Is the american dream still possible? 5

[Polu]

Hello.

I am from Spain. I am a Computer Engineer (5 years at University). I have worked for three years as a consultant in a major company all over Europe and Latin-America. It was a challenging and fulfilling job but too much overtime (+80 hours per week) and too much political crap. I designed systems handling millions of transactions per day and I was very proud of it.

After that I worked for two years in a Madrid based, english speaking, "one product company". I developed the product from version X to version X+N. It was a very stable company, I was well payed and I worked less than 35 hours per week. After some time I was sick to death because my job was not challenging at all. Once you learn the product, there is nothing else to challenge you, it is just a very repetive work.

Now I am working in the IT department of an english speaking, non-IT company. They planned to develop a big internal tool and hired some developers including me but now they have abandoned the project and I am doing support. I don't like support. I don't like it at all. A user called me in despair because "all her icons were missing". She tried to kill excel.exe and killed explorer.exe. This is the kind of things I am doing now

In the meantime, two years ago I started a PhD related to BioInformatics and Biotech. I will need at least another two years to complete it.

In the end, I have worked at a consulting firm, at a product company and at a non-IT company and none of these jobs have been good enough for me in the long term.

I feel I am at the top of spanish IT jobs. I don't think I am going to find a better job or to make more money in Spain. It's not gonna happen, my salary is more than double the usual for a developer in Spain. This is not a first class country as the U.S., UK or Germany so there are no better jobs, spanish job market for geeks is what it is.

At this point, I have the first big question: It is me? Do I expect unreasonable things from a job? Am I unable to keep a job? Will I be always tired and bored of any job after two years? Will I be hopping from job to job every two years for the rest of my life?

I don't give up, and I am still looking for the perfect job, but I have started to search outside Spain. In London or Amsterdam there are very compelling jobs. As a E.U. citizen I don't need any kind of migration paperwork nor visa or "green card" to work there. No doubt these jobs will be a big step ahead for me but, still, I think after may be five years and two or thee jobs in London I will find myself in the same place I am now: wishing a better job that is not availabe in Europe.

So I think I could skip the London experience and go straigh to U.S., looking for the american dream, looking for a exciting job and, may be three or four years later the opportunity to start my own company and (hopefully) conquer the world

At the U.S. I know I will be a H1B worker. My wife will move with me but we will be an ocean apart from our friends and family. London is just a two hours and a half trip from Madrid so we could be back for a weekend every now and then.

I have never been in the US so I don't know how it is for real but, acording to CNN, Hollywood and the Internet I feel a bit scared about my legal status and rigths over there as a foreigner.

So now my second and more importan question: Is the american dream still possible? Will I find exciting jobs there? Will I have the opportunity to reshape the world with my technology?

Please, any advive will be welcomed. Thank you all.

 

[Trevoke]

That is very tough.
It seems you are a brilliant person, and brilliant people have a very tough time staying challenged.
Maybe if you looked into Silicon Valley jobs, or other cutting-edge areas of research, where new things are discovered, or sought, all the time, you could be happier.

It's not necessarily a lot of fun to be a foreigner in the US right now, especially if you have a tan (aka Middle-Eastern) or if you have a Spanish accent (due to the current strong Mexican influx)... But, being an EU citizen I think it should be a bit easier. I am French and I have a rather easy time. If you are willing to move to stay challenged, and if your wife is willing to support you and make new friends, then by all means -- move anywhere there is a job for you. You can always make new friends, and you'll keep in touch with the ones that are truly important.

"That time in Seattle... was a nightmare. I came out of it dead broke, without a house, without anything except a girlfriend and a knowledge of UNIX."
"Well, that's something," Avi says. "Normally those two are mutually exclusive."
-- Neal Stephenson, "Cryptonomicon"

 

[buck2506]

I might suggest a different track. Continue and finish your Phd. and then look to the US at teaching positions in higher education. The pay may not be the best but there are several perks. However there are drawbacks as well. A highly politicized workplace is one.

 

[mmorancbt]

What is your vision of the "American Dream?" There is - and for the near future - still be amazing opportunity in the United States - this is true whether you are:

Man, Woman
Heterosexual, Homosexual
Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic, _________________ use this blank for your particular religious affiliation - except one that views evil as good (don't make me explain this - you know who you are)
Married, Single, Dating
Caucasian, Asian, Arab, Persian, Hispanic, __________ fill in your pure or mixed heritage here

You don't even have to be a genius - in fact, you might think yourself out of opportunity in that case. Let's say reasonably intelligent.

But.....

You must be happy, proactive, helpful, have a great attitude, work through defeat/setbacks (they are inevitable), deal tactfully with difficult people and situations (they are inevitable too), surround yourself with similar positive people, don't listen to the negative post (on this or other sites), and have fun!

And that is - dare I say - the American Dream. It isn't the final achievement but the right to pursue it. You just up your chances if you follow some of the above advice.

Good luck and welcome should you choose to make your way over here.

Matthew Moran (career blog and podcast below)
Career Advice with Attitude for the IT Pro

http://blogs.ittoolbox.com/pm/career

http://techcareerconsult.blogspot.com

 

[edfair]

The American Dream" is available to you wherever you happen to be. It is a willingness to work to accomplish your life goals.

The PHd will get you into interesting work. Like the spinach based e-coli outbreak in the US. The tests used there were developed by people with the skills you are developing. And it is an ongoing process, to make the tests better, faster, and cheaper. The WHO could probably use the combination of skills you will have at the end of your training.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[KenCunningham]

I would only add that you shouldn't perhaps disregard London so quickly, or at least the Oxford/Cambridge/Thames Valley/London axis (as well as some of the other major educational and research establishments), in particular. There is still cutting-edge stuff going on which would be valuable to you if you do eventually decide that the US is for you.

Additionally, as you recognise, the 2½ flight home would also enable you to come to terms with living outside Spain more gradually - something your wife might approve of initially, but perhaps I'm speaking only from personal experience here.

I don't mind people who aren't what they seem. I just wish they'd make their mind up.

Alan Bennett.

 

[JCreamerII]

Polu,

The American dream is what you make it. The U.S. is made up of people from all over the world. Millions have made the trip and built lives and families. The southern part of the country is turning more and more hispanic day by day. Most of the people in the US are regular people working hard to make a better life for their families, and I would guess that the EU is the same in that regard. As far as the visa thing if you find an employer that wants you, they will take care of all that for you. Do what's best for you and your family and don't sweat the small stuff. My family came from Ireland three generations ago. Look at it this way, your relative will have a reason to come over for a visit and see you and the family.

Jim C.

 

[Stella740pl]

Polu,

May I suggest that you finish your PhD first, publish some articles, etc., and then look into a different visa, possibly more suitable for a person like you than H1B. As far as I heard, BioInformatics and Biotechnologies are very hot right now, and this, too, might give you an edge.

Search the Internet for Extraordinary Ability Alien visa, O-1 (or O1), also known as Outstanding Specialist visa. Check what the criteria are and how you can get it. (I heard that it might be possible to get it from your country or when you are already in the USA with some other visa. Some USA lawyers are specializing on them and may either help you to get hold of it, or at least consult you on whether you have a chance.) If you qualify, you might be able to get a better job and definitely better employment conditions than a regular H1B worker.

 

[BocaBurger]

Another possibility: Look for a global company. I know several that have offices in the UK, Poland, Russia, China, India, etc. and they work together on prjects for customers all over the world.



BocaBurger
<===========================||////////////////|0
The pen is mightier than the sword, but the sword hurts more!

 

[flapeyre]

I have never been in the US so I don't know how it is for real but, acording to CNN, Hollywood and the Internet I feel a bit scared about my legal status and rigths over there as a foreigner.

Many of us Americans take what is shown on CNN, in Hollywood movies, or on the Internet with a large grain of salt. Any media outlet, for example, tends to focus on the bad news and gloss over the positive (there is a saying in the media: "If it bleeds, it leads", meaning that bad news always gets tob billing, because that's what sells. The positive aspects are either ignored or put on the back pages.

You should come over here for a vacation (holiday). Experience the country for a couple of weeks and see how you like it.

If you have a Spanish passport, according to this link, you don't need a visa if you stay for 90 days or less.



Feles mala! Cur cista non uteris? Stramentum novum in ea posui!

 

[Stella740pl]

flapeyre,

You should come over here for a vacation (holiday). Experience the country for a couple of weeks and see how you like it.

It's a good idea to at least see the country before coming there to live - for a general feel, but believe me, experience you get as a tourist has nothing, and I mean, nothing in common with the experience you would get as a resident.

 

[LadySlinger]

If you are working on a PhD in Biometics, see if you can get a fellowship that allows you to study here. Then you're not perminant here, but you will get a taste of being a resident.

If you do something like a travel visa (6 months) and return to your country or reapply for extended stays, then you will have no troubles here. The people here that are having problems are those that stay longer than their visas allow them to, purchase houses, guns, etc.

 

[Fatboy0341]

To comment about how you might be perceived here in the States being a foreigner - if you come over here to work legally or if you come here with the intent of becoming a citizen and paying taxes then you shouldn't have any problems. That's what this country is all about.

The people who come here illegally just to work the system, never pay taxes and send all their money back home with no desire to ever become part of the American society are the ones that people have a problem with because they are taking advantage of America's generosity.



"He who laughs last probably made a backup. He who laughs loudest probably hasn't checked his backups in a while."

 

[Stella740pl]

Fatboy0341,

The people who come here illegally just to work the system, never pay taxes and send all their money back home with no desire to ever become part of the American society

This might be off-topic, but many of those people that come here illegally do have a desire to become part of the American society; they just don't have a chance. USA didn't make it easy (I don't say it should be easy) to legally immigrate here for everyone who wants it. Those people have to send money home, because they cannot get their families legally into USA, but they still need to provide for them.

 

[lespaul]

[again off topic]

The people who come here illegally just to work the system, never pay taxes

Those illegals who do work for legimate businesses pay into Social Security and Medicare and get no benefits from them; any federal withholding that is taxed from them is also never claimed for a refund.

From this perspective the illegals pay into our system and never get the return...how much more unstable would Social Security be without all these contributions?
[/off topic]

Leslie

Anything worth doing is a lot more difficult than it's worth - Unknown Induhvidual

Essential reading for anyone working with databases:
The Fundamentals of Relational Database Design
Understanding SQL Joi

 

[Stella740pl]

Leslie,

[more off topic]
Those illegals who do work for legimate businesses pay into Social Security and Medicare...

I am not so sure of this part.

I believe that most of those people work for cash, off books. Even legal businesses, to keep above the water, sometimes need to hire people for cash, often under the minimum wage. Like mom-and-pop stores that need a guy or two to carry havy boxes, like so many babysitters, etc.

Although I have seen a well-educated woman, who came here on a tourist visa, stayed longer (illegally, I guess), then got legally married to a US citizen, had kids. Of course, after getting married she filed for a change of status, but while her papers came through, she was not allowed to work legally. So she obtained a contract in her husband's name and social security, and did it herself. Yes, they paid the taxes on that income - her husband did. Still, was it completely legal? Not really.

But other than cases like that, I didn't hear much of illegal workers (which, of course, don't have a social security number) were employed on the books and with Social Security and Medicare paid.
[/off topic].

 

[lespaul]

Living in New Mexico, I have ample opportunity to see what actually happens. Most of the janitorial companies (and some construction companies too) here actually hire illegal workers. They may have fake SS numbers but they are "employees" of a legimate company and all mandatory taxes are paid on their behalf. The "required" immigration documents are conveniently forgotten to be filled out and the companies pay the fines if they are caught. It's cheaper to pay the fines.

 

[baltman]

Realistically you have to have a graduate degree from a US university or you will have an impossible time getting a visa to work here.

If you are serious about comming to the US, transfer to a US university and complete your degree. Then you will be eligible for an H1B visa and will be able to stay long enough to apply for citizenship.


Brian

 

[chiph]

Taking the holiday in the US is a good idea. Some suggestions:
[ul]
[li]Stay a minimum of three weeks[/li]
[li]Pay attention to the weather reports. We have more extreme weather than you're used to. Temperatures are reported in Farenheit. Below 60 is cold, above 80 is hot, above 100 is damn hot. ;-)[/li]
[li]Rent a car once you get here -- don't fly when inside the country, so you'll see more.[/li]
[li]Allow plenty of time for driving -- cross country on Interstate 40 is 5+ days with no time off for sight-seeing. But the scenery is worth it.[/li]
[li]Make sure you have bottled water for 2 days in the car at all times when going across the US, in case the car breaks down in a remote area.[/li]
[li]Tech centers:[/li]
[ul circle]
[li]Silicon Valley (San Francisco area). Hugely expensive, but it's where the most is happening in technology[/li]
[li]Boston. Cold, but known for east-coast startups because of the presence of major universities (Harvard, etc)[/li]
[li]Research Triangle (Raleigh-Durham NC, where I live). Hot & humid, lots of biotech & drug research (Glaxo, Duke University, etc), plus computer companies (RedHat, SAS, Lenovo, etc)[/li]
[li]Austin - Hot & dry. Headquarters for Dell. Companies like Motorola & Freescale are there too.[/li]
[li]Redmond Washington State - Rainy (most of the time!) Headquarters for Microsoft & other tech giants.[/li]
[/ul]
[li]The major cities here are like any other big city in the world -- people are rude, and you need to watch your wallet.[/li]
[li]Forget about public transport -- there isn't any outside the big cities. Americans tend to be more self-reliant than Europeans, so there are minimal goverment services available (we don't want them, so we won't pay for them, or possibly the reverse!) Plus with the longer distances involved here, public transportation is uneconomical.[/li]
[li]When introducing yourself, say you're from Spain, to avoid getting confused for someone from South/Central America.[/li]
[li]Get traveler's health insurance, just in case. A visit to an emergency room for a broken bone can be $3500 or more.[/li]
[li]Places to see:[/li]
[ul circle]
[li]Washington DC -- the museums on the Mall are excellent. Hint: the art museums have fewer crowds of teenagers than the Air & Space or Natural History museums.[/li]
[li]Kennedy Space Center. Next space shuttle launch is Dec. 7th (or so). It's the loudest thing on the planet, since the Saturn V rockets were retired.[/li]
[li]Anasazi ruins in New Mexico - The tribes abandoned their canyon & pueblo homes 900 years ago.[/li]
[li]Las Vegas -- of course![/li]
[li]San Francisco -- it's colder than you might expect, but there's lots to see here.[/li]
[li]Either of the Dakotas. See working cowboys, hike in the badlands knowing that there are fewer than 4 people per square kilometer (Spain has 78)[/li]
[/ul]
[/ul]
In any case, you'll find people here to be generally friendly and helpful. Don't judge us by what you see in the media -- remember, reporters need controversy to sell newspapers, and most of the time things are pretty normal here.

Enjoy your visit!

Chip H.


____________________________________________________________________
If you want to get the best response to a question, please read FAQ222-2244 first

 

[kHz]

Realistically you have to have a graduate degree from a US university or you will have an impossible time getting a visa to work here.

And you base this untruth on what piece of factual information?