The_Dreamer
Member
@Lucid Hi , 10 months to find work, a lot! how do you pay rent and expenses for 10 months without working ...
The "been there done that" thread: life in the US after DV
- Thread starter SusieQQQ
- Start date
Lucid
Active Member
Thats a good question. I really underestimated potential challenges. Especially with language and culture. +1 to the previous post above this. Your case might totally be different from mine, but to answer your question, i relied on personal savings and family support. At a point I traveled out, regrouped and returned.@Lucid Hi , 10 months to find work, a lot! how do you pay rent and expenses for 10 months without working ...
SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
I must say, I do think those of us who speak English as a first language have an advantage we don’t always recognize. I had a guy doing a repair on my oven a while back, and it turns out the guy has a graduate degree in engineering, but he speaks almost no English (Russian guy) so he was severely underemployed as an appliance repairman.
Ten months is quite long compared to most people I know though, although it is not unusual at all for those with no US experience to start a step or even two down the ladder from where they were before.
If language is an issue, please be aware that in most places you can find somewhere (usually public library, community center or adult education center) where they offer free English as a second language courses. As these courses are aimed at immigrants, they often also help with factors such as building networks, tips on how to do your resume for job search, etc.
Lucid, well done for sticking it out. I do know some people who’ve given up in the first few months, being jobless in an alien culture - and for those of us from developing countries it’s a very expensive place too - and gone back home.
The_Dreamer
Member
@Lucid thanks, I don't know where you were looking for work, but maybe in big cities it's easier, maybe
Airspray
Active Member
I'd appreciate some help and thoughts... The US is so big (amazes me everytime) and I'm not sure how to decide where to move to...
My profession (veterinarian) is pretty much needed everywhere so I'm quite flexible with where I can move to. I recently found myself wandering through the internet for hours looking for a lead but the more I wander the more I get confused... My notions so far:
Places with high mean salary for vets are very expensive.
Places with low (or no) income tax have extreme weather. Or very expensive.
Places where I dig the weather have too much tax.
Places with low income tax that are fairly inexpensive are awfully boring and isolated (I would die alone with all my money).
Places that look great to live have aweful transportation.
Places with good transportation are ridicolously expensive.
Beautiful places are ranked low in livability.
Ugly concrete jungles are ranked the best to live in.
Of course I'm just being humoristic here, but you get the point. How can one possibly decide where to move to?? Not even talking about settling in and buying a house, god forbid.
HELLLPP
My profession (veterinarian) is pretty much needed everywhere so I'm quite flexible with where I can move to. I recently found myself wandering through the internet for hours looking for a lead but the more I wander the more I get confused... My notions so far:
Places with high mean salary for vets are very expensive.
Places with low (or no) income tax have extreme weather. Or very expensive.
Places where I dig the weather have too much tax.
Places with low income tax that are fairly inexpensive are awfully boring and isolated (I would die alone with all my money).
Places that look great to live have aweful transportation.
Places with good transportation are ridicolously expensive.
Beautiful places are ranked low in livability.
Ugly concrete jungles are ranked the best to live in.
Of course I'm just being humoristic here, but you get the point. How can one possibly decide where to move to?? Not even talking about settling in and buying a house, god forbid.
HELLLPP
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SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
I'd appreciate some help and thoughts... The US is so big (amazes me everytime) and I'm not sure how to decide where to move to...
My profession (veterinarian) is pretty much needed everywhere so I'm quite flexible with where I can move to. I recently found myself wandering through the internet for hours looking for a lead but the more I wander the more I get confused... My notions so far:
Places with high mean salary for vets are very expensive.
Places with low (or no) income tax have extreme weather. Or very expensive.
Places where I dig the weather have too much tax.
Places with low income tax that are fairly inexpensive are awfully boring and isolated (I would die alone with all my money).
Places that look great to live have aweful transportation.
Places with good transportation are ridicolously expensive.
Beautiful places are ranked low in livability.
Ugly concrete jungles are ranked the best to live in.
Of course I'm just being humoristic here, but you get the point. How can one possibly decide where to move to?? Not even talking about settling in and buying a house, god forbid.
HELLLPP
Actually, that’s a pretty good summary!! Re extreme weather, someone once said to me that nature tries to kill you everywhere in the US, figure out which method you prefer
(earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, extreme winter, volcanoes...)Another factor you might want to throw into the mix apart from weather, is politics. It can get quite intense (on both sides) in certain areas, potentially making one quite uncomfortable if your view on life is different from the prevailing one.
I’m assuming if you have friends or family anywhere you’ve already taken that into account.
Quick question, I’m assuming you’ll need to get licensed locally to practice at a vet, have you looked at that? Different states may have different requirements.
Airspray
Active Member
LOL I'd rather die of any of these disasters than a 97 degree average 5 months a year. Have enough of this furnice at home, thank you very much.Actually, that’s a pretty good summary!! Re extreme weather, someone once said to me that nature tries to kill you everywhere in the US, figure out which method you prefer
Another factor you might want to throw into the mix apart from weather, is politics. It can get quite intense (on both sides) in certain areas, potentially making one quite uncomfortable if your view on life is different from the prevailing one.
I’m assuming if you have friends or family anywhere you’ve already taken that into account.
Quick question, I’m assuming you’ll need to get licensed locally to practice at a vet, have you looked at that? Different states may have different requirements.
Politics are not really a concern in terrms of POLITICS per se, but I would never live in primitive states that abolish any human right (say, Alabama).
Obviously I'm leaning towards more progressive places (being a gay man) where people won't burn me at the stake.
Unfortunately, apart from a good friend of my mom's (who's also my sponsor), I don't have any real friends or relatives in the US. I do have some 'acquaintances' spread througout but it's not really a factor... That being said, I will need some mingling and meeting new friends (would love to avoid clinical depression, please) so remote rural suburbs, as beautiful and cheap they might be, are not an option at this point.
About licensing, yeah, it's a bitch. It's a 4 step process (and around 12K$) to complete but hardly impossible. Once you get a federal license, recieving a state license is just a matter of beaurocracy (and of course, more money), but 99% of states don't have any additional requirments.
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Aidyn
Well-Known Member
Another thing to throw out there would be what kind of Vet are you? Do you prefer normal house pets - cat, dog, the occasional guinea pig etc or are you a large animals vet - would you be more at home traveling between farms/ranches looking at livestock?
Have you looked into locum opportunities that would allow you to travel the country to see if you can find a place/ experience that you like? - not even sure if this kind of thing exists!
Airspray
Active Member
Small animal vet here, love me some kitties!
There are actually a lot of locum positions and I thought about that, I'm just not sure how it's gonna work out in terms of housing, caring after my own pets etc. Not sure I like the idea of moving around so much without any stability. I will most probably move around at some point, not planning on settling in right after I arrive (esp. planning to specialize in internal medicine) but for now I'm not even sure where to live first :\
SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
What pets do you have? I have found the US to be much more dog-friendly than cat-friendly when it comes to rentals (opposite to where I come from).
Airspray
Active Member
Really? It's the opposite where I come from too. I have 2 cats (one of them starring on my profile pic), and I have to say that looking at a few apartments online in various places (ok, hundreds of apartments) it didn't seem like an issue (most of the apts. are small dog and cat friendly). They do have a pet rent though which I find weird, like 50$ a month (on top of the pet deposit). That's not a thing where I come from.
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This isn't a criticism, but a way to help you figure things out - Why did you apply for the DV lottery if you had no idea where you want to live? What was your goal?
You've also outlined a lot of ways to rule out a location...try the opposite - Figure out what you want in a location, not what you don't want.
I focused on schooling, low crime, 4 seasons, (I hate the damn heat), non-city, conservative, and beautiful scenery. Finally settled on a county in Montana. I'm sure I could find reasons to NOT live there, but if I did that I would never decide on a location.
So, focus on what you want, not what you don't want.
You've also outlined a lot of ways to rule out a location...try the opposite - Figure out what you want in a location, not what you don't want.
I focused on schooling, low crime, 4 seasons, (I hate the damn heat), non-city, conservative, and beautiful scenery. Finally settled on a county in Montana. I'm sure I could find reasons to NOT live there, but if I did that I would never decide on a location.
So, focus on what you want, not what you don't want.
Airspray
Active Member
That's an interesting point of view...
I applied for DV for a few reasons. First, opportunities. In my country it's hard finding a job as a vet. If you happen to find one, it pays insultingly low.
The US has the highest salary for vets in the world. Even in states that pay the least, it's still about 5 times more than I would get at home. Moreover, the opportunitites for further education (namely a residency and specialty) are abundant. That was the main reason.
In the US, no matter where I live, I could actually save money every month and buy property down the road (property prices, even in the more expensive places, are vastly more afforfable than in my home country).
Any place I would choose to live in the US would be a major upgrade compared to where I live.
Having said that, the question remains HOW MUCH of an upgrade it would be. Not just money wise, but also culturally, potential to meet people for friends and relationship, weather etc. And that's what causes my confusion. I believe there is no perfect place (otherwise everyone would live there), but the tradeoffs of each place are something I need to figure out with myself and prioritize. Understandably, one wants to maximize his conditions and check as many boxes as possible. What these boxes would be remains to be determined...
Aidyn
Well-Known Member
The other thing to remember is that just because you moved there, doesn't mean you have to stay there. You've already moved halfway across the world, moving to another town or state is easy in comparison
I'd appreciate some help and thoughts... The US is so big (amazes me everytime) and I'm not sure how to decide where to move to...
My profession (veterinarian) is pretty much needed everywhere so I'm quite flexible with where I can move to. I recently found myself wandering through the internet for hours looking for a lead but the more I wander the more I get confused... My notions so far:
Places with high mean salary for vets are very expensive.
Places with low (or no) income tax have extreme weather. Or very expensive.
Places where I dig the weather have too much tax.
Places with low income tax that are fairly inexpensive are awfully boring and isolated (I would die alone with all my money).
Places that look great to live have aweful transportation.
Places with good transportation are ridicolously expensive.
Beautiful places are ranked low in livability.
Ugly concrete jungles are ranked the best to live in.
Of course I'm just being humoristic here, but you get the point. How can one possibly decide where to move to?? Not even talking about settling in and buying a house, god forbid.
HELLLPP
I have only been here 2 years or so and have only not been to Arizona, Maine, New Mexico and some of those small eastern states.
If I could, I'd live in Salt Lake City. The property prices are unfortunately skyrocketing due to exodus from California, but it is amazing for activities, hiking and camping in summer and skiing in winter, most people are friendly and it is really asthetically beautiful and very safe. It has some strange rules and laws due to it been mostly ruled by Mormons, but they aren't too hard to get used to.
The_Dreamer
Member
Hi all, some questions:
1-what is the best way to move savings from your country to the USA (over the 10k cash limit)?
2-Is it easy to open a US bank account?
3-Do I still have to wait to receive the SSN, or could I already open it with VISA only?
thanks!
1-what is the best way to move savings from your country to the USA (over the 10k cash limit)?
2-Is it easy to open a US bank account?
3-Do I still have to wait to receive the SSN, or could I already open it with VISA only?
thanks!
Airspray
Active Member
That's true I guess... and regarding this, I wonder - how does that work moving to another state with your entire home content? from what I saw moving to a distant state can cost a few thousand dollars... Do you think it's better to rent a furnished apartment (like those corporate housings) or is it better to rent an empty one and start stocking up?The other thing to remember is that just because you moved there, doesn't mean you have to stay there. You've already moved halfway across the world, moving to another town or state is easy in comparison
Ricardo7
New Member
Maybe u can do what i did. What i did was i compiled a list of the pros and cons of each state im willing to live in. (What is a pro to me can be a con to u and vice versa) In this case AZ, TX and FL. For example:
AZ pros: sunny all year round, has easier community college to university transfer process, low cost of living, low humidity, low taxes
AZ cons: averages 90-100 degrees in summer, has a small amount of state taxes
TX pros: EVERYTHING is bigger, southern hospitality, tech jobs are on demand, no state taxes
TX cons: snows in some cities, high property taxes, VERY humid
FL pros: beaches, no state taxes,
FL cons: has the 'crazy people' stereotype, very humid too
All in all, u still have to factor in the most important things to u, I will soon be a college freshman and AZ has a pretty smooth community college to ASU, NAU and UoA transfer process. Might be the state I land in? I dont know yet
Ricardo7
New Member
Nice to hear an immigrant settling in Montana which is rare. Living the country life, eh?
SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
You left out hurricanes in Florida and Texas!