CAUTION !! Industrial Automation Engineers who dream to work in USA

[Goody]

As for myself, I'm willing to take my chances on my own abilities in return for not having a bunch of idiots and bereaucrats looking over my shoulder or hanging on my back.

Well said Tom (trying not to be too sycophantic here, two praises in one topic)
I had, and have those same beliefs. But how do you still get rid of the idiots and bureaucrats. Maybe Im still stinging from my last job though. I had a set of hand picked dummies on that one.
But, I suppose I still had the option to walk away - You just dont though.

 

[Tom Jenkins]

I know exactly what you mean, Goody. I keep going two ways.

First, I remind myself that it is a different bunch of damn fools each time, and I can generally take the price of their stupidity out of their hides, not mine.

Second, I remind myslef that at least I won't have to spend eight hours in meetings explaining to a different bunch of damn fools exactly what kind of damn fools the first bunch were!

 

[okiebob]

pay YOUR dues

Not to slam you, BUT, I am a 10th grade drop out, further military education in electronics (8-12 hours a DAY in the SAME course, no lit or art here) I now work for uncle sam with VERY nice benefits, 50K plus a year, How did I get here.I PROVED that I was WORTHY by many hours of study (and I continue to do so), an OUTSTANDING work ethic, reliability, and other little "UNUSUAL CHARACTERISTICS". This is the USA if you want it and EARN it. I did, it cost me 12 years military (if I stayed in I would have retired @ 37 years old), took a nice early out bonus to get started then started working for some companies to get a DOCUMENTED history. Some Iliked others I didn't, racking up bills (because there was no insurance), now to close,
AMERICA LOVE IT or LEAVE IT. BTW I honestly believe I came out ahead. LIFE is GREAT

 

[okiebob]

pay YOUR dues

Not to slam you, BUT, I am a 10th grade drop out, further military education in electronics (8-12 hours a DAY in the SAME course, no lit or art here) I now work for uncle sam with VERY nice benefits, 50K plus a year, How did I get here.I PROVED that I was WORTHY by many hours of study (and I continue to do so), an OUTSTANDING work ethic, reliability, and other little "UNUSUAL CHARACTERISTICS". This is the USA if you want it and EARN it. I did, it cost me 12 years military (if I stayed in I would have retired @ 37 years old, now 39), took a nice early out bonus to get started then started working for some companies to get a DOCUMENTED history. Some I liked others I didn't, racking up bills (because there was no insurance),now to close, BECOME AMERICAN, not a hyphenated entity,
AMERICA LOVE IT or LEAVE IT. BTW I honestly believe I came out ahead. LIFE is GREAT

 

[rogerhollingsworth]

I would have been an Engineering Manager by now in my company) in India and came to USA to

I think you assume you would have been Engineering Manager and I also think you would been crying these same big tears to your fellow Indians if someone didn't hand you that Engineering Mangers job in India and you would also be telling them about how successful you could have been if you had came to the USA.
I think you are a whiner who can't accept the fact that you failed and you aren't willing to go that extra mile to make it happen.
I'll bet there isn't one, successful, person in this forum that hasn't had to overcome some obstacle and go the extra mile to get where they wanted to be. We all have a story to tell and demons to fight, try France it may be more to your liking.

Sorry for the hard line but quitters get me riled when they pass the buck.
Roger

 

[glaverty]

Typical Salary they pay around USD 40k-50k which is very very low

I now work for uncle sam with VERY nice benefits, 50K plus a year

Apparently 50K a year isn't that great for him, though it sounds like that is more than double what they would make in India.

50K looked pretty good to me coming out of college, and that was about the average salary for an Electrical Engineer. Obviously a manager is going to make more but you usually have to move up the ranks or have experience. I don't think they typically just make you a manager and give you a fat salary.

 

[Indian_American]

Matthias,

In order to start my own firm i should get Greencard first which takes 2-3 years after my employer files a pitition. Also you have to be with the same employer till you get the Greencard.If you take some other job during this process your pitition becomes void and you have to start all over again. it sucks !
In case of H1B Visa you are authorised to work only with the employer who has sponsered your H1B.H1B visa is valid maximum for 6 years.
According to me these both laws are nothing but the exploitation and against the Freedom which American Constitution gurantees.
Employee should have freedom to work for any employer right ?
While making such laws US government should keep in mind that we are High Tech workers and not Farm Workers
I also agree that Life isnt always fun climbing the corporate ladder but one should not have to REBOOT his career after coming to USA like me.Nowdays i do stuff which i was doing as an Intern when i started my career in Industrial Automation 10 years back.
I guess one should always move forward in life and not backward.

Dont worry,Indian restaurents will be still here evenif all the Indian Engineers decide to go back to India.I guess you can find Indians in almost every field in USA Also i observed very few Indians eat outside. May be once or twice in a month.Indians prefer home made food.Most of their customers are Americans.But its true Indian Grocery business will be hurt severely.

 

[Tom Jenkins]

You're starting to **** me off.

First off, farm workers and high tech workers are legally and morally (and in my opinion every which way) equal in terms of rights and character and intelligence and significance to the world. That is one of the fundamental principles that made this country attractive to immigrants for the last two hundred odd years. Higher salaries for one are an accident of supply and demand, not a measure of worth as human beings.

Secondly, by definition H1B workers are guests in our contry. That means you don't have the same rights as citizens. We can do that because unlike a few other places in the world the US has to put up fences to keep people out, not walls to keep them in. You need a salary, we need a few specialized workers - end of promise, end of mutually beneficial arrangement.

The US Constitution, unless I missed a couple of ammendments, doesn't gaurantee guest workers the right to change jobs indiscriminately and displace US citizens. If you feel you are being exploited, go back to India or find another company or whatever it takes. I doubt that the rules for H1B were a secret before you got here!

Finally, if things are going bad, suck it up and do what needs to be done. If your job isn't challenging or stimulating or what you expected, tough. Play the hand you were dealt, and change what you need to change. Like I tell my kids, I am a guy that spent a significant part of my childhood shovelling cow manure. It is real tough to get my sympathy because a job is too tough or not enough fun.

 

[Guest]

okibob,

I agree you have to work hard and sacrifice a lot if you want to EARN IT,not just in USA its everywhere in the WORLD.I believe in Servival of the fittest.In india its very tough to get admission in Engineering Schools because every kid dreams of becoming either Engineer or Doctor bacause these are the only professions which assures many opportunities and highly paid job in India.
I dont have exact figure but you can guess from population of India (More than 1 Billion) how many Students try to get in Engineering School.In India Highschool is a very important stage of your life and if you cant make it to some Engg/Medical School then you have to struggle even more after graduation to get into some Good Career.So when American guys in Highschool are busy in
enjoying their newly discovered youth [You know what i mean ],Indian guys are working hard day and night to get in these schools.Once you graduate as an Engineer/Doctor you are somewhat secure about your future.Here in USA fortunately it doesnt matter.
you can enjoy a good life even working at $8/Hour job at Mcdonalds or somewhere else.

Anyways what i am saying is its not just you even i have done my part of struggle which started from Highschool till i landed with a JOB in Allen Bradley India Ltd after i worked for 5 years with other companies.
It costed me Highschool (those golden years of youth which every Indian student sacrifice for career without any fun)+4 years of Engg degree+2 Years of Masters in Engg Degree + 5 years of Engg Experence to get my dream job in India.

May be we have some different ambitions in life.You are satisfied with what you are today but i am not.

 

[Indian_American]

Oops ! Okibob that was my post.

 

[Indian_American]

Rogerhollingsworth,

This is not an assumption, its a fact.I posted my resume on www.monsterindia.com and i already got a Job Offer last month as an Applications Manager from one Multinational Company based in
Banalore India.I guess they are impressed by the fact that i have
worked in USA for 3 years
Job profile looks like more interesting and challanging.I will be managing a team of 15 Engineers,System Integrator accounts and key Customers.Salary is around 20k USD + Company Car + Accomodation.Not bad compared to Indian Standards and cost of Living.Equivalant to 150k in USA i guess.
Me and my wife did a lot of thinking about it and finally decided to go back.We will be going back to India once my kids are finished with the school.Looks like we are gonna have fun back home

Glaverty,

Yeah 50k is definately good for a Bachelor kid coming out of college,not for someone with 10 years of experience and married with 2 kids.Although its double to Indian Salary standards, you should also consider cost of living in USA.I pay around $1300 for Two Bed Room Aptt here in Virginia, while it costs around $100 in Bangalore India.

Also generally American family has a Double Engine I mean in most of the cases if you are married your wife is also doing some kinda Job.so you have almost double income per family.
H1B Visa Holders wife has dependent visa which doesnt allow her to work in USA.In order to get a job in USA,Your wife should be a professional which falls under H1B defination so that some company can sponser her visa and offer her a job.If your wife is not a H1B profession worker (In my case) she cant work. she has to just sit at Home.

 

[okiebob]

Relaxed yes CONTENT "NO"if

I am relaxed about my job and worth yes, Medical Insurance ALONE is almost 700 a MONTH for a family of 6, I pay about 200 per month. Am I going stay at this level of employment NO, I will move up and on to better things, but I will pay my dues, attend classes out of MY pocket and study at NIGHT. Whiners do a disservice to others, WINNERS benefit all. I am challenged, I receive a good wage (average in this part of OKLAHOMA is around 20K, 26 PAID vacation days per year, ample sick time if needed, the I have FREEDOM to think and act on my own, and the work is FUN. What I formerly did as a HOBBY I now get PAID for. ONLY IN AMERICA

 

[Eric Nelson]

I tried to stay out of this thread, but I can't help 'chiming in'...

This seems like a simple case of Indian_American having a foolish pipe dream that will be soooo easy to 'make it big' in America. As he's found out, it's not so easy.

There's nothing wrong with that. We have all made foolish decisions in life, but to come in here and basically say "I failed to 'strike it rich' in America, so don't nobody else bother" is just a waste of breath...

beerchug

-Eric

P.S. Thank you Tom for explaining the difference between citizens and 'guests'. I couldn't have explained it better myself!...

 

[Indian_American]

First off, farm workers and high tech workers are legally and morally (and in my opinion every which way) equal in terms of rights and character and intelligence and significance to the world.

First let me make it clear that i didnt started this thread to gain sympathy of American Citizens like you.

I agree with you except the intelligence part of it.but unfortunately it doesnt work that way in Real world.If everyone has same intelligence then i wonder why many specially IT companies conduct IQ,analytical reasoning tests before hiring an employee?

I also wonder why CEO's of the companies get paid Higher Salaries ?
I am pretty sure there are more capable people than no of companies in USA who can sucessfully manage this job.So i think your Supply and Demand principle doesnt come into picture here.

Guest should be treated as Guest not as slaves.
American Government should make it sure that no guest should get exploited.They should always go back with a smile on their face and good impression about America.
In India people belive that Guest is another form of God.
Its American Govt's failure that it was unable to produce enough skilled Manpower in almost every field and has to rely upon other countries for skilled Manpower.

By Law Minimum salary requirement for H1B Workers is 40k which is very low compared to cost of living in USA.
Considering the fact that they are skilled workers which means they have atleast several years of experience in their field and they are the only income source for their family, as their wives cant work in USA by law, they should make this atleast 60 k which means "American companies if you cant afford then dont hire them"

 

[Indian_American]

This seems like a simple case of Indian_American having a foolish pipe dream that will be soooo easy to 'make it big' in America. As he's found out, it's not so easy.

Yeah Its not easy ! NOT because of someones ability but because of stupid Immigration Laws you have here in USA.Make the laws compititive and then i will show you what i can do. Today i am forcefully kept out of compitition cuz of ****ing stupid immigration Laws.