Planning to move back to India. Please advise!!!

[vdesai_8]

Dear all,

As we all know that getting a GC is taking forever. Hence am thinking to move back to India.

Background about me:
Came to US for MS in CS (2002).
Applied for H1 in 2005.
Experience = 4+ years (.Net)

Since I have not worked professionally in an Indian company, I would appreciate if you could provide some insight on the work environment there.

My questions are as follows:

1). What are the work culture/environment differences that I will face in India compared to USA?
2). What about the salary structure and the future career path? Is credit given where its due or is it that only the Manager takes the credit?
3). Is it easier/harder to find or switch a job there compared to IT consulting jobs that we do here?
4). How many hours are people typically expected to work in India?

I would highly appreciate if you can advise on these questions as it will help me plan further.

Thanking you in anticipation,
vdesai_8

[snathan]

Dear all,

As we all know that getting a GC is taking forever. Hence am thinking to move back to India.

Background about me:
Came to US for MS in CS (2002).
Applied for H1 in 2005.
Experience = 4+ years (.Net)

Since I have not worked professionally in an Indian company, I would appreciate if you could provide some insight on the work environment there.

My questions are as follows:

1). What are the work culture/environment differences that I will face in India compared to USA?
2). What about the salary structure and the future career path? Is credit given where its due or is it that only the Manager takes the credit?
3). Is it easier/harder to find or switch a job there compared to IT consulting jobs that we do here?
4). How many hours are people typically expected to work in India?

I would highly appreciate if you can advise on these questions as it will help me plan further.

Thanking you in anticipation,
vdesai_8

I worked in India for six years before coming here. They would be happy if you can sit in the office 24x7. No matter what the productivity is... They dont care about your family or any other value. I am still seeing this with people coming in L1. They are sitting with the system all the day and even in week end and expect us to do the same. Salary - which company you are going to work ? They are giving putting most of the package in variable pay in b(p)ig companies...you know how it would end up. You will be holding the bag. This is the worst case. As most of the work is moving to india now a days..you might move in the carrier lader very well. Getting into the management is easier than in the US.

[golgappa]

1). What are the work culture/environment differences that I will face in India compared to USA?
Varies your relation with you manager, and also if you are in offshore/onsite model, also if you are junior level expectation are high..

2). What about the salary structure and the future career path? Is credit given where its due or is it that only the Manager takes the credit?
Salary varies depending on your skill set..

3). Is it easier/harder to find or switch a job there compared to IT consulting jobs that we do here?
It is not easy to switch job, like in us you can move from NY to CA easily, in india to move from Gurgaon to Banglore is a totally different story, you will face issues with language and other cultural issues, and family issues as well.

4). How many hours are people typically expected to work in India?

If you are junior level you can expect to work long hours..

They can also keep sending you to US/Australia/UK/South Africa..which after sometime yo u might find annoying..you will keep fighting for your expenses to get reimbursed and get a direct flight instead of break journey...

But still life in India has other benefits too..


What do you think about moving to Canada ?

[hiralal]

Dear all,

As we all know that getting a GC is taking forever. Hence am thinking to move back to India.

Background about me:
Came to US for MS in CS (2002).
Applied for H1 in 2005.
Experience = 4+ years (.Net)

Since I have not worked professionally in an Indian company, I would appreciate if you could provide some insight on the work environment there.

My questions are as follows:

1). What are the work culture/environment differences that I will face in India compared to USA?
2). What about the salary structure and the future career path? Is credit given where its due or is it that only the Manager takes the credit?
3). Is it easier/harder to find or switch a job there compared to IT consulting jobs that we do here?
4). How many hours are people typically expected to work in India?

I would highly appreciate if you can advise on these questions as it will help me plan further.

Thanking you in anticipation,
vdesai_8
4 years ago I was thinking about the same and the advice that I was given was .."it is foolish to go back and work as anything less than a manager".
and I agree with that 100% now ...and if you are the manager --- then you can control / change the environment somewhat ..this should answer your
#1, 2 and 4. no idea about the market now - but you should get something good. life is definitely better in terms of social life ... and professional too ..I guess since life is definitely getting more rotten here esp if you don't have GC.
if you have some sort of family commitments --then my advice ..just go back (maybe ask your present employer if he can keep GC application alive)...esp if you have elderly family members and you are the only son.

[go_guy123]

4 years ago I was thinking about the same and the advice that I was given was .."it is foolish to go back and work as anything less than a manager".
and I agree with that 100% now ...and if you are the manager --- then you can control / change the environment somewhat ..this should answer your
#1, 2 and 4. no idea about the market now - but you should get something good. life is definitely better in terms of social life ... and professional too ..I guess since life is definitely getting more rotten here esp if you don't have GC.
if you have some sort of family commitments --then my advice ..just go back (maybe ask your present employer if he can keep GC application alive)...esp if you have elderly family members and you are the only son.

Plus very little value will be given for MS. I know this first hand. Also India is a MBA bias country. A straight out of college MBA will get a team lead/BA role and be your boss. Career progression is very hard without MBA...one of the motivations why I did an MBA
after my US MS. Salary structure is very hierarchical. In US Tech people often get higher salary than Project Manager/BA but
in India it is not like that. I was highly frustrated when i went back to India after my Masters.

[arnab221]

I am a manager with a US big 4 consulting firm and have works for years with the Indian Offshore teams . Also before coming to the US I have worked in India for a few years .


1). What are the work culture/environment differences that I will face in India compared to USA?
Ans. India is very hands on . There is little need for managerial skills as much as there is in the US . The companies in India are essentially technical resource pools .That's why most companies are bottom heavy . By bottom heavy I mean a very large percentage of people are kept at the bottom of the pyramid so that they can be deployed as resources on global projects . Let me give you an example . In the came of my company about 60% of staff in the US are managerial cadre and very few are at lower levels . But the same company in India has 90% of staff at lower cadre and 10 % managerial staff . I hope you get the difference . US is top heavy and India is bottom heavy .



2). What about the salary structure and the future career path? Is credit given where its due or is it that only the Manager takes the credit?

Ans . Salary structure is not bad at all these days , although a direct dollar comparison would not be the right thing to do . A person with about 10+ years of experience in a hot area can get Rs 20 Lakh PA , thats ( USD 60,000 per year ) which is not bad at all. But if you compare the standard of living in India is much better at Indian software salaries than standard of living in US with US software salaries. In fact some of my Indian counterparts live at home like Kings with 5 servants including cooks , nannies ,car drivers and gardeners . These are things even rich americans cannot dream of .

you could also change jobs at the drop of a hat and leave the companies if they do not listen to you , unlike here where you have to remain enslaved till you get your GC .



3). Is it easier/harder to find or switch a job there compared to IT consulting jobs that we do here?

Ans. If you have worked predominantly with desi vendors , then that might be looked with suspicion because of the large number of nongenuine people who apply for the positions in India . I would recommend that if you have worked with desi vendors then you take letters pof recommendation from your clients to show to your potential employer in India . It is very easy to switch a job and the risk of layoff is also very less . The chance of getting staffed in high . There are also consulting / contracting openings coming up there but the industry is not so mature now .

4). How many hours are people typically expected to work in India?
Ans . Normally 40 , if you are in AMS type work even less . But some projects can be high pressure . It is not hourly work so you do not get remunerated for extra hours worked , but it is considered a positive aspect during your bonus/reviews .

[gc28262]

I worked in India 9 years back before moving to US. Here is my impression about working in India.

Please see inline
Dear all,

As we all know that getting a GC is taking forever. Hence am thinking to move back to India.

Background about me:
Came to US for MS in CS (2002).
Applied for H1 in 2005.
Experience = 4+ years (.Net)

Since I have not worked professionally in an Indian company, I would appreciate if you could provide some insight on the work environment there.

My questions are as follows:

1). What are the work culture/environment differences that I will face in India compared to USA?

Work environment is less professional. But performing employees are always appreciated and they progress well in career. In US there are a lot of factors ( politics) that comes into play other than your performance.

2). What about the salary structure and the future career path? Is credit given where its due or is it that only the Manager takes the credit?

Credit will always be given to performing candidates and they progress well in career. In fact companies encourage experienced guys to move up the ladder quickly as lower levels are rapidly filled up with freshers.

3). Is it easier/harder to find or switch a job there compared to IT consulting jobs that we do here?

It is easier to switch jobs in India. In US you will have to move across cities most of the time. In India you can stay in the same city and home through your entire life even as you switch companies at will.

Head hunters are always looking out to pull experienced candidates from other companies. Best way to get a better pay is to switch companies rather than staying with the same company.

In my case when I switched company, I got a 50% raise without asking.

4). How many hours are people typically expected to work in India?

Typically you will have to work long hours and even on weekends. That is the only downside.

I would highly appreciate if you can advise on these questions as it will help me plan further.

Thanking you in anticipation,
vdesai_8

[snathan]

I am a manager with a US big 4 consulting firm and have works for years with the Indian Offshore teams . Also before coming to the US I have worked in India for a few years .


1). What are the work culture/environment differences that I will face in India compared to USA?
Ans. India is very hands on . There is little need for managerial skills as much as there is in the US . The companies in India are essentially technical resource pools .That's why most companies are bottom heavy . By bottom heavy I mean a very large percentage of people are kept at the bottom of the pyramid so that they can be deployed as resources on global projects . Let me give you an example . In the came of my company about 60% of staff in the US are managerial cadre and very few are at lower levels . But the same company in India has 90% of staff at lower cadre and 10 % managerial staff . I hope you get the difference . US is top heavy and India is bottom heavy .



2). What about the salary structure and the future career path? Is credit given where its due or is it that only the Manager takes the credit?

Ans . Salary structure is not bad at all these days , although a direct dollar comparison would not be the right thing to do . A person with about 10+ years of experience in a hot area can get Rs 20 Lakh PA , thats ( USD 60,000 per year ) which is not bad at all. But if you compare the standard of living in India is much better at Indian software salaries than standard of living in US with US software salaries. In fact some of my Indian counterparts live at home like Kings with 5 servants including cooks , nannies ,car drivers and gardeners . These are things even rich americans cannot dream of .

you could also change jobs at the drop of a hat and leave the companies if they do not listen to you , unlike here where you have to remain enslaved till you get your GC .



3). Is it easier/harder to find or switch a job there compared to IT consulting jobs that we do here?

Ans. If you have worked predominantly with desi vendors , then that might be looked with suspicion because of the large number of nongenuine people who apply for the positions in India . I would recommend that if you have worked with desi vendors then you take letters pof recommendation from your clients to show to your potential employer in India . It is very easy to switch a job and the risk of layoff is also very less . The chance of getting staffed in high . There are also consulting / contracting openings coming up there but the industry is not so mature now .

4). How many hours are people typically expected to work in India?
Ans . Normally 40 , if you are in AMS type work even less . But some projects can be high pressure . It is not hourly work so you do not get remunerated for extra hours worked , but it is considered a positive aspect during your bonus/reviews .

Please tell me you are kidding...;)

[arnab221]

Please tell me you are kidding...;)

No I am not , as I have said the work varies from project to project . Most Indian companies ( Infy , Wipro , TCS ) bid and get projects in the AMS space . In the AMS space work is not all that hard or pressurizing . It is mainly routine repetative work , but may entail night shifts .Career growth is not all that fast and life is a bit laid back .

If you land up in a implementation project , then Indian arms of companies like IBM , Accenture act as resource pools and these projects can be time bound and tough on the4 resources . Career growth is faster here as billing rates are high and the resource becomes a valuable asset to the company and can bargain for better raises .


It all depends on the projects you land in .

[sidbee]

I worked in India for six years before coming here. They would be happy if you can sit in the office 24x7. No matter what the productivity is... They dont care about your family or any other value. I am still seeing this with people coming in L1. They are sitting with the system all the day and even in week end and expect us to do the same. Salary - which company you are going to work ? They are giving putting most of the package in variable pay in b(p)ig companies...you know how it would end up. You will be holding the bag. This is the worst case. As most of the work is moving to india now a days..you might move in the carrier lader very well. Getting into the management is easier than in the US.


Not every company is like that . Look for a multinational and not a start up. Startups are same anywhere.

[snathan]

Not every company is like that . Look for a multinational and not a start up. Startups are same anywhere.

I didnt talk about start uponly ...I have worked in MNC as well as start up also.

[vdesai_8]

Thank you all for the guidance. It surely is very helpful and I feel like I get an idea of what I will go through in India.
My goal is to be in a Management position sooner or later, so what do you recommend, Should I finish MBA before leaving USA? or can I finish MBA or PMP from India(mid quality university, nothing fancy or top tiered) and it would still have equivalent value?

Thanks again.

[go_guy123]

Thank you all for the guidance. It surely is very helpful and I feel like I get an idea of what I will go through in India.
My goal is to be in a Management position sooner or later, so what do you recommend, Should I finish MBA before leaving USA? or can I finish MBA or PMP from India(mid quality university, nothing fancy or top tiered) and it would still have equivalent value?

Thanks again.

What i would suggest is do an MBA. PMP doesnt sell that much. Once you go back to India
work on GMAT. After 6 months to 1 yr the reality of working in India will be clear. So you can decide you want to be in India or look for western country like Canada, UK (since US is closed now, UK I dont know fully)

If you wish to do an MBA outside India then you can look at Singapore, AIM pillipines or Canada (cheaper ones like U of A, U of Calgary).

I faced the same situation in 2002/2003. As usual there was a flood of applications to Canada and therefore Canada tightened the rules massively in 2002. By end 2003 the rules got relaxed.

Went back to India in 2003 and realised that its not for me. I came back to US in 2005, took GMAT, applied for Canada PR and moved to Canada/MBA in 2007.

I learnt my lesson in the 2002 recession.

[ivar]

Not every company is like that . Look for a multinational and not a start up. Startups are same anywhere.

I worked in india for 6 years before coming to US. I worked for 5 companies ranging from startup to MNC and here is my experience.

1. If i pack my bags at 5:30 everybody will look at you as why this guy is leaving early. It doesn't matter if you are coming to office at 8:30am. The longer you are sitting infront of that computer they believe you are very hardworking. Plus when all your collegues are sitting infront of the PC till 8.00pm whether working for not and you leave at 5:30 will definately send a wrong message.

2. It will be little difficult initially to adjust with the new environment. If you techincally very good than people around you or your manager may feel threatened. It all depends on your manager and what kind of person he is. he will play a very important role in your career path and skill will be secondary and will be valued only if you develop a good repo with your manager.

3. If you switch jobs you make money faster.

[rkg000]

I am not really sure what you mean by "beacuse getting GC is taking forever, I'm planning to go back". If you mean that you are facing difficulties since you don't have a GC, then going back won't make life any easier.

Work Culture/Environment:
I had worked in India some 9 years ago and at that time we used to call the manager as "Sir", you get the picture?? But in the very same company there were couple of managers who insisted that we all communicate on first name basis. They both had spent some time here in the US then, hence the difference. I definitely expect lot better conditions now.

Salary:
I have few friends who stayed back and come here often on business trips. They all claimed up the ladder quite fast, and are getting comparable salaries (if you take into account expenses). Don't worry if somebody steals the credit from you. You'll eventually get what you deserved. Its a fact of life.

Affects of recession:
I am not sure how the recession affected the job market there, but heard it slowed down a bit.

Work Hours:
I think it really depends on the type of work you land. A friend of mine working in a financial firm in NYC mentioned that people look at you oddly if you leave anytime before 7:30pm. Back home though you might find more work places giving importance to the number of hours you put in. And work from home concept is still unknown there, for the most part.

Of all the earlier responses, I liked one where someone suggested you getting an MBA. If you can, you should. It would be easier to persuade about your competence.

[unseenguy]

I would say do not think of short term gains and think about long term gains. What do you want to be known as when you retire? Whats your passion? Do you want to be known as a manager in XYZ company who worked very hard? That we all will be at some point.

My personal opinion is that "consulting" by that I mean management consulting (McKinsey, BCG) and investment banking are going to "explode" in India in next few years.

I would say, get an MBA and get out of IT industry. You have to look towards the future , not towards the past. IT is now a thing of past with this recession. The IT developer is nothing but a commodity. With heavy influx from Indian engineering colleges, the developer talent has become abundant in the market and there is severe wage pressure. Those who have masters or PhD or those with 10+ years in their field, should do just fine but the growth will be "stunted".

Quality of life. If you remain in IT, you will be working like a coolie in the night or weekend for some guy here. How long in you life can you sustain that. 3/5/7/10 years? You will be stressed and die of heart attack by the time you reach the age of 50-55. For making 20-25 lakh Rs. is that worth it?

Dont even think about PMP. I am PMP and let me tell you it is an useless certificate and it was an utter waste of time. Had I done GMAT, I would have been doing meaningful MBA that would give me a chance at career change. Whether you are investing or studying, you need to get most bang for your buck and time.

My best advise would be to get an MBA and think of shifting your career to some other industry. Better become an enterpreanuer (I think I spelt it wrong, whatever). As many told you that reality of life is that you will be working 80 hours a week, better work for yourself than Premji or chambers or some tom , dick or harry. You are making only those guys richer at your cost.

Also with average 7% growth in India and booming economy. Stock market will explode in India in next few years. Hence equity analyst or investment banker jobs would pay more than these coolie maintenance jobs.

All the best. Enjoy your life and have fun.

Do something that pays well, helps domestic economy, offers better quality of life rather than chasing some mirage. My parents retired from govt jobs with full pension and retirement benefits. I envy them now :)

[hiralal]

the only point that I would raise with the post above is that if go for MBA - make sure that you are attending one of the top 20 - 25 schools or the company is paying big portion of the cost.
if not, then MBA may not do you much good as there are good managers without MBA degree and too many people with useless MBA degrees from third grade colleges

[radhay]

Thank you OP for kick starting a good conversation.
Although I don't have near term plans to go back to India, I was discussing with friends, collegues how they like their jobs (developers, architects,PMPs and Managers) and almost all of them suggested to get the hell out of IT and do an MBA from top 5.
Ironically, I was noticing medical residents and fellows suggesting others not to enter their field as it sucks to deal with medical system in US. They say IT is great as you have lot of flexibility with work from home etc..
So the general trend here is that most people think other professions are great.

I would love to get feedback from some one who has actually made the successful move to an lucrative Management career/enterpreneurship via an MBA.

Also, unfortunately this GC limbo won't let us have the flexibility to quit the job and start an intensive MBA program. So need to do extra due diligence before pulling the trigger.

[deba]

I agree with a lot of the good advices from the members. I'd also strongly advice you to do your MBA. If not from a top tier, at least a mid tier U. Some obscure small school MBA will not give you as much value. If you plan on doing your PMP, that is ok. It did open a few doors for me and looks good as a MBA, PMP on my resume. It may not cut as much ice in India. Depending on your skill level you should try to go in a direction that gives you some value. Also, for qualified people, the opportunities exist in only the major metros such as Bangalore, Chennai, Gurgaon, Pune, Mumbai etc. Keep in mind though, if you work for an Indian co. (not a multinational's India op) you will be frustrated with the lack of proper management practice, standards and methods that you are used to in the US and low level management positions are nothing but white collar sweat shop jobs.

[tail-of-Q]

there are some good websites that talk about what to expect (pay, social, cultural diff etc)

[simple1]

I agree with go_guy123, PMP doesnt sell much in real IT world. PMP is bit generic in some areas and doesnt suit well for software project management (However It doesn’t hurt you to read the PMBOK to gain some knowledge). If you’re targeting "delivery coordinator/manager -> relationship manager -> account manager" path then MBA from good school is better investment.

If you are targeting Tech route then you don’t need mba/pmp etc. All you need to be is tech heavy. Vendor Certifications may help a bit.

What i would suggest is do an MBA. PMP doesnt sell that much. Once you go back to India work on GMAT.

[prasadn]

Dear all,

As we all know that getting a GC is taking forever. Hence am thinking to move back to India.

Background about me:
Came to US for MS in CS (2002).
Applied for H1 in 2005.
Experience = 4+ years (.Net)

Since I have not worked professionally in an Indian company, I would appreciate if you could provide some insight on the work environment there.

My questions are as follows:

1). What are the work culture/environment differences that I will face in India compared to USA?
2). What about the salary structure and the future career path? Is credit given where its due or is it that only the Manager takes the credit?
3). Is it easier/harder to find or switch a job there compared to IT consulting jobs that we do here?
4). How many hours are people typically expected to work in India?

I would highly appreciate if you can advise on these questions as it will help me plan further.

Thanking you in anticipation,
vdesai_8

I returned from a trip to India last week and got a chance to talk to a couple of my friends working in Infosys/Wipro. For the last 6-8 months all employees are absolutely required to put in a minimum of 9 hours on the job. They total up the clock-in and clock-out hours and if you are short of the weekly target, then the hours get automatically deducted from your earned vacation. This is first hand information and sounded absolutely ridiculous to me.

[PavanV]

unseenguy...
You made my day man !!, I have been in this gcforsaken country for the past 10 years (Did my MS ) !!, my company applied for GC (labour) in 2009 july, so realistically i am looking at 2015 as my GC year. Your optimism has made me to take some decisions.

Thank you :D

I would say do not think of short term gains and think about long term gains. What do you want to be known as when you retire? Whats your passion? Do you want to be known as a manager in XYZ company who worked very hard? That we all will be at some point.

My personal opinion is that "consulting" by that I mean management consulting (McKinsey, BCG) and investment banking are going to "explode" in India in next few years.

I would say, get an MBA and get out of IT industry. You have to look towards the future , not towards the past. IT is now a thing of past with this recession. The IT developer is nothing but a commodity. With heavy influx from Indian engineering colleges, the developer talent has become abundant in the market and there is severe wage pressure. Those who have masters or PhD or those with 10+ years in their field, should do just fine but the growth will be "stunted".

Quality of life. If you remain in IT, you will be working like a coolie in the night or weekend for some guy here. How long in you life can you sustain that. 3/5/7/10 years? You will be stressed and die of heart attack by the time you reach the age of 50-55. For making 20-25 lakh Rs. is that worth it?

Dont even think about PMP. I am PMP and let me tell you it is an useless certificate and it was an utter waste of time. Had I done GMAT, I would have been doing meaningful MBA that would give me a chance at career change. Whether you are investing or studying, you need to get most bang for your buck and time.

My best advise would be to get an MBA and think of shifting your career to some other industry. Better become an enterpreanuer (I think I spelt it wrong, whatever). As many told you that reality of life is that you will be working 80 hours a week, better work for yourself than Premji or chambers or some tom , dick or harry. You are making only those guys richer at your cost.

Also with average 7% growth in India and booming economy. Stock market will explode in India in next few years. Hence equity analyst or investment banker jobs would pay more than these coolie maintenance jobs.

All the best. Enjoy your life and have fun.

Do something that pays well, helps domestic economy, offers better quality of life rather than chasing some mirage. My parents retired from govt jobs with full pension and retirement benefits. I envy them now :)

[uma001]

Which company in India is paying 20-25 lakhs for 10 years exp guy?Which is hot field in IT right now? There is no hot field currently.I worked in India for 2 years in india, came to US worked in US for 6 years and then went back to India worked there for 1.5 years and came back,working here for past 3 years. If you dont want to be in IT then you do MBA in investment banking ,international business,equity management specialization otherwise, become a manager or director and go up the career ladder....Dont expect 20 lakhs in cities like Hyderabad if you are not a manager. I earned 10 lakhs ( I had 8 yrs exp by that time), then 5% hike after one yr. When I tried to switch company , nobody offered the salary I was looking for and work was not exciting. So I came back to US.

[485Mbe4001]

I was trying to move back in 2004 and ran into a few problems i had written a long post about it in R2I. The short version of my extremely biased opinion... :)

The worst part was the job search, everything else was perfect...
1) most of the small companies wanted me only to reuse my H1. The interviewers would say that first we will move you to east coast for a short term project and after the project is complete you can work from the indian office.
2) The interview i gave at 2 large companies made me rethink the whole process (i have not worked in IT in India). I had 7 years of pure development experience in US and the questions they asked were all technical questions on all the languages that i mentioned in my resume since i graduated. I was expected to reply to programming quest
ions on the phone on languages/technologies i hand not touched since the last 5 years (and i had mentioned so in my resume and emails). They expected bookish answers and i was unprepared for that.
3) Programmers are a dime a dozen, better be prepared for the fact that if you will be competing with people 10 years younger than you who have parents/grandparents/aayas at home who take care of all personal/family matters. In terms of time you cannot compete with such people, you have to work harder and smarter and your superiors should realize that you are contribuing more during the time at work.
4) for some reason the interviewer at the big company in india refused to accept my RA work as work experience and for some reason kept mentioning the fact that RA work is not full time and it is not experience. I told him that i have not included it in my overall experience but i am proud of the work I did in my lab and that is the reason for mentioning it in the resume.

Anyways...every person has a different experience...just wanted to present mine...

Inspite of all this all my friends who have moved back are very happy, the adjustment period takes 8 months to a year (realistically). Do not expect everything to be hunky dory from the get go. Go with an open mind, be prepared for minor issues. Most important dont look back and compare every part of life....it will lead to problems. Dont worry about the money etc..as others have mentioned, that is never a problem. Go with a positive attitude and make it work... it will, it always works out well in the end. good luck.

[PAL]

Started my career and been there with a big IT giant in India. Well, to tell you the truth, Indian IT industry is just another form of slavery in 21st century. These companies will hire fresh young blood directly from college (Now a days they focus on 3rd or 4th grade engineering colleges so that they don't have to pay much. I was also part of interview team occasionally and visited those colleges. You can imagine the quality of those students). Then they make those new hires and juniors working like dogs for 16 hrs a day (yes! you read it right). With endless greed for profit margin, they will suck your blood for years and when this profit margin slightly drops, they will throw you out or bench you like a tea cup, no matter what your seniority, technical expertise/managerial capability, education is, with an excuse of "competency and performance rating !!". Thank God I didn't have to see the later part of the story (Lay off or bench) as I quite much before that. Being a graduate from a top tire engineering school in India I couldn't bear that rubbish culture there.
Bottom line is - it really DOESN"T matter whether you are a MS or MBA. The ONLY thing that would matter is that your capability of working for at least 15-16 hrs a day without complain and doing whatever your insane supervisor ask you to do. Position is of no value at all. Your supervisor is also getting same type of insane, rubbish treatment from his superior. I should say it is simply a sadist work culture out there in Indian IT. You'll be happy if you can adopt and embrace it. You'll earn a lot of money, but most part of it will be virtual !! (in the name of variable pay). You may not get it next month! What a Chaos!!!
I don't want to defame it, but, Indian IT cos are actively looking mostly towards very mediocre average professionals (even BSc) to maximize profit. They may not be interested to an US educated MS/MBA.

[gaz]

Wow - a lot of negative comments - I wonder if the issues folks are seeing are specific to a city?

I've worked in Mumbai mostly-about 5 years ago (always in software)- had a great time. Worked my hours - very flexible and usually the same as here. Only for certain projects were the dog hours needed. My friends had the same experience then. Regarding freedom at the workplace - I think a lot has to do with your skills - if you're amongst the top performers there shouldn't be any issues and also your relationship with your manager (and we always called all the managers by first names - right up to the very top).

Salaries - my friends who're still working there for top mnc's are grossing about 20-25lakhs pa. Those working for Indian service consulting firms are grossing 12-16lakhs pa. Most are product managers/project managers/ business heads/ architects now (around 10-12 years experience).

I spoke with someone I know who's here on an L1 from a smaller product dev company out of Hyderabad, and he said that working there has other perks also - free food/lots of team lunches, picnics, free transportation, sodexho vouchers etc. He was getting 8lpa for 5 years experience + all the freebies (lunch/transport etc)

[dontcareanymore]

unseenguy...
You made my day man !!, I have been in this gcforsaken country for the past 10 years (Did my MS ) !!, my company applied for GC (labour) in 2009 july, so realistically i am looking at 2015 as my GC year. Your optimism has made me to take some decisions.

Thank you :D

You are being really optimistic (Getting GC in 2015 with 2009 PD)....:)

[sdrblr]

I see everybody says MBA. What is the best specialization to consider in terms of growth, opportunity and pay in the next 5-6 years

[belmontboy]

I returned from a trip to India last week and got a chance to talk to a couple of my friends working in Infosys/Wipro. For the last 6-8 months all employees are absolutely required to put in a minimum of 9 hours on the job. They total up the clock-in and clock-out hours and if you are short of the weekly target, then the hours get automatically deducted from your earned vacation. This is first hand information and sounded absolutely ridiculous to me.

don't understand what's ridiculous here.
Unlike 40hr/week in USA, its 45hr/week in India.

For service providers (like infy/Wipro) lesser employee hours means loss of client billing. Service providers asking their employee's to work full 45hours/week seems reasonable.

[surabhi]

As others pointed out, it depends on type of company primarily and to an extent on manager.


If its services company with clients in US, then forget about work-life balance. For senior folks (director and above), its calls at Home and for junior folks its more hours at office. It doesnt matter if its desi ( SWITCH companies) or videsi ( accenture, IBM Global etc). Size also doesnt matter.

Your best bet for work-life balance and salary is to join captive IT operations of US company ( such as GE, Walmart) or MNC product development company

[uma001]

For work-life balance, stay in US...US is the best place for that....

[simple1]

I agree with gaz. There is a culture diff between cities.

I have worked in chennai and bangalore. chennai branch of same company would expect the guy to put more hours.

Second part is the bad managers. like the ones with significant non-it experiance, Managers who grown out of blackbox test boom(never ever coded or done any thing remotely technical suddenly promoted as manager). If you join directly as manager. then I think you are fine.

While US is the best. India is good enough.

Wow - a lot of negative comments - I wonder if the issues folks are seeing are specific to a city?

I've worked in Mumbai mostly-about 5 years ago (always in software)- had a great time. Worked my hours - very flexible and usually the same as here. Only for certain projects were the dog hours needed. My friends had the same experience then. Regarding freedom at the workplace - I think a lot has to do with your skills - if you're amongst the top performers there shouldn't be any issues and also your relationship with your manager (and we always called all the managers by first names - right up to the very top).

Salaries - my friends who're still working there for top mnc's are grossing about 20-25lakhs pa. Those working for Indian service consulting firms are grossing 12-16lakhs pa. Most are product managers/project managers/ business heads/ architects now (around 10-12 years experience).

I spoke with someone I know who's here on an L1 from a smaller product dev company out of Hyderabad, and he said that working there has other perks also - free food/lots of team lunches, picnics, free transportation, sodexho vouchers etc. He was getting 8lpa for 5 years experience + all the freebies (lunch/transport etc)

[pointlesswait]

To the guy who started the chain..;-)
what is the real reason for you to go back to desh? kaam...ya amma?
meaning emotional hai ya practical hai?

I am sure with ur experience , you will invariably end up travelling to US once in a while..
if you end up in a right company.. u can expect +/-20lac PA.. ..but what is YOUR happiness co-efficient?
a friend of mine..who went to india with a annual pay package of 24lac PA returned within 8 months..he said 2 lac PM was less for him....

Career wise.. software opens up more doors...in India.. ur skill will be an asset in desh.. growth bhi..hai..

work life balance in better in india than in US..the time u spend stuck in traffic is balanced out by the time u spend in US..cooking and cleaning..;-) and commuting 45 miles to work one way...

but the real question is: WHAT is that you want? GC or bisi bisi idly..;-)

negatives of desh aside... there is no place like home... and the indian growth story is still in its 1st chapter.. there is immense opportunity..to start a firm...be your own boss...

WHAT floats ur boat ..my friend...is what matters...returning to india will never be a failure ..if you have an open mind..

[fairman]

It becomes tougher to go home (India) if you have grown up kids. They will resist transplanation !

[simple1]

What about architects? I have seen some of them getting 20+.

Which company in India is paying 20-25 lakhs for 10 years exp guy?Which is hot field in IT right now? There is no hot field currently.I worked in India for 2 years in india, came to US worked in US for 6 years and then went back to India worked there for 1.5 years and came back,working here for past 3 years. If you dont want to be in IT then you do MBA in investment banking ,international business,equity management specialization otherwise, become a manager or director and go up the career ladder....Dont expect 20 lakhs in cities like Hyderabad if you are not a manager. I earned 10 lakhs ( I had 8 yrs exp by that time), then 5% hike after one yr. When I tried to switch company , nobody offered the salary I was looking for and work was not exciting. So I came back to US.

[ajay]

India is definitely a good place to work when we compare it with this place. One of the reason why I am saying this is that they value our opinion and they give us time to prove it.
The only constraint though is that we may have to work overtime sometime to get the commitment for the specific task. Of course there are traffic jams and there by it takes a lot of time to get to work or get back home.
After all we are working in our country and we will be able to meet everybody who we have been missing here sometimes!!!
And as someone said here it is upto the individual to decide what to choose and that decision can come only when one experiences both since it differ from person to person.

[belmontboy]

For work-life balance, stay in US...US is the best place for that....

It all depends on the definition of the word "life".

"what is life ?" could mean different things for different people.

At the best we can list pro's and con's of US Vs India.
Ultimately OP needs to evaluate what he loses/gains and make his own decision.

[hebbar77]

I worked for few years in india : I can tell you what life is like there:
First thing that comes is offer letter, it may/may not make you happy. Second is work. How much ever you do never enough. It seems to be consensus among my buddies who also worked in small/big firms.

If you are manager/engineer it really does not matter in most places. You have different type of stress to handle.

Forget personal life till you have 10/15+ years of experience. Weekends are always screwed.

If you are a person looking for Very technical career and dont care much for personal life Indian IT is the one for you.

I know there are some(very few) exceptions to this. Also I have seen HR folks playing games with employees while joining and later... in more than one place.

Reverse trip to US without GC may be hard and will your employer will make it harder.
Keep in mind that even today indian offices are used as sweatshops due to weak labor laws there compared to US/Europe.

Commute/corruption/other infrastructure related headaches will add to the fun!!

[a1b2c3]

Dear all,

As we all know that getting a GC is taking forever. Hence am thinking to move back to India.

Background about me:
Came to US for MS in CS (2002).
Applied for H1 in 2005.
Experience = 4+ years (.Net)

Since I have not worked professionally in an Indian company, I would appreciate if you could provide some insight on the work environment there.

My questions are as follows:

1). What are the work culture/environment differences that I will face in India compared to USA?
2). What about the salary structure and the future career path? Is credit given where its due or is it that only the Manager takes the credit?
3). Is it easier/harder to find or switch a job there compared to IT consulting jobs that we do here?
4). How many hours are people typically expected to work in India?

I would highly appreciate if you can advise on these questions as it will help me plan further.

Thanking you in anticipation,
vdesai_8

my opinion. whether you like it or not, its honest. And I've not read others replies and nothing that I would say is exactly going to be a revelation for anyone. Its good to say it though.

Here's what will happen in the most likely scenario (I think this will apply to large number of cases certainly not all of them):
a. you'll end up with a manager somewhere(nothing great, there are middle-level managers there all over the town, there is really no big value there because people become manager just by no of years of experience in India, it has no real value).
b.you'll brave the dust, the noise, the pollution, the traffic, the power disruptions, water issues, the list is endless
c. you'll live in a myth that in-laws and parents will take care of the babies you pop out/have popped out (as if they are professional baby sitters and that's all they want to do in life).
d. you'll have some or the other differences with your relatives- however close you may be with them. from a distance everything always works great and as tourists we always have a great time in India.
e. you'll end up being a grumpy old man :D

Just kidding about e'.

I think you should invest time and energy in starting your own profitable enterprise in India.
If you cannot do that, or are unable to achieve that (its not easy as it sounds considering that India was/is also reeling under recession), you'll not be happy on the career front.
Not in the longer term.

If you are going there due to some family problems like taking care of old parents, everything I wrote above is moot because you are returning for a very good cause and then everything else becomes unimportant.

[vikki76]

I find some merit to your analysis. Well said.

[belmontboy]

don't understand what's ridiculous here.
Unlike 40hr/week in USA, its 45hr/week in India.

For service providers (like infy/Wipro) lesser employee hours means loss of client billing. Service providers asking their employee's to work full 45hours/week seems reasonable.

some moron left a comment "Then work 24x7 loser" for above post.
jacka$$ read the entire post, understand before u jump to conclusions.

Oh I forgot, you are a retard. Ignore my advice!

[ivar]

my opinion. whether you like it or not, its honest. And I've not read others replies and nothing that I would say is exactly going to be a revelation for anyone. Its good to say it though.

Here's what will happen in the most likely scenario (I think this will apply to large number of cases certainly not all of them):
a. you'll end up with a manager somewhere(nothing great, there are middle-level managers there all over the town, there is really no big value there because people become manager just by no of years of experience in India, it has no real value).
b.you'll brave the dust, the noise, the pollution, the traffic, the power disruptions, water issues, the list is endless
c. you'll live in a myth that in-laws and parents will take care of the babies you pop out/have popped out (as if they are professional baby sitters and that's all they want to do in life).
d. you'll have some or the other differences with your relatives- however close you may be with them. from a distance everything always works great and as tourists we always have a great time in India.
e. you'll end up being a grumpy old man :D

Just kidding about e'.

I think you should invest time and energy in starting your own profitable enterprise in India.
If you cannot do that, or are unable to achieve that (its not easy as it sounds considering that India was/is also reeling under recession), you'll not be happy on the career front.
Not in the longer term.

If you are going there due to some family problems like taking care of old parents, everything I wrote above is moot because you are returning for a very good cause and then everything else becomes unimportant.


Perfect post.

[sidbee]

To the guy who started the chain..;-)
what is the real reason for you to go back to desh? kaam...ya amma?
meaning emotional hai ya practical hai?

I am sure with ur experience , you will invariably end up travelling to US once in a while..
if you end up in a right company.. u can expect +/-20lac PA.. ..but what is YOUR happiness co-efficient?
a friend of mine..who went to india with a annual pay package of 24lac PA returned within 8 months..he said 2 lac PM was less for him....

Career wise.. software opens up more doors...in India.. ur skill will be an asset in desh.. growth bhi..hai..

work life balance in better in india than in US..the time u spend stuck in traffic is balanced out by the time u spend in US..cooking and cleaning..;-) and commuting 45 miles to work one way...

but the real question is: WHAT is that you want? GC or bisi bisi idly..;-)

negatives of desh aside... there is no place like home... and the indian growth story is still in its 1st chapter.. there is immense opportunity..to start a firm...be your own boss...

WHAT floats ur boat ..my friend...is what matters...returning to india will never be a failure ..if you have an open mind..


This is one of the best answer the op recieved till now.

[sidbee]

I have feeling and it developed because of my observation , It may be wrong.

I have worked 6 years in India (2 different MNC, to be precise in the NCR), I have spend late hours in office/spend weekends, but those were only to meet deadlines.I have done that in US too.

In India, if i would stay till 11 , i would take my time to come to office next day.

I believe there is a difference in work culture between south and north india. Guys put in lot of hours in south.I dont know whether the job requires it or, it just show off.

In North , we do it only when its required.

People in North are very social and they miss that in the US. People in South are happy in the US, because there lifestlye matches the life in US.

I did spend hours in commuting , But as we car pooled we liked that too. Talking with friends and enjoying the traffic, looking at the beautifull girls in the other cars :-)

It all depends on individual thinking. I dont like cleaning my house in US, i dont like the fact that people are less social here . So i sometimes think of moving back.

I dont mind spening extra hours in office, sometimes,If i enjoy doing my work.

What do i do here, after i reach home at 4. I clean , i cook , do grocery , go for a jog . Thats it ... So if i think life is cleaning and cooking , I am enjoying it to fullest in the US.

Again it depends on individuals , the way they percieve life.

Read this: http://thewip.net/contributors/2009/08/brain_undrain_americas_loss_is.html

[maximus777]

I have feeling and it developed because of my observation , It may be wrong.

I have worked 6 years in India (2 different MNC, to be precise in the NCR), I have spend late hours in office/spend weekends, but those were only to meet deadlines.I have done that in US too.

In India, if i would stay till 11 , i would take my time to come to office next day.

I believe there is a difference in work culture between south and north india. Guys put in lot of hours in south.I dont know whether the job requires it or, it just show off.

In North , we do it only when its required.

People in North are very social and they miss that in the US. People in South are happy in the US, because there lifestlye matches the life in US.

I did spend hours in commuting , But as we car pooled we liked that too. Talking with friends and enjoying the traffic, looking at the beautifull girls in the other cars :-)

It all depends on individual thinking. I dont like cleaning my house in US, i dont like the fact that people are less social here . So i sometimes think of moving back.

I dont mind spening extra hours in office, sometimes,If i enjoy doing my work.

What do i do here, after i reach home at 4. I clean , i cook , do grocery , go for a jog . Thats it ... So if i think life is cleaning and cooking , I am enjoying it to fullest in the US.

Again it depends on individuals , the way they percieve life.

Read this: The WIP Contributors: Brain Undrain: America’s Loss Is India’s Gain (http://thewip.net/contributors/2009/08/brain_undrain_americas_loss_is.html)

Dont agree with this at all. I think it varies from person to person, north or south has nothing to do with it. Also, IT hubs are mostly in the south isnt it? :cool:

[GCNirvana007]

Dear all,

As we all know that getting a GC is taking forever. Hence am thinking to move back to India.

Background about me:
Came to US for MS in CS (2002).
Applied for H1 in 2005.
Experience = 4+ years (.Net)

Since I have not worked professionally in an Indian company, I would appreciate if you could provide some insight on the work environment there.

My questions are as follows:

1). What are the work culture/environment differences that I will face in India compared to USA?
2). What about the salary structure and the future career path? Is credit given where its due or is it that only the Manager takes the credit?
3). Is it easier/harder to find or switch a job there compared to IT consulting jobs that we do here?
4). How many hours are people typically expected to work in India?

I would highly appreciate if you can advise on these questions as it will help me plan further.

Thanking you in anticipation,
vdesai_8

I see you are particular with work culture. What you think of personal life?. You happy the way it is in the US?. Lets say you get your GC tomorrow, you would be perfectly fine living there?.

[aruny5]

Sidbee,

How come all guys from NCR feel alike ??

I have same routine and same problem. I miss Delhi.

All I am doing here is Jogging and Swimming nothing else......

[sidbee]

Sidbee,

How come all guys from NCR feel alike ??

I have same routine and same problem. I miss Delhi.

All I am doing here is Jogging and Swimming nothing else......

I said there is a difference between north and south attitude :-)

[valuablehurdle]

With the hopes of getting a Green Card slowly fading away, I am not surprised 'Returning to India' is becoming a Hot topic of discussion among the IV ians as well as in Desi Social circle. Quite a few threads have popped up about returning to India.

I possess a Canadian Passport (Born in India) and an Overseas Indian Citizenship (OCI card). I immigrated to Canada from US in 1999 since I did not want to wait in the long line for Green Card. As soon as I obtained my citizenship, I returned to US seeking better career prospects. My social life was not too bad in Canada. Plus Free Healthcare and Other Govt. assistance. However, careerwise, I feel, Canada is not the best place to live in. You will reach the glass ceiling pretty quickly unless you are white. Again, as some of the members have correctly mentioned - It depends what you want to get out of life. Maybe for some people, Canda might be better.

From my perspective, I feel returning to India might be a better option for me. .. Even though I might have to deal with the broken infrastuture (though they are improving with Govt investments) and other bureaucracies. We should have an open mind and give India a bit of time to correct itself. Definitely, things are improving than what it was 10 years back. Give India another 5-10 years and things are bound to change for the better. I feel we need to sail in the fast trajectory of growth instead of spending most of our lives chasing the Green Card. Even after getting the green card, we have to deal with a saturated economy and rampant out-sourcing to cheaper destination. I feel our jobs will still not be safe in US unless there is drastic innovation. However, with the brain drain, I do not think it is going to happen too much. I think we should try not to miss the India bus. Again, it all depends on what we want out of life before we make a decision.

[PavanV]

Thanks for pointing out the difference in attitude between North and South, you must be a psychology pundit. Pun aside, have tried mingling with Indians in your city ?, if there are not many Indian's (if you are OK with mingling with South folks) how about the local populace ?, I am sure you can get some company instead of being a solitary being.

I said there is a difference between north and south attitude :-)

[sidbee]

Thanks for pointing out the difference in attitude between North and South, you must be a psychology pundit. Pun aside, have tried mingling with Indians in your city ?, if there are not many Indian's (if you are OK with mingling with South folks) how about the local populace ?, I am sure you can get some company instead of being a solitary being.

I have lot of friends from south.And in no way , did i ever intend to imply that the attitude of one is better than the other.

[hebbar77]

Bangalore is the closest you get when it comes to weather if you lived in bay area in US.
I happened to live lil bit in HYD and it was humid for me. I lived in NOIDA. NOIDA was a horror story. humid/cold extremes were un bearable being a person from bangalore. My personal opinion is people in NCR region are not so friendly!

If I even happen to go to india to work/live I would choose bangalore.

[PavanV]

Let the North south, Karnataka/Andhra divide begin !!!, come on man, India has 1 billion people, if you met some unfriendly folks in NCR, does not mean all of them are unfriendly, and the same with Bangalore, not everybody out there is a saint !!
Bangalore is the closest you get when it comes to weather if you lived in bay area in US.
I happened to live lil bit in HYD and it was humid for me. I lived in NOIDA. NOIDA was a horror story. humid/cold extremes were un bearable being a person from bangalore. My personal opinion is people in NCR region are not so friendly!

If I even happen to go to india to work/live I would choose bangalore.

[GCNirvana007]

The Beauty of Indians

Almost every thread starts with a topic.

Person A makes a comment about the topic.

Person B makes a comment about the topic.

Person C starts making comment about A.

Person D starts making comment about B.

Topic is LOST.

In the end, all of them fight with each other.

Do we know why?. No idea.

Keep the personal ego away and respect other's opinion. Unless we change this, its hard to compete with any other nation.

Now the Neo minds will start showering with their romantic comments.

[hebbar77]

Pavan, I agree that we dont need reason to devide india. All parts are equally beautiful. However I mentioned facts that would face a normal engineer everyday, especially my opinions.
There are things I love from each place :
North : sweets... places like manali/himalayas
HYD: Biriyani!

[radhay]

Back to the OP's question.
One of the factors that need to be considered when comparing India to US is the future potential of India. The current business environment seems to be milking the young and eager work force (similar to our desi employers) in India. However, with lot of young people (innovation) expected to enter work force things will definitely turn to the better.

So I believe that for the next 5-10 years US is the best place to work and India is the best place to start your own business.

With an MBA you can have better prospects either in US or India. Don't know much about MBAs with "international business' specialization but seems intersting.

Recent India investment article from the fool.com
This Is the Next Great Tech Market (http://www.fool.com/investing/international/2009/08/25/this-is-the-next-great-tech-market.aspx)

[jetflyer]

....

[kanakabyraju]

Thanks for pointing out the difference in attitude between North and South, you must be a psychology pundit. Pun aside, have tried mingling with Indians in your city ?, if there are not many Indian's (if you are OK with mingling with South folks) how about the local populace ?, I am sure you can get some company instead of being a solitary being.

Its not North/South, its between Aryan and Dravidian dudes. Fight should be between these two and then things will spice up. Stop this kind of stupid comparisons.

kanaka

[Michael chertoff]

Not to discourage you but I have not seen any US Citizen being treated by own country's police but here you can see how Indian police treats its own people:

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2009/08/25/sidner.india.police.brutality.cnn)

You can complain about strangers but you can never complaint about your own people.

It is so sad man..no human should be treated like that.

[valuablehurdle]

Have we forgotten the 'Rodney King' episode in US? Police brutality is everywhere.....

[unseenguy]

Dont agree with this at all. I think it varies from person to person, north or south has nothing to do with it. Also, IT hubs are mostly in the south isnt it? :cool:

I agree. North and south seems like black and white.

[unseenguy]

Back to the OP's question.
One of the factors that need to be considered when comparing India to US is the future potential of India. The current business environment seems to be milking the young and eager work force (similar to our desi employers) in India. However, with lot of young people (innovation) expected to enter work force things will definitely turn to the better.

So I believe that for the next 5-10 years US is the best place to work and India is the best place to start your own business.

With an MBA you can have better prospects either in US or India. Don't know much about MBAs with "international business' specialization but seems intersting.

Recent India investment article from the fool.com
This Is the Next Great Tech Market (http://www.fool.com/investing/international/2009/08/25/this-is-the-next-great-tech-market.aspx)

I agree 100% with this post. This is a very wise post. I would consider moving to India for following reasons:

1. To get out of IT and get into something new.
2. Family
3. Economic reasons.
4. Retirement

When I suggested to OP, MBA is the way out, I "stressed" it as a career change option to get into something that has higher growth rates. If you use MBA to stay in the same field as "go up the ladder" degree its a waste of time frankly. Because you could go up without doing MBA. So any degree should be considered as a "career change" option.

Family: Both me and my family have very strong family ties in India. None of our nearest ones are in US. Hence in the long run living here is not sustainable without hard costs and bad karma (aka dumping old parents)

Economic Reasons: The wealth I stand to inherit from family will take 10 years for me to accumulate in US and is non repatriable. So why pay inheritance tax in US?

Retirement: A lot of us are in mid 30s. Have you thought about your number? (aka ING line)? With current lifestyle expect it to be $2 million.

Now imagine if I retire in India with this money?

Again if you are moving to India , my take is get the hell out of IT. Its a sweat shop that will make Premji, Narayanamurthy and Mahindra rich. Not you or me.

[BECsufferer]

Stick around and things will change. Presently it's dark and depressing, but it will change. Their got to be something right, otherwise for what reason so many people would have been standing in line for GC for so many years?

Remember, this is the only country where someone with nothing in hand but a desire can become succesful. So my friend don't give up hope.

[psaxena]

I worked in India for 7 years before moving to US. I worked with Bharti, Ariba , Aviva,HLL and others. 5 years back when I left I was making close to 12lakhs/pa.
I was in IT as Sr Analyst. Recently a friend of mine moved back to India for 18lakhs/pa as Sr Biztalk Developer for Microsoft.

Also when I was exploring once the option to move back I had the offer from 2 giant Telecom companies of 32lakhs and 27 lakhs/PA.

So yes in India they pay nice salary, but the workload is also very very high. But I really doubt just being back from US someone will be offered a salary like these for 4+ .Net experience. One may expect the somewhere in the range of 8Lacs -10 Lacs for that.

so if you have a good experience and qualification under your belt, there is definately a beautiful life waiting for you in India (Also the pandu will be waiting to grab 100 Rs at the next red light from you)


Also MBA programs is a great idea , the only catch with that is very high cut off %age to get the right college, whose MBA can only chane your career. To get that, one will have to dedicate atleast "MINIMUM" 6 months fulltime close 15 hours a day in preparation, trust me its really tough. PMP,six sigma, BS-77 etc are easy and anyone can do it and so is the value of these (which is nothing).

Adios


Which company in India is paying 20-25 lakhs for 10 years exp guy?Which is hot field in IT right now? There is no hot field currently.I worked in India for 2 years in india, came to US worked in US for 6 years and then went back to India worked there for 1.5 years and came back,working here for past 3 years. If you dont want to be in IT then you do MBA in investment banking ,international business,equity management specialization otherwise, become a manager or director and go up the career ladder....Dont expect 20 lakhs in cities like Hyderabad if you are not a manager. I earned 10 lakhs ( I had 8 yrs exp by that time), then 5% hike after one yr. When I tried to switch company , nobody offered the salary I was looking for and work was not exciting. So I came back to US.

[ArkBird]

Does any one know good recruiting companies in India/Mumbai?

I think I had enough. My body/soul is fed up with 11 years of abuse..

Thanks

[vikki76]

People who are looking to move to India, should also consider hidden gender bias in professional/technical field. On surface things look pretty rosy (Indra Nooyi/ ICICI CEO etc.etc.) but often women careers take a back seat due to family situation.
I met one guy who openly said- "I can never work for a women manager in india". Unbelievable but true.

[psaxena]

Not just him, noone can.............

People who are looking to move to India, should also consider hidden gender bias in professional/technical field. On surface things look pretty rosy (Indra Nooyi/ ICICI CEO etc.etc.) but often women careers take a back seat due to family situation.
I met one guy who openly said- "I can never work for a women manager in india". Unbelievable but true.

[gchopes]

Do you think by making the 3-week visits every year and the standard reliance phone calls every weekend we make to our parents , we are actually able to devote more time to them from being here than what we would have been had we been in India living in a different city from where they live?

[fairman]

How many moved to take care of their parents. Or dumped them in some shelter homes in India ?

[somegchuh]

unseenguy, these are very good reasons.

Are you already in B school or are you considering it.
I have been faced with this dilemma for a long time:
COST: $100K + 3 years of nights/weekends.
ROI: ???

I am not sure if there is much to be gained by trying to climb the ladder using MBA. I think you can get promoted to the same position in IT evenn without MBA.

Speaking of switching careers, are you talking of investment banking or strategy consulting because those are the only tow careers that pay more than IT but I am not sure how big the difference is and if MBA is worth the effort?

PS: Its always a sweatshop in India. I have family members who work in different fields and they all work 60 hours /week and they live in Northern India which is a sweatshop for 4 months a year :-)

I agree 100% with this post. This is a very wise post. I would consider moving to India for following reasons:

1. To get out of IT and get into something new.
2. Family
3. Economic reasons.
4. Retirement

When I suggested to OP, MBA is the way out, I "stressed" it as a career change option to get into something that has higher growth rates. If you use MBA to stay in the same field as "go up the ladder" degree its a waste of time frankly. Because you could go up without doing MBA. So any degree should be considered as a "career change" option.

Family: Both me and my family have very strong family ties in India. None of our nearest ones are in US. Hence in the long run living here is not sustainable without hard costs and bad karma (aka dumping old parents)

Economic Reasons: The wealth I stand to inherit from family will take 10 years for me to accumulate in US and is non repatriable. So why pay inheritance tax in US?

Retirement: A lot of us are in mid 30s. Have you thought about your number? (aka ING line)? With current lifestyle expect it to be $2 million.

Now imagine if I retire in India with this money?

Again if you are moving to India , my take is get the hell out of IT. Its a sweat shop that will make Premji, Narayanamurthy and Mahindra rich. Not you or me.