working in MNC india was a big mistake
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Job at MNC Instead of Higher Education in USA is a Big Mistake

Guest post by Vishnu about his dream and job experience in India and he thinks Accepting Job at MNC Instead of Higher Education in the USA is the Big Mistake.

*****

I am from a middle-class family in India.

When I was in college I thought of many things like, after I join a Multi-National Company (MNC) I want to buy this, get that etc..

Now I completed my BTech, got a job in top MNC (Oracle Corporation), and I am an employee from 8 months, but joining MNC instead of higher education in the USA is the big mistake I did.

Why Its a Big Mistake?

I thought of buying the mobile I like  (Samsung Galaxy)

But it cost’s more than 1 month of the salary.

I thought of buying bike.

It costs about my 4 months’ salary.

I thought of buying LED TV.

It even costs more than  my 1 month salary.

I want to gift a gold chain to my sister.

But with the salary, I’m earning it is almost impossible to buy gold jewels.

How many days I can work  in India for just for 3-5 Lakhs per year pay ($6000 to $10000) and getting everything I need by loan, and being happy with that?

Yes, I agree moving to the USA is the only option to fulfill our needs, its the only option.

It’s a matter of 3.5 Lakhs/year or 3.5 Lakhs/month.

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Salary in the USA

As you can see for Vishnu, Money and Dreams are his motivation. There is nothing wrong with that.

Some of you might argue that you need to consider Higher Education purely based on a knowledge perspective.

But, if your aim is to make more money living and working in the USA, then coming to the USA for higher education is a good dream to have.

Some of you might not agree with such a dream. After reading the patriotic comments, you might call him by some names.

But, he has a dream to earn more money and enjoy a good lifestyle.

You have to fight to make your dreams come true.

It is possible to make money in India, but its will take time to go from 3 Lakhs per year to 15 Lakhs per year.

Even after taxes, you can save more money in the USA.

Your Dreams in the USA

You wanted to buy a bike, TV, Smart Phone and Jewelery for your Sister.

  • Car in the USA –  With Entry Level Job you can buy a New car in Loan and pay it off in 2 to 3 years.
  • Smart Phone – I’m Apple Fan and you can buy the latest iPhone. You don’t have to spend 1 month salary.
  • LED TV – Their prices are getting lower. I got my LCD 42″ 2 years back for $400 Samsung.
  • Jewelery – For sure, why not.

For Vishnu, it’s not like you are out of time.

This post was published in 2012 and later updated for clarity and new links.

Follow Up Article: Vishni wrote a follow-up article – 99% of Indian Students Studying in USA Want Just These Two Things

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47 Comments

  1. What are the pros and cons ,if i want to get a ms degree from usa, and return back to india for job?
    Is that a better option than staying there and getting work exerience of a year or two before returning to india?
    Please help.

    Thank you.

  2. Arun,
    Even I am faced with the same situation.After working for 4 yrs with an MNC and now doing MBA ,I am finding it extremely difficult to adjust to student life from a working life.At times I feel have I done anything wrong?I just hope that I get a job after 2 yrs..Life has been almost under severe pressure I feel sometimes.

  3. HI
    I am from middle class family& family income is 3lac for year can i apply for a MS program in USA. Can u please tell how much will required still get visa.

    1. Of course you can apply.Co sponsors are allowed.Have a grid to do higher studies and boost up your GRE !! And yes your capable 🙂

  4. 🙂

    3 Months of work-ex and the points made absolutely make sense. salary simply evaporates into thin air.

    30 months of work-ex, losing smart-phones, girlfriends and 2 jobs later.. you realize how naive it was to think of smart phones/LED TVs and gold watches for your sister are ‘necessities’ (I am sure there are cheaper and yet far more affectionate ways to gift your loved ones.. it’s not bad to give expensive gifts.. its just bad to call that a necessity). Money is important but if there’s anything more important than that, it is you life, your life’s work.

    Q. How much time do you spend ‘enjoying’ the good life and lifestyle and necessities money can buy (read smart-phone/smart-TV/ smart-loo 🙂 )?
    A. 20-25%

    Q. How much time do you spend working?
    A. Surely more than 50%

    Simply put if you want the money for lifestyle it buys you.. you have lost the plot completely.
    You are committing yourself to a loss making venture.. risking and most probably ruining at least 50% of your life to enjoy at-most 25% of your life.

    MS or MBA do it and take up the jobs that follow for the sheer joy of doing those jobs.. and true.. as someone on the thread pointed out.. there ARE more fulfilling jobs in the US compared to the jobs in India. But please don’t lose the plot(and run after ‘necessities’ like smart loo), or u’ll lose the great opportunity that life is.

    1. This one is bang on target. And neatly put.
      And for those of you who are under the impression that they have a chance to become overnight millionaires by coming to the US and working here, take that out of your mind. Because its absolutely non sense. You will spend an amount proportional to your earning here.

  5. Ashish,

    Well said mate. That sums up everything. Working in India and then going to do Masters is a brilliant option. There is nothing that we are going to loose by getting experience. We gain some money, some valuable time for preparation, some good experiences and may be some onsite chances, some professionalism, and some really valuable bitter lessons from corporate politics.

    Lets Assume,
    16 years – finished 10th
    18 years- finished 12th
    22 years – finished BE
    26 years – 4 years of work experience.

    But, when you are 26 years old, would that person still have the same zeal and interest as a 22 year old to do masters ? You know, I believe that as we grow older , our learning is kind of reducing. What`s your opinion on this ?

    Lot of other personal problems may crop up when you are a 26 year old, like :

    1. Mom and dad may be at retiring stage. You don’t want them to leave now and go to US for 2 years
    2. Your Ex-GF must be getting married. You would feel jealous (I added this just for humour, but it may be true in some cases)
    3. Your Mom and Dad may be talking about getting you married. If you are a girl, then Marriage is sure on the cards.
    4. Since you are 4/5 years experienced, you stand a chance to get promoted as a senior Engineer or a Team Lead. So, you may not want to forgo that. Also, your package will be around 6/6.5 LPA. And, If you tell your parents that you want to quit Job and go for masters, they will certainly ask you one question “What`s wrong with your current Job? You have a stable job, nice money, then why are you leaving”

    I would be very happy and thankful to HSB if he could share some stats on How many students go to US for MS with Work experience. And If someone knows, who is the Oldest person (In terms of Age) to enroll for a Masters course. I have a strange belief that learning capacity diminishes with Age. Somebody Correct me!!

    1. Arun,
      Your thoughts are seriously worth considering. I have a small bit to say about this.
      I believe that, out of many kinds of people who go to the US to do their Masters, 2 are very distinct. One group of people have extreme passion towards learning and research. They usually start off early and go on to do their PhD in most cases.
      The other group of people, who are experienced professionals, go to the US to work at the epicenter of the technologies they are working on, or to find work in an environment that makes use of resources directly as compared to sitting in India and waiting to make use of the resources. For these people, MS is merely a gateway and the grades and specialization are just formalities needed for paperwork,
      The choice of which group a person needs to belong in is purely personal and age plays a balanced role. Either age groups are welcome to choose the other option, but one must be able to judge if its the right thing to do as its always a bit risky.
      Statistically, I believe Medical and BioTech research fields have a diverse age group coming in to do their Masters as compared to CS and Engineering fields where students are usually within 25 or 26.
      I strongly agree with your (4) point however. One can go places in India with a rich experience and good knowledge about the nature of work. In such cases, MS would only seem as a non-productive, possibly time consuming (I did not want to use the word wasting) activity.
      Ashish, your views shall be appreciated.

    2. I don’t have an official stats, but from my experience, I don’t see a lot of students coming for MS after working for few years.

      Probably 10 to 20% would be my guess. Rest will be freshers.

    3. Now this is your call my friend. Your observation is right but it’s just a matter of 2 years and I don’t think your learning capacity diminishes with Age, however, I do agree that your enthusiasm level lowers down and you take your own time to adapt back to study environment but this also varies from person to person. Perhaps no matter where you are, in school, college, university or job, there will be constant learning so you have to keep adapting yourself.

      As far as marriage and other stuff is concern, I think those decision are very much an individualistic decisions but this is up to you to work this out. I have heard about couple going to US to study together, I have heard about people doing higher education even after their marriage. Have you ever thought how did they manage all this? How are you different from them? My friend who did her PHD from Belgium actually did it after she married and perhaps in my class I always found very mature people of age greater than 40 I reckon.

      your point 4 is really strong and I can only say that you have to weigh your options here, because I think as Varun said if you are looking for a career in research, you have to start early. However, if you are looking for a job in US with money part, your chances to get a job will be good if you can get some exposure in India, may it be even 2 years.

      Lastly, if you are really passionate about your goals, there will always be a way out and I don’t think your parents will force you do anything beyond your wish. Choice is yours!!

  6. A very insightful and yet true thought which many of us share, but fail to express.
    A very good and realistic post and kudos to HSB for publishing the above article.
    All of us in this world are bent upon money but few express it for the fear of being named greedy.

  7. Nice contributions. There are readers and ardent followers of the posts on this forum who hardly make contributions, and I think I’m one of them. It seems things are tailored much more for Indians (From previous posts). Indians or not Indians, it is a very good forum for prospective beneficiaries of the much-talked about US graduate education. I’ve been following for up to 2 yrs at least.
    Kudoz to HSB.

  8. Hi,

    THis is the same mistake i did .. and i am still regretting after close to 18 months of work exp …. Stuck up here and dunno wat to do !!!!

  9. HSB I would request the management to acknowledge one of my questions. I am from a middle class family and from few years, and basically I am not financially sound enough to pursue my higher studies which right now I am specifically trying to pursue from SUNY, Albany. They specifically offer MS in nano+MBA, a dual degree after which I believe that I will a comprehensive outlook on R&D and Management of technology. Right now I am in my prefinal year and have though to drop out after B.Tech Biotech for job so that I could gain work experience which will I think should give me an upper hand in my application to university and also wen I go out to find a part time job in that country, most importantly I will become partially financially sound.
    I have always been reading your post, and to be frank many or most of them 99% coincide with my life’s future prospect. Thus I would request you to acknowledge me with your forecast on this plan of mine that will effect my future.
    Thank You.

      1. Why bother commenting on something which u have no idea about.
        I am surprised by how jobless some people are.
        HSB please try to post comments which are valid and useful and which give some insight on the topics discussed.

    1. hi pranav
      I think you too have your own dreams and i am surprised that u don’t think money is everything.
      why do we study and why do we want to go for higher education to USA??
      believe it or not many people might say that they want to acquire more knowledge but the fact is everyone wants money.Everyone wants to have a comfortable life and for that money is the only option.And the fact is there is nothing wrong in thinking money is everything. So please dont act as if u don’t think that money is important and if u are not acting remember that there are very few people like you who want to live in an idealistic world.
      good luck

    2. Pranav :
      If you don’t want money, don’t do any work and sit idle, let us see how many days u will survive. I am not asking for luxurious life, i have just asked for minimum requirements every person need .

    3. Pranav,
      There are some people who believe that money is not the only reason one dreams of going to the US. Going by majority, let us agree that money does play a very persuading role.
      Many have the conception that, Dollar being nearly 50 times more valuable than a Rupee, US provides an avenue for earning MORE in terms of simple mathematics than India.
      Guys this conception is wrong!!! No doubt US Dollars has a greater value than that of a rupee, but the lifestyle is proportionately high in the US. Let me give you an example. I am a Research Assistant and I earn approximately $1400 per month. Thats equivalent to Rs. 67400 per month. Thats the salary of a senior software professional in India. Can I be happy about it?
      Considering that I pay $700 in rent thats close to Rs. 33950 (who in India will pay 33k bucks for a single bed apartment????) and my groceries come upto around $200 a month, the extra charges of electricity, internet, outside food etc come upto around $150. So in the end, I save some $200 every month. This saving is considered to be the monthly saving of a family BELOW THE AVERAGE LINE in USA.
      I pay $9 for 2 pounds(1 KG approx) of Toor Dal here. Does anyone in India pay 500 bucks for a Kg of Toor Dal?
      Please dont be under the misconception that US is all money because they pay in Dollars. Trust me, India provides more opportunities to save money than US.

  10. I WANT SOME PEOPLE TO CONTRADICT HIS POINTS BUT NOT ON GROUNDS OF PATRIOTISM AND OTHER IRRELEVANT ISSUES [ because you can still contribute to india by living outside your country also ]

    WHAT I THINK IS THAT
    …when you can earn more and save more than why to slog here in india for job of 3 to 5 lakh as mentioned and never been able to break up that shell of money crunch .

    …and to be honest most of the work done here in india specially in IT shops is more like a clerical kind of
    no real stuff in that even a 10th pass student can do that if he is trained for a month or so .

  11. If money making is your objective, why MS ? Why not MBA ? Did you know that MBA grads from US get paid a lot more than a MS grad. The same thing applies in India as well. If you do your MBA from a so called IIM, you are certain to get a 15-10L package a year. MS is more research oriented. You need to have real aptitude for research or presenting a thesis or publishing papers. Of course, MS will fetch a good job and money, but not as good as a MBA grad. Let’s clear a Myth that comming to US and doing MS will get you more money? You need to choose your path – whether you need money(MBA) or you need a in depth knowledge/research (MS). Of course, money will follow you whatever you choose, but how much, that depends. I would urge all aspirants to have a strong aptitude for research if you are planning to do MS and probably the same must reflect on your SOP. And BTW, you need to work very hard for either of these. I personally feel MS with thesis option is very much difficult than MBA or MS w/o thesis..

    1. Agreed! a masters degree from US or any other place won’t necessarily fulfill your money motives. i think you should always choose the job you are happy in rather than a degree to serve your materialistic needs.
      Find a line that suits you, gain experience and knowledge working for sometime when your clear about your professional goals and how academics will help you achieve them find the course and place to suit your needs. money would always flow with experience and excellence.
      PS: i know people who cant even find a job even in India after spending their money and hard work in good universities.

    2. mba from usa takes around 35 lakhs and more while ms from not so reputed college will be not that much costly [ correct me if i am wrong ] and seeing now scenario of uncertainty putting money of 35 lakhs or more is more riskier than putting 15 lakhs on ms [ because from what i hear from my friends and google there is no derth of jobs for ms people specially for computer science and information technology people while in mba you need to be from a top university else things are tough……so by doing ms one can get a job of say around 60-85000 us $ he can save and repay his loan quickly [ 2-3 years ] and also can have a decent saving which can be used to go for mba …………………………..this is just my person safe kind of strategy …please discuss this and point out the loopholes here …..it will help all of us . and more and more contradictory points will help this post .

      1. Yes! One can earn more money while working in Germany when compared to USA. More over, the number of working hours are less in Germany but employers produce more productive work. In Germany, the employees can receive 25-30 days of paid leaves. So that one can enjoy a family trip completely for one month by renting a service apartment at sea side.

  12. Hey, I have already been placed at a MNC through my college placement but I have decided not to join it and I go for MS in US instead. But now I am getting a chance of a job at Germany. I am confused as to what should I opt for. Is doing job in Germany for 2 years and then doing MS a good option? I am determined to pursue MS so I am not going to leave that option. Thanks…

    1. Experience is better or not , whether in Germany or any place depends on the kind of profile you want to work for; have you ever thought of what domain or industry you want to work for ??? It could be health , insurance , banking , telecomm , petroleum , aero or any other.
      Ask yourselves how would MS help you achieve you goals as in the place where you want to work the kind of salary you want and the position you want to be in. use the top to bottom approach mapping your current profile with the ultimate profile you d happy to achieve.
      In my opinion experience always helps you determine your goals and the path you want to choose.
      Goodluck!!

      1. Yes I am clear about the industry i want to work for…..and I also agree that experience certainly helps….I just wanted to clear certain doubts.
        Thanks Himanshu, you have been helpful.

  13. I’m quite d same as Vishnu working now for 7 months in a MNC..my initial plan was higher studies but had to take job not because of my family is middle class but for other reasons…
    What I want to say hear is not only money that’s fancy about US..it’s d quality of education…just simple logic here,if yu are able to afford a richer life then obviously yu are in a more important position than working in a MNC and much more knowledgable…just dnt go to US for money..think of the exposure,the knowledge… Running after money or running after a passion.. It makes an aweful lot of difference…

  14. Its not wrong to have such dreams. But the ones who stay here know the shadowed parts, if not the totally dark side of leading a life working in the USA. Life in USA is designed in a way that promotes the saying “As you sow, so shall you reap”. I do not deny the fact that compared to India, it easier to get a mobile connection with a smart phone, get a car and enjoy the benefits. But what the US way of life expects you to do is get a social security to get all these benefits. For that you ll need to get a job which in itself, is not an easy task.
    Most of the comfortable US lifestyle images apply to families who stay here with everyone above the age of 16 being employed in some or the other way so effectively everyone enjoys financial freedom. If you plan to lead such a life in the US, then on the long run, then you need to have your family members (at least your spouse) have some financial independence. There is NO WAY you can think of saving a lot of money when you are the sole bread winner of the family.
    Even in the USA, you have jobs that pay a good amount of salary, but regions like California and New York have taxes summing upto 40% of your salary. Imagine what can be saved after taking care of personal expenses and taxes.

    1. How much do u save if u r the sole bread winner in India, what if ur spouse doesnt work in india??? isnt ur savings then also very much compromised???
      Even after tax dont u make more in USA that an avg guy makes in India?? in places like california and NY if tax is high so are the salaries, so is the cost of housing, groceries etc etc. When u take the big picture, for an avg engineer dont u make more money there?

      1. Did you know for a fact that USA does not allow any sort of tax savings?? And as far as the spouse is concerned, do you think they will be allowed to work with ease in case the family decides to have another earning member? But thats not the case in India where one’s spouse can work without having to change visa status or get work permits.
        In the US, salaries are proportional to the taxes and expenditure. So effectively, a software professional can save approximately the same amount at the end of an year irrespective of whether hes working in New York or Auburn. Thats how they achieve non localization of finances. Even over a long period of time, I know American citizens who still live in rented apartments instead of having houses of their own. Do Indians think the same way? Doesn’t every professional, within a few years into his job, think of having a house of his own?
        That is the difference I am laying emphasis on.

  15. Work for 2 or 3 years and then apply for univs here.. U ll have an advantage over the freshers directly from college. All the best.

    1. Its not like that. If company is looking to hire 2 to 3 years work experience candidates, then they are going to hire them. If they want fresh graduates, they are not going to hire experienced candidates.

      1. True HSB but not clear , after having a bit of experience one can reconcile his doubts about where, and in which domian one should work; if one is happy working in the same industry with different kind of environment and higher salary a masters degree would certainly help.
        i would always recommend some kind of experience until ones not sure about the kind of work he/she would find naturally enticing.

    2. Hi, I heard that freshers can’t get job after MS without a fake experience.(nearly 5 years of fake Exp) Is this true?? because of this my parents are not allowing me to do MS. Please help..

  16. @HSB thank you .

    “you need to consider Higher Education purely based on knowledge perspective” .
    In-fact it is true but how many of them really considering? Everyone need money to be stable in life. How many of them really going to USA for Higher Education and coming back and working in India ?? As i said
    I am from middle class family , obviously i think to earn money .

    1. Good to see you are replying to your experience you shared. There is nothing wrong with dream of making money.

      1. Hi, I am not an engineer, I am a medical graduate and i totally 100 percent agree with vishnu. I think that USA is a great land of oppurtuinities, its great for studies and life style, great infra structure and all that…. but money is money!!!…..If i was a crorepathi in India, I wud never move to USA. Never, its so hard to live in USA after u have had all the luxuries of being rich in India. Why wud u want to stay in india in a job u dont love so much( u get acustomed and lazy and just go on with it) whn u can make what u earn in a yr within 3 months or less in USA. When u can have the best life in ur 20 and 30s, make money, make family happy…And even with a US degree ur chances of geting a better job in india or for that matter anywhre in the world only goes up. There is no doubt abt it I think. There may be many guys who want to do an MS in great colleges and return, but not all gets in to MIT, not all get in to Ivy leagues and great jobs afterwards, i think for the avg middle calss indian, USA is agreat option! One of my realatives moved out of USA the day he got a permanent residency, but its coz he knew he can always return when he wants!!! I dont think there is anything wrong in the way u think. Best wishes for ur future. 🙂

    2. U r right Vishnu !!! But see that u enjoy learning too because if u gain more knowledge and follow smart ways to earn a job, u can easily get a decent job in the top company of ur field !!!

      All the best !!! 😀

    3. yr point is totally right points like ” try to learn money will follow , dont run behing money…………. “etc are good in their place but see then the goals are different the approach is different . there is no at all any wrong in pursuing to go for money ………for ex my goal is to get money as early as possible and then settle down and i dont care what kind of job i do [ mba job ms job techie job or even teaching job ] if my aim is money than approach will b different and people must respect that and give the suitable answer for that instead of giving gyan to people

  17. First of all a very very good luck for his future to Vishnu.. The above post is very practical. Maybe money is not everything, but it is a big thing today. USA is a land of opportunities. In India, u need 50% effort and then 50% luck, but in USA if one does the hard work ,there are enough opportunities available to be successful. I am quite a bit patriotic, but by studying and working in USA, it wont make one a traitor or ungrateful to his own country. All the very best Vishnu!!!

  18. It is absolutely fair for him to wish for those things, and at the same time be patriotic too. Patriotism doesn’t mean that you have to stay in Indian. Also, he isn’t wishing for a luxurious life when he wished to buy those things. Those are very much necessities in today’s day which are very difficult to fit with a mere fresher’s salary in India.

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