<p>I’ll have a debt of about 20-30k but there is no way in hell I am remaining in America after my education.</p>
<p>The Middle East is the place to be baby! (not Iraq/ Iran or something like that). No taxes in the GCC. Hell yeah!</p>
<p>And one benefit of settling in the US is that our children probably won’t have to face this dilemma :-P</p>
<p>While having enough money CAN give you a pretty good life in India, eventually, in 20 years, with our population increase rates, everywhere will be crowded, and even the rich will have no place to escape to.</p>
<p>Even now, while gated communities provide a sense of security, the real India is always bubbling away under the surface. Disease, poverty will be around for some time, and if we step out of our protected bubbles, they will hit us in the face.</p>
<p>The only decent places to live are hill stations, and I do not think that many MNCs will have offices in places like Mussoorie. Plus even these are getting screwed over with pollution.</p>
<p>Superficial amenities like cars can only placate one for a limited time. Eventually it will be difficult to ignore the reality.</p>
<p>Maybe I’ve been living outside India for too long and can’t handle all this. IDK :-P</p>
<p>I am kinda very well aware of the job scene in US and thus would love to advice that plz consider that what if u are not gonna land up a job in US(most possible outcome ,extremely likely to happen) and have to move back to India then would u be able to easily pay off those loans because any of u ECE or CS engineer may expect to make 80,000-90,000 $ straight out of college but that is nowhere close to the amount ofmoney that any1 can ever make in India as an engineer straight after undergrad or even after 7-8years after undergrad.</p>
<p>The job opportunities in US are a lot better a lot a lot and again a lot better , I mean if working in a cubicle satisfies u than u can say that "India is a land of opportunities"lol but if u wanna be involved in R&D, innovation and want to be heard, then regional head offices of MNC’s would look to u like hell.</p>
<p>There are tons of great opportunities, in India in terms of companies that have Indian roots -I mean Indian startups like TCS, SnapDeal,…and lots and lots, because these are the companies where u can make urself an invaluable asset for the corporation. </p>
<p>To sum it up-
1)Recognize what the real opportunities are (In India they are not MNC’s)
2)Take loans that u can pay off with a job in India
Lets say one can expect to earn 10-14 lacks initially just a rough estimate.
U can totally expect urself to earn say 15-20 by 26 but anyways starting salaries are never gonna be close to what one earns in US
So!!!dont get delighted or excited about the 6 number figures that engineers list on payscale US.
3)Just because US was blown away by recession does not mean that job opportunities in US are not good, Palo Alto , Mountain View,…-" Bay region " is the place where tech startups took place and it is the place where most head offices are located, I mean if u live the “wanna get a job in MNC dream” then US is the best place for it not the regional head offices, work hard to get a job in US.</p>
<p>I would not suggest any1 to take loans greater than 30000$ it would be a really big risk , really big one trust me.</p>
<p>@Person who’s taking $150k in loans to go to a US college: Such a bad idea. Unless you’re going to a TOP school (like MIT, Stanford, Cornell CS, CMU CS and the like), its a waste. Trust me.</p>
<p>And if you’re going to a US college to get a 80-90k job, don’t. Do undergrad in India, save your parents’ money (except if you get into a TOP school, if your parents are really stretching their finances) and then go to the US for a masters. I know people from highly mediocre Indian colleges doing their masters in Information Systems / HCI (for which CMU is number 1) here. So think about it. </p>
<p>Also, US education is never the easier option. Yes, getting in is definitely easier, but getting out is really hard. You need to be ready to work for 11-13 hours per day if you want to do well. </p>
<p>Just my two cents.</p>
<p>I have no idea how cany just any1 of u even compare grad and undergrad , grad aint a substitute for undergrad,I mean my case I am into entrepreneurship and I am not even sure that whether I will complete my undergraduate degree or would dropout( a lot more likely to happen)</p>
<p>Focus on things in near future, dont think that I will do undergrad from some ‘x’ college and then graduate from Harvard that sounds funny.The farther ahead of time you think the more likely you are gonna commit mistakes and predict wrong.</p>
<p>What I am trying to say is that, recognize what u want
- Wanna become an entrepreneur- F*** grad school trust me if you have got what it takes to become an entrepreneur, you are gonna realize college is slowing u.
- Are kinda ‘hacker’- F*** undergrad I mean seriously, u are a dumba** hacker if u are pursuing undergrad (A guy pursuing undergrad and calls himself a hacker - is a pen**)
3)Wanna become a CTO someday-Need to have a strong undergrad, strong grad, nice public relations.
4)Wanna become a researcher- Dont settle for anything under a PHD.</p>
<p>You can look at grad school as a cheap way of getting into the US.</p>
<p>Also, colleges care more about what you did in your time at X college. My sister was from Mumbai University and got into CMU, Berkeley, Penn and Cornell for her Masters. Go figure.</p>
<p>In addition, I really hope you have a compelling idea for a startup if all you want to do is entrepreneurship. Its easy to say that you want to start a business.</p>
<p>I definitely agree with points 3 and 4 though.</p>
<p>@anirudh - thanks for putting a dose of reality
Also wanted to add, the salary that folks get here - remember the cost of living is high and 30% goes in tax. Even americans take years to pay off even a $50K loan.</p>
<p>@anirudh I agree that grad school is a cheaper way of getting into US but my point is that why the f*** is getting into U.S. an aim.
Aim must be to attend some nice university build a strong alumni network or anything of such scale.</p>
<p>and @anirudh actually I do have two compelling ideas , I am nearly done with code and already applied for seed stage funding to incorporate my company it in bay region or boulder.Lets see if it works out or not.</p>
<p>Honestly, if you’re looking for a strong alumni network, the IITs are the best bet for you. They’re way tighter knit than almost all US universities’ alumni networks.
Experienced this firsthand. My dad happened to attend one of the top 5 IITs back in the day</p>
<p>@Apoorva- I am waiting for the Ivies. Although the waiting is futile, seeing that I am not going to make it. So far I have got into UMass, which I really want to attend, I have got a scholarship there as well, and it covers about 1/3rd of my COA… :)</p>
<p>@mechrockz- Check my PM :D</p>
<p>fall2016parent</p>
<p>My stay in US was a short one, 2 years only. But It was one of the most awesome experience of life . I say “one of the” because I am from defence background and so had the opportunity of doing my schooling from 10 different schools and the privilege of doing my Graduation from Delhi University. And I have loved something about each place, whether it is Ranchi or Tezpur or Jaisalmer or NY or London or Sydney or Delhi or Kolkata. And I want my D to have the same world view and enjoy whatever life has to offer. Not be bound by any consideration of place, people, color of skin, the weather and be accepting of others and enjoy. So we as parents are open and accepting of whatever career choices she makes.</p>
<p>All career decisions have always been dictated by what is best for family, of course job first, because that is where the money comes from, followed by next top priority, our child’s education while keeping everything in balance. This is specially relevant to deciding to return to India when our D entered middle school. And later moving from one metro to another which also played a big part for my D decision to move from CBSE to IBDP, which we had been contemplating for a while when she went into 9th grade. And I think it was one of the most important and opportune, in retrospect.</p>
<p>Having said that I will say that girls in our society still are not bound by conventional role of 'provider" so they do have the luxury of more choices as well as flexibility. And I do empathize with all the boys out there, including my H, for whom 'where the money comes from" has tobe/is still a top priority. So to all the girls out there who have the opportunity, make the most of it, keep your minds and options open and make the most of what life has to offer.</p>
<p>So all the best to all of you here on this forum. You all are blessed and privileged and don’t ever forget to count your blessings anytime in your life when it is time make tough decisions.</p>
<p>I have my own perspective on this debate as a parent.Me having done my education (UG & PG ) from India moved to UAE and has been living for almost 21 years.India has moved leaps and bounds since I left .My children lived most of their childhood lived here in UAE and moved back to India 2 years back.The life in abroad and life in India are not comparable.Money vs Social set up.One has to weigh in the pros and cons according to their own priorities in life.At the end of the day a strong ,good education combined wit hyour zeal and committment can take you places wherever you are.In the broader perspective of life the place of work is a smaller issue.Success or failure depends on you and not the place where you live!!</p>
<p>EDIT: As it turns out, I don’t need 150k loans. Something good has turned up.:D</p>
<p>Now, I can pay upto 3 years tuition with my parents giving only upto a year’s tuition.
And, ph34k, I completely agree with you, my family has done enough to bring me here and I won’t give them anymore problems.:)</p>
<p>@anialways…thanks for your note. Honestly I feel you are what we say…got to experience the best of both worlds. Yes, the students here are extremely lucky to have options but there is a certain amount of reality missing…And I am glad you are here to provide support from your experience (hope your D is doing well at NYU…still my favorite city :)). I try to hop in to the boards just based on a lot of reading I have done…and my own experience as a graduate student 15+ years back :)</p>
<p>Just read an interesting article through links posted on one of the threads here on CC today.
You guys can have a look too.</p>
<p>[What’s</a> More Expensive Than College? Not Going to College - Derek Thompson - Business - The Atlantic](<a href=“What's More Expensive Than College? Not Going to College - The Atlantic”>What's More Expensive Than College? Not Going to College - The Atlantic)</p>
<p>“What’s More Expensive Than College? Not Going to College”</p>
<p>"Statistics like this are a good reminder that, even though college tuition is famously outpacing median incomes, there is still something more expensive than going to school. Very often, that is not going to school.</p>
<p>The typical income gap between the a college graduate and the a high school dropout has never been higher. Today, college grads earn 80 percent more than people who don’t go to high school.</p>
<p>Finally, a study from the Hamilton Project found that $100,000 spent on college at age 18 would yield a higher lifetime return than an equal investment in corporate bonds, U.S. government debt, or hot company stocks.</p>
<p>Take out that globe one more time and give it a spin. I challenge you to land on a region where education gains aren’t translating to productivity and income gains. The highest-income countries have the highest rates of enrollment in secondary school and the smallest share of informal employment that is vulnerable to an economic downturn. There is a cost to not educating young people. The evidence is literally all around us.".</p>
<p>I would love to hear opinions on the following twist I’m introducing to this thread:</p>
<p>Are you going to stay in the US after UG or come back to India? This is more for people asking for financial aid. Also, what are your reasons for <em>thinking</em> so now?</p>
<p>I had an extensive and heated discussion about why coming back to India makes more sense. Also, just to get started, I’ll point out that not once did I invoke the concept of brain drain or nationalism while making my case for India. I’m talking purely about the financial aspect (jobs).</p>