well handled in India.
- Judiciary: The supreme court judges in US are appointed by the political parties based on their political leanings. They are appointed for life. Of late, the confidence in the Supreme court judges is at the lowest with some of the judges enjoying the luxury provided by billionaires.
- Immigration and Border control: This is another issue where the Democrats and Republicans are totally divided on the approach to immigrants fleeing from many countries from the South.
- Importance of US in world stage: The role and importance of US in world stage has deteriorated. After having engaged in several wars and lost lot of soldiers and $, there is no appetite war. No boots on the ground is the current philosophy.
- Technological advances: US still retains its top place for innovation. With entrepreneurship encouraged, we see birth of new companies with new products and services. Amazon/google/facebook/Microsoft/apple/uber/paypal etc are some examples of great companies with great products and services. Silicon Valley still retains its place for new start-ups. This is one area which looks positive for US.
With all the above issues, I am still debating if I should return to India or stay put here. It is very heartening to note the progress India has been making in the last few years. In my recent trip to India in 2023 (March-April), I visited 9 different cities, thanks to the cheap flights. I am impressed with the airports, development of highways. Introduction of Aadhar, UPI payments, digital transformation, adoption of mobile technologies present India as a more developed country. With more opportunities for entrepreneurs, it looks like time to return and take part in the developing economy of India.
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.