The New American Dream. Who Else Want to be Part of It ?
Why do so many people want to go to the U.S.A.? Why do so many students want to go and study in America?
Why do so many engineers crave for an opportunity to live and work in the United States?
Why do over a million people immigrate to the U.S.A. every year?
The answer is: because of the American Dream. To live the American Dream. To be part of the American Dream. To write their own American Dream Story. To play a leading role in their story.
So, what is the American Dream?
According to this site:
The “American dream” has powered the hopes and aspirations of Americans for generations. It began as a plain but revolutionary notion: each person has the right to pursue happiness, and the freedom to strive for a better life through hard work and fair ambition. But over time, this dream has come to represent a set of expectations about owning things and making money.
As you can see the definition of the American Dream had changed as America gave opportunities for people to become better and grow.
When I came to the U.S., I was driven by the above listed principles: hard work, happiness, better lifestyle, and money.
I have been been living the Dream for several years now. My parents have visited me several times. They have looked at the Grand Canyon with awe and dipped their feet in the Pacific Ocean and felt mesmerized watching Cirque du Soleil KA show in Las Vegas.
They lived their version of the American Dream through my hard work. I certainly hope that you have similar dreams to take your parents around America.
For those who are going to study in the U.S.A., the fascination about the living, studying and working in America hadn’t changed a bit.
The enthusiasm and happiness that you see when new students land in the U.S. for the first time hadn’t changed at all.
As you complete your college degree and get you first job as an international student, the joy is boundless.
You are one step closer to writing your own American Dream Story.
Do you know how much would it cost these days to live the American Dream?
According to this article, the cost of living the American Dream is $130,357 per year.
The typical entry-level salary for a software engineer is about $50,000 to $70,000 depending on where the job is located.
So what about people who earn $45,000 per year?
Can they live the American Dream life?
Yes, you can. American Dream can’t be defined by a single number, but from living a satisfied life within the means, while making progress.
You are the author of your dreams.
Keep writing your dream story.
But don’t define your happiness with a specific salary amount.
Enjoy your journey. Enjoy the life events and day-to-day happenings around your work, job, family, and friends.
Having a full-time job, a caring family, and my own home is the fulfillment of my American Dream.
However, that Dream is now shifting.
Shifting from happiness and a better life with had work into more materialistic things and possessions.
What hasn’t changed?
The Dream, Desire and Determination.
But the foundation of the American Dream is now shifting.
People started reading about rags to riches story without working a full-time job.
No bosses, no work settings, and no time sheets to submit.
The concept of passive income is exploding.
The base of the American Dream is shifting.
The new base is called Freedom.
Entrepreneurs, who are driven by passion and high ambitions and extraordinary ideas, are shaping new ways of living in America.
Andre Warner of Mixergy calls the new breed of people who are moving the base of the American Dream as “Freedom Fighters“.
(If you are want to part of American Dream, you should start listening to Mixergy’s Interviews).
The same concept of the American Dream applies even to the new breed of freedom fighters — They are looking for happiness through their dream, desire, determination and hard work. But they are working for themselves. They are converting the smallest of ideas into big realities.
As you read, watch and listen to new stories of the American Dream and how the base has shifted, not everyone is successful.
Failures are common. But the new breed of freedom fighters don’t just QUIT.
They kept on fighting. They give life to new ideas. New companies are born.
You can see 14 year old developers making thousands of dollars selling smart phone apps.
Your American Dream
As you come to the U.S.A. as a student, looking to write your own version of the American Dream, I want to make sure that you are aware of this new American Dream.
While you shape and write your own version, pay close attention to what’s changing around you.
The company you keep largely determines how you write and live your own American Dream.
I spoke to 2 students in the past week, they chose their path just because that’s what their friends are doing.
What path?
Not applying for a full-time job and deciding to join a consulting company to find a job. Why, they did not invest time to learn how to find a job. They are taking short cuts.
Why?
They claim, that their friends have applied for jobs but they didn’t get any positive feedback. So, they decided to not to even try to apply for Full-Time Jobs.
That’s not the reason why you came to the U.S.A.
You came to study in America to write your own version of the American Dream. Not an adapted screenplay.
So start thinking about your new American Dream.
So the question is, do you want to write your own American Dream based on the past or current and future version?
Do you want your American Dream to be Original or just an Adopted Screenplay?
You may want to have a good career, family, kids, a home and satisfied career and good job growth and contributing to the company you work.
Be it your own story.
You may one day be an entrepreneur. But, that shouldn’t prevent you from acquiring the skills today to live your dream.
U.S. gives that opportunity for those who strive to work hard.
Let it be your own American True Story. You be the Author of it.
Thats so inspiring and motivating raghu
Love to read such articles
Thanks.
Have you read Choose Yourself by James Altucher book?
I have and I follow his blog, podcast, seen his interviews with others.
Great
Wow! I love this article! Seriously! Motivated me too much, thanks Raghu. I’m hoping to get into Berkeley this year for my BS. 🙂
Good luck. It’s a great school.
what about the visa issues for foreign students to launch startups
Start-up visa have been in discussion for long time. Nothing related to that have been discussed.
That’s very inspiring article. Awesome Raghu !
Thanks Kushal.
Very well said Raghu! Equally inspiring! Thank you so much! 🙂
So, you are ready to be write your own dream?
Absolutely, I can’t explain how enthralling this whole process of ideation has been for me. One of the best experiences of my life, right from start, gaining insights from Happy School and Stupidsid, planning my fields for Masters (which I decided upon as MIS), to writing the GRE on 5th of Sept. The best part as of now has been the preparation, I have never in my life enjoyed preparing for any exam as much I have did for GRE. Your posts about myriad facets of the whole American Dream, I found all the info here, one stop, thanks for that. My spirits are really high for the exam now, and I am pretty confident regarding the exam, happily for the first time in my life. If all the process goes well, as I hope it would 🙂 I expect to be seated in my Dream University’s library writing my experiences to be shared on HSB, next year this time. 🙂 After my exam and going through the Application process, I would like to share my experiences on HSB if you allow to, I have a lot to express regarding the whole journey so far and anticipating the milestones to come. Thank you so much again for bringing in all your help and experiences, a guiding light indeed!
Awesome. Happy to see you are excited and motivated. That’s the way to feel when you are about to take GRE Test.
Would love to read your experience. Lot of readers ( like you) consider it an achievement to share their experience, journey after coming to USA via HSB. I’m so happy to have fans like you.
Good luck with your test.
I took my GRE today, though I was highly motivated, scoring 315-320 on my practice tests, I was a bit disappointed when it came to my GRE score today of just a 307, (V-151 & Q-157). That set me back a bit, as I never expected this after having toiled such hard for 3 months along with that heavy work pressure at my job.
I don’t know what went wrong, I remember my first Verbal section to be tough, then the quant was ok which i am pretty sure I scored perfect then the next quant section was awfully tough. Then the rest 2 Verbals were good too, one being experimental though.
I am planning to got for MIS in Fall 15, I have even reported y scores for University of Cinncinati, Syracuse, Indiana Bloomington and UMD, college park but I don’t know whether I would even get one. UCinn being my choice because it has a great course for SAP and I am currently working in SAP Technology – completing 2 yrs n 4 months by Fall 15′. Having said this though, I feel really sad for my score, a quite ashamed to tell the marks 🙁
I am in great need of your advice and help, so that I can feel a bit better about my score and chances, a real set-back for me today. Please do reply back! awaiting that..
This blog post is not the right place to post the questions you have asked. Could you post in the forums.
Good article Raghu
Good article…
Thanks Rahul.
thought provoking post .. thanks for this post and all your efforts
Thanks Su.
The best blog ever, dont know who wrote it, but still can say that you have a great writting skill………………………………………
Thanks Bhavesh.
Shifting from happiness and a better life with hard work into more materialistic things and possessions.
Why would being an entrepreneur or having your own start-up mean you are materialistic ? , does not make sense .
I should have been clear.
Dream is Shifting in 2 ways
1. Be your won boss ( with rest to jobs)
2. People are becoming more materialistic.
So, when above 2 converges, you have this new dream. Earn a ton while working for yousrself.
I should have been clear.
Dream is Shifting in 2 ways
1. Be your won boss ( with rest to jobs)
2. People are becoming more materialistic.
So, when above 2 converges, you have this new dream. Earn a ton while working for yousrself.