When Priya Bajaj received an offer to transfer from Google in India to the US, she thought she would try it out for six months — she didn’t expect to be here seven years later.
“I had no reason to move here because my whole family, everyone was back in India,” Bajaj said. “And I was also dating him,” she said about her now-husband.
Bajaj’s husband, Darshan Shah, worked as a Sony Pictures producer in Mumbai when she received the offer. He said he was happy with his life in India so the two agreed to do long distance while she tried out the new job.
Bajaj first landed in the US in January 2017 and said she didn’t adjust until about a year later. At that point, she and Shah got married, and she convinced him to join her in the US.
Corporate America was a cultural shock
When they first moved to the US, Bajaj and Shah struggled with adapting to living together, going through the immigration process, and finding stable work.
After relocating, Shah searched for a video production role in the media and entertainment industry but found the market for those jobs difficult without local contacts. He ultimately shifted his focus to video content production and marketing in tech and worked at a couple of startups. He then took a contract role at Google before landing a job at Indeed.
Bajaj said Shah had to adjust to the interview process. She said interviews in India focus on past experience, while in the US, you are expected to sell yourself and talk about what you can bring to the table.
Even though Bajaj had a job secured, she also struggled when she first moved.
“The first six, seven months were not that easy,” Bajaj said, adding that from a cultural perspective “working here was very, very difficult.”
Bajaj and Shah both felt that took time to grasp the cultural nuances of corporate America. In India, she said work place was very much a “community” where her coworkers were her best friends. Bajaj and Shah said they both had to learn the boundaries of professionalism in the US.
The lifestyle of a 9-5 opened up opportunities for them
Despite the initial struggle, Bajaj said once she adjusted, she wanted to stay in the US and see where her career could go.
Bajaj said that in India, people tend to go above and beyond and the general instinct in the workplace is to always say yes, especially for those early in their career. Many Indians who work corporate jobs also have cooking and cleaning staff to help with basic house tasks, which also allows them to work longer hours, she said.
“You can do 18 hours of work in India because all you are doing is working,” Bajaj said. “Your chores are taken care of, your food is ready. You don’t have to take care of any, cleaning, cooking groceries.”
Bajaj and Shah said they now have more control of their time. Shah was able to focus more on his health because he had more time outside of work and Bajaj has the opportunity to do things like be on a board, speak at an event, and create content.
Moving means starting over again — and it’s not for everyone
Bajaj and Shah’s move to the US opened up opportunities for them outside their full-time jobs. Bajaj and Shah used their free time to start a platform for South Asian immigrants called It’s Ok Yaar, which means “It’s okay, friend.”
“We’re hustlers,” Bajaj said. “We like to do a lot of things other than our full time jobs.”
Bajaj said if she hadn’t had an opportunity in the US, she may have tried out another country. She and Shah enjoy being pushed out of their comfort zones.
But moving to the US isn’t for everyone.
Bajaj warns that navigating the job market requires networking and being able to handle rejections. Bajaj said that if you already have a comfortable life and “made it” in your home country, you should ask yourself if you’re ready to start all over again.
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