Planning to study & work in US? Man's hard-hitting post warning 'Indian middle class' viral: 'Harsh reality check'
Studying, working and eventually living the rest of your life in the U.S. is a dream for many. While it's clear that the process to attain a study or work visa and citizenship is getting tougher with time, exactly how tough it can be was recently revealed by a Redditor who took to the social media platform to share his ordeal of taking a loan, shifting to the U.S. for study and finding it tough to secure a job.?
What did the viral post warning the 'Indian middle class' planning to study and work abroad reveal?
People flocking to US, think twice
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?User 'all_is_1_or_0' took to the r/India sub Reddit to warn people moving to the U.S. to "think twice."
Calling the initial days, "extremely tough, he explained how he quit a high-paying job, took out a loan of $20,000 and moved to America in January 2023 for his master's degree. He struggled with most things students and job aspirants moving from India to the U.S. or Canada often do: crying on calls to parents, homesickness, second-guessing purchases and finding on-campus work.?He somehow managed to land an internship with a company that later offered him a full-time role. He was slowly starting to feel good about things.?
But it all came crashing down not much later. "But starting in May, life took a series of unfortunate turns. I was involved in an accident, had falling-outs with close friends, and tragically, I had to move out of my apartment after some unforeseen things happening in my old room. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, I¡¯ve now received a layoff notice from my employer last month to leave by end of September," he wrote.
?The financial toll was immense. He had to sell his car at a major loss, and other things he owned. The loan was another horror tale in the making. "I¡¯ve still not paid off my student loan. Sadly, I wasn¡¯t able to fulfill my goal of bringing my parents to visit the US, and instead, I¡¯m relying on them for financial support to cover my remaining $12,000 loan from my bachelor¡¯s degree in India," he explained.
He goes on to share the toll his current life is taking on his mental health and how he is considering returning to India. He revealed, "Now, I¡¯m back to job hunting, reaching out to people like crazy, but the job market is brutal. I keep facing rejections, and the dreaded question, ¡°Will you now or in the future need sponsorship?¡± keeps coming up. It¡¯s disheartening, especially when my previous work experience doesn¡¯t seem to help me land new opportunities. I¡¯m beginning to question whether returning to my home country would be better for my mental health."
Calling it a "harsh reality check" for someone who has "always excelled at life," OP admitted to feeling like a "burden" to those around him. "Despite the encouragement from my parents and relatives, I¡¯ve lost my motivation, and I¡¯m not sure where things went wrong," OP wrote in the heartbreaking post.
His warning hit hard when he wrote, "I¡¯m sharing this for those who are considering coming to the US for study and work. The challenges are real¡ªOPT can be difficult, and employers and recruiters are often tough to navigate. Job hunting feels like an uphill battle, and if you¡¯re from a middle-class family, the financial burden can be overwhelming if things don¡¯t go as planned."
He continued by writing that the market will take time before it springs back up again. With layoffs and AI taking over jobs, job seekers are facing "rejection after rejection." Worse still, companies that fire you anytime.?
?He ended his warning with, "Maybe I¡¯m just venting, but I want future aspirants to carefully consider the financial and emotional challenges of pursuing opportunities in the US. It can be an excruciating experience if things don¡¯t go as planned."
How did Reddit react?
The post was shared 10 hours ago and has raked in 800 upvotes and counting. Clearly, the post struck a nerve for the people reading it. Here's what people wrote:
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