Being an Indian immigrant Is it worth living in the United States ? (2024)

A friend of mine recently asked me is living the American dream worth it with all the stress that comes with it?

Sitting alone in a park here in the beautiful sunny weather listening to my favorite music makes me think about my friend's question. I may not be the right person to answer this question as my total stay here is no more than nine months, but in this short time I have started deciphering certain aspects of life in this country. Each country has its own shares of good and bad, but US in spite of all the latest political developments gets a lot of things right.

• Culture: US is a land of immigrants and full of US Jobs and opportunities. The culture here especially in California is an amalgamation of cultures from all around the world. In the park I can see people of different races fitting into this culture. An indian grandmother is consoling her grandson who just fell from the swings, a Chinese father is teaching his son to ride a scooter, a Mexican mother is running after her child who is trying to get away, an American father is stopping his child from eating too much candy - their cultures may differ a lot but still their objectives in life to provide a good life for family unite them in a unique way.
• Freedom: The freedom you get here regardless of your race, gender or status is quite liberating and push you ahead towards accomplishing your ambitions. Failure is celebrated here and not seen as a sign of weakness. Every individual has a certain worth here and is respected for that, whatever occupation they might be pursuing. Nobody tells here what to do, you write the script of your life yourself.

• Infrastructure: The great infrastructure of this country be it roads, electricity, internet, parks all enable you to lead a peaceful life. You don't have to worry about power cuts, water failures, internet outages or road potholes. This also comes as a burden to you in terms of increased taxes and expenses but for the value these things provide it is totally worth it, you can also find some genuine prime vendor list which can help you to migrate in USA on work visa.
• Opportunities: I know the government here is trying to close doors for the immigrants but still US remains a land of amazing opportunities. If you are talented and passionate about your work you won’t have many problems to find a job you desire. The entrepreneurial spirit here especially in Silicon Valley is contagious which has led to the birth of some of the biggest companies that are making the world a better place. It can be pretty expensive to live here but there is not better place to be if you are into technology.
• Travel: If you are a travel buff like me US will not disappoint you. This country offers you some of the most diverse landscapes be it the surreal national parks or the majestic deserts, the glorious hills or the bustling cities. You can be an adventurer for a day and go on for sky diving, skiing, hiking, climbing or any other activity you can name.
• Choices: Being a capitalist country there is a lot of competition in each category which leads to myriad of choices for the consumers. You can choose from hundred different varieties of cereals, thousands of brands of clothes and delicious cuisines from almost all the parts of the world.There are a lots of direct client list available in USA which provide good salary and other benefits to the candidate who work on work visa in US and living standard of USA is very very better than India there is no doubt in this.

There are so many other great things that I did not mention like the cleanliness, private space, following of rules that make this country worth living. But there are always things which might lead certain people to rethink about the worthiness.

• Connection: We human beings long for connection and a sense of belonging. Americans are really nice in the way they talk to you. US staffing is now a big industry for those who asking what is US staffing it almost work on all tax terms and provide the good pay scale to the candidate.You will get greetings from complete strangers when you are walking down the street. But from what I have seen during my short stay, it is difficult to make deep connections with them. Americans like to hangout mostly with other Americans, same goes for Chinese or Indians. For the most part you won’t know anything about your neighbor except his/her garbage throwing schedule. Although I have not experienced this, people who have lived here long enough tell me that they don’t feel a sense of belonging here. They have given so much to this country, still they don’t feel welcome.
• American Dream: People who come here longing for a good life are getting disappointed due to the rising expenses of living in the country. The American dream of having a big house with a backyard and a dog is no longer affordable by a huge chunk of the middle class. There are very much opportunity of c2c jobs which always provide a best and flexible work culture to immigrant with all benefits from employer side.You can earn 200K$ in SF and still not afford to rent a nice home and take care of your family. The salaries are stagnating and real estate prices are rising which is forcing a lot of people to rethink their dreams.
• It’s not home: Even if you love American culture and start enjoying your life here, there will be days when you will be longing for Indian food and not find the same taste of home in most of the restaurants here. There will be times when you will miss your easily accessible house help when you have to do all the household chores yourself. You will miss the chaos of living in India over the peaceful life here. You will miss your family and friends whom you now visit once a year. I am not saying you cannot make a home here but where ever you live it will be difficult to let go off your attachment to your home land.

• Closing doors: With the latest election results it is clear that what majority of Americans want. The Visa system here is totally messed up and rewards luck over qualifications. If you are from India, you might have to wait for 10 - 50 years for a Green card. With the new Government zeroing down on immigrants people are feeling more unwelcome here than ever before But if you talking about migration from india to abroad then US and canada is the best option if you are a IT professional because you can growth limitless here and these countries always appreciated the genuine talent.

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