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American dream in the face of credit crunch!

Hi people!

Well November 4 is around the corner!

What does an Obama/Maccain presidency hold for those of us to come into the US next year?

I have some concern as to how the economy is likely to react to either of them as president.

I also would like info from those who got into US via DV and went to school immediately?
 
Hi All, I back again, though it was difficult for people like us who won the lottery but couldn't attend the interview because they did not get to our case number. Any such is life, that is why is not good to rely on some thing. I want to thank every one of you that has been a great contributor to this forum and I pray as you help others may God send helper to you. In this line I will like all that have been great contributor to please show great concerns towards other things pertaining to our country. In this view I will want this great mind to please visit this nigeria forum and post new advice to others.
The new site is www.gumnigerians.com. This is great site to discuss about what is going on in our country both at the federal level and local level. I believe together we can make nigeria proud. ("www.gumnigerians.com" click on the forum to add new post.")A
 
Wow - how things can change in ONE month. Right about when I posted this I started coming down with a bad head cold/flu that kept me basically in bed and apartment ridden for a week and a bit. Then... bang. Interviews... chance meetings and... to move things along quickly - an amazing permanent job offer with an immediate start and fantastic benefits... have been there a few weeks now and it is just AWESOME. I cannot believe it.

I have to firstly say thank you to ALL of you who replied to my sadness-riddled post. You would not believe the difference your posts made because you all actually understand how all of this feels! :) *group hugs* Your posts made a huge difference because I didn't feel at all alone in the way I was feeling!!

Also - for anyone else in the same situation, I can honestly say, from first hand experience... if you can do stick with it.

Because of the AU dollar plunge, I have ended up going through a lot of my savings but I don't regret it and hey - now I just start saving again. When I left Australia I was very much "I will do what I can to say - even using up my savings" BUT it is different when you can't see any improvement on the horizon. But of course, now I feel it was the best decision.

It has been the best challenge personally for me - I know what tests me but I have to say with all the advice from friends back home, family etc the advice here was what made me realize that things COULD improve.

For that I will always be grateful!! :) :)

So I thought you would all like an update... for any of you feeling 'stuck' - I truly understand and hope your situation improves. And again - thanks to EVERYONE who replied and sent lovely messages. It feels great to now finally be able to enjoy the city and country I've decided to call home! :)
 
Great news and well done! That's a really happy outcome and encouraging for everyone else going through this.
Now you can really feel a part of the place. Best wishes.
 
Lorie!

Lorie!

Congrats for you success.whta is your background finance or IT or what?

Slacker demigod:

I really appreciate your contribution to this forum its great.

However i have question for you, what are the chances of one getting a job with a finance background in the face of the current economic reality
 
toluwalase said:
However i have question for you, what are the chances of one getting a job with a finance background in the face of the current economic reality.
Click to expand...

I'm not the best person to answer this, don't know much about Finance, although I was thinking about posting a couple of recent articles from the NY Times on the overall job situation. Having second thoughts because it might depress everyone!

Lorelei said:
...for anyone else in the same situation, I can honestly say, from first hand experience... if you can do stick with it.
Click to expand...

I have another question for Lorelei however.

Is there anything that you would do differently in terms of your move, job search, or any other aspect of moving over, now that you went through this experience?
 
toluwalase - I am a qualified Librarian - I have a Bachelor of Business and also a Master of Business in IT and Information Management. I came to the US with 6 years of intensive, high level research in government and have been working non-stop since I was 15 (15 years).

slackerdemigod - Honestly, the only thing I would have done differently was try and get a job before I came here. But saying that, I was applying for lots of jobs beforehand but when you are in Aus and applying for small, special library positions it is not the kind of industry where they grant international interviews etc. Saying that - I haven't ended up in a library at all - rather using my tech skills which I am more than happy about as you don't have to work in a library to be a librarian and use library skills.

Everything else in my move when almost TOO smoothly. I plan plan plan by nature - I was super duper organized. Had an apartment ready and furnished when I landed, everything done and ready - I had my green card within 3 weeks of landing here - it was amazing how smooth everything else went. And really though, when I think about it, a 3 month wait for a job when you have relocated over the other side of the world isn't TOO bad! I was just in a panic because of the state of the AU dollar. If the crash hadn't happened I would not have been worried at all.

The one piece of advice I can add is SAVE SAVE SAVE. If I hadn't saved like crazy beforehand and had a handy sum before I got here, I wouldn't have been able wait it out like I did in a city like New York. :)

My bank accounts everything - it was a dream to set up. I have not (YET) encountered any ridiculous government beauracracy or anything like that. Smooth sailing - I am very lucky!

I know it is still early days but I fit like a glove here, I love my neighbourhood and have made some great friends.

I was lucky enough to be here in January so I had checked out some areas where I was interested in and focussed on them in my apt search.

:)

Does that kinda answer the question? LOL
 
Lorelei said:
toluwalase - I am a qualified Librarian - I have a Bachelor of Business and also a Master of Business in IT and Information Management. I came to the US with 6 years of intensive, high level research in government and have been working non-stop since I was 15 (15 years).

slackerdemigod - Honestly, the only thing I would have done differently was try and get a job before I came here. But saying that, I was applying for lots of jobs beforehand but when you are in Aus and applying for small, special library positions it is not the kind of industry where they grant international interviews etc. Saying that - I haven't ended up in a library at all - rather using my tech skills which I am more than happy about as you don't have to work in a library to be a librarian and use library skills.

Everything else in my move when almost TOO smoothly. I plan plan plan by nature - I was super duper organized. Had an apartment ready and furnished when I landed, everything done and ready - I had my green card within 3 weeks of landing here - it was amazing how smooth everything else went. And really though, when I think about it, a 3 month wait for a job when you have relocated over the other side of the world isn't TOO bad! I was just in a panic because of the state of the AU dollar. If the crash hadn't happened I would not have been worried at all.

The one piece of advice I can add is SAVE SAVE SAVE. If I hadn't saved like crazy beforehand and had a handy sum before I got here, I wouldn't have been able wait it out like I did in a city like New York. :)

My bank accounts everything - it was a dream to set up. I have not (YET) encountered any ridiculous government beauracracy or anything like that. Smooth sailing - I am very lucky!

I know it is still early days but I fit like a glove here, I love my neighbourhood and have made some great friends.

I was lucky enough to be here in January so I had checked out some areas where I was interested in and focussed on them in my apt search.

:)

Does that kinda answer the question? LOL
Click to expand...

I am glad to hear that things worked out for you!
 
Looks like the U.S economy is getting worse and worse everyday. Not a good sign :(

Despite the gloomy U.S economy and bad job market, it looks like the military is desperate in getting people to fill in military jobs. They even start recruting people in the U.S that are on temporary visa!

Here is the link to the news that some of you might find interesting:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081205/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/military_recruiting
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=52208

Something to think about when you come to the U.S and hopelessly can't find any job.
 
I haven't checked this site since I immigrated almost 7 weeks ago and I am going through exactly the same thing as Lorelei was...I thought I would be able to get a job easily and the current economic climate has made it more difficult than I could have imagined when I left Australia.

Thank you everyone for the posts as it has encouraged me to keep going. I know it only takes one phone call for things to change, but sometimes that is difficult to remember when you are used to working hard and earning money instead of spending it!

BTW - I am also loving being in the US and couldn't imagine going back home to Australia after all the effort of getting over here:)
 
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Have you tried bars and restaurants? Good money in tips which should keep ye going until a job in your chosen profession comes about!
 
You just need to be patient. It takes an average of 6 months to get a job in the U.S these days. The U.S economy is the worst since the Great Depression in 1929.

To get a job these days, you need to be open in every options like the professions and locations. You need to be willing to work beyond your main skills and need to be willing to relocate to other places in the U.S.

Let's just hope that when President Obama's economic stimulus plan kicks in, things will get better. :)
 
If you had decided to move to US permanently,
you should not look back or have doubt...

Yes, in the first few years, life may be tough.
You might not be able to find a job that you like or inline with your education background...

but for me, even if I had to work at Walmart or even as janitor for first few years, I would do it, as long as me and my wife and my sons can move permanently to USA... even though since I am an Engineer, with degree from US University, I will be overqualified 10times for Janitor job LOL :)

it just a question of How Bad you want to move to USA !

Good luck to everyone...
 
purity said:
If you had decided to move to US permanently,
you should not look back or have doubt...

Yes, in the first few years, life may be tough.
You might not be able to find a job that you like or inline with your education background...

but for me, even if I had to work at Walmart or even as janitor for first few years, I would do it, as long as me and my wife and my sons can move permanently to USA... even though since I am an Engineer, with degree from US University, I will be overqualified 10times for Janitor job LOL :)

it just a question of How Bad you want to move to USA !

Good luck to everyone...
Click to expand...

What you're saying is true but sometimes you need to ask yourself if its worth it living in the U.S as a janitor and making minimum wages? Wouldn't you rather live in your home country and actually work as an Engineer with an degree from the U.S and making decent living?

I think some people are blinded with what they actually wanted in life. It seems that living in the U.S is everything that they ever wanted. How about wanted to make enough money to actually support himself and his family. You're right, it is about how bad you want to move to the U.S, but as long you don't sacrifice your family quality of life for a chance to life in the U.S.
 
I think rather than being blinded by what you want in life, it is vital to know exactly what you want and be as realistic as you can about your chances of getting it. I knew that I wanted to get out of the city and live in a small town in Vermont, and I knew that my chances of getting a job in my profession would be difficult...but not impossible. I have found a couple of roles which match my skills but I am among many people with similar skills who have local work experience, so I am taking IrishDreamers advice and looking a service/retail role while still looking for a 'real' job.

Ultimately it comes down to being happy with the life you have chosen, and I just have to look around my adopted home town to know that I made the right decision.
 
My ongoing saga and some tips

I though I would share my experience that is similar to Lorelei. I arrived in June 2008 and had been applying for jobs a month before departing. Now in Feb 2009 I am still unemployed and in San Diego. For starters San Diego is a bad place to be, very expensive and lots of competition for very few jobs. Recent research shows that most people living here cant afford to live here.

I have a Bachelors in Biotech and a Masters in IP Law but have not limited myself at all, I would do just about anything. I have applied for work in just about every retail store and coffee shop you can name. I suspect the reason I can not get work in these areas is due to a very professional background... as soon as they find that you are educated they no longer want to know you. It is also tough to hide as then there are huge gaps in your employment history. Also the competition for these position is fierce, I recall before Xmas lines 100 feet long outside stores of people waiting to be interviewed.

My advice:

  • Network, network, network
  • Start searching months before you arrive
  • Research your industry (in the US) in detail before you arrive, it will be different to what you are familiar with (talk to people over here)
  • Understand how recruitment differs between your country and the US, eg. resume structure here is very important and if yours is in the wrong format it will not even be read
  • Talk to multiple recruiters as they will be able to give you a good overview of your industry
  • Be prepared to support yourself for a year (a number of immigrants have said this to me)
  • Be prepared for a lot of rejection or worse, complete silence or lack of response

All this sounds kind of bleak but I love being here and I do work in a very specific area so there are other reasons I may have been particularly unlucky. Having said that do not underestimate what you are getting into, the more work you do beforehand the better. In particular check the internet (msn.com) for the states with the lowest unemployment rates, avoid the popular destinations.

So having been here for now for 8 months I turned my search to the UK in desperation... I was offered a position in my field within a week of first applying. I will be back as soon as possible but for now my US dream is on hold.
 
whao!

I ca only imagine but thanks for your candid advice.

From the look of things if you are relocating at this time plan for the long haul!
 
I too am very very worried about this and moving - and having to try maintain same-ish standard of living.
Its all just about timing. Its very bad timing to have been selected for the Greencard this year but then again its great to have been picked at all!!

If i dont bother I will certainly regret not even try in a few years time so I guess i just have to go for it. Can always come back home at any time.
But will try use the 6 months before activation plus additional 6 months requirement to move after to best secure a job from here and to make sure that I do everything sensibly.

Thanks for the advice and realistic comments.
 
Good luck to everyone!
Though I've been here almost 2 years, I also got affected with the current economy climate in the US.
I thought I had my dream job last year, but I got laid off from it back in August (actually I got laid off a week after GC was approved), I was devastated to say the least. However I just started a new full time job last month after being unemployed for 5 full months.
Definitely a new experience for me, but I really believe persistent pays..
 
i posted my experiance so far in the USA elsewhere on this forum so I won't eloborate much except that I noticed that one ugly practice that I know of from Europe is taking hold here in the USA TOO AND THAT IS CORUPTION OR BRIBES IN ORDER TO GET A JOB HERE -to put it simple desperate people are paying or should I say BUYING JOBS by bribing employers or people responsible for hiring :(
 
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