A man has shared why he left his job at Microsoft and moved back to India after spending time in the US. His LinkedIn post has sparked a debate around money, immigration, family and building a life on your own terms.
LinkedIn user Ujjwal Chadha made the move three years ago and has now opened up about what he gained by returning to India.
“I make less than I would have if I’d stayed. Here’s everything I gained that my salary can’t show you,” he wrote.
Chadha said one of the biggest changes was no longer having to put his life on hold because of immigration restrictions. “The version of me that stayed is still in a queue, visa, green card, ‘once things are stable,’” he wrote.
According to him, leaving the US meant he no longer had to worry about his immigration status when making career decisions. He said this gave him the freedom to build his own products without constantly wondering whether a new venture could affect his status.
“That freedom doesn’t show up in comp. It shows up in what you’re allowed to attempt,” he wrote.
{{/usCountry}}“That freedom doesn’t show up in comp. It shows up in what you’re allowed to attempt,” he wrote.
{{/usCountry}}‘Someday became a Tuesday’
Chadha also spoke about how moving back changed his professional network. While in Seattle, he described his network as largely “LinkedIn and the occasional coffee”. In India, he said, being physically closer to people allowed him to build stronger professional relationships.
“Proximity compounds,” he wrote, adding that three years of being physically reachable helped him build something that remote interactions could not.
He also said moving back helped him stop postponing the things he wanted from life.
“Abroad, everything good was deferred. I’ll build later, I’ll be closer to family later, I’ll live later,” he wrote. “Moving back collapsed the gap between my plans and my life. Someday became a Tuesday.”
For Chadha, however, the biggest gain was being closer to his parents. He said that had he stayed in the US, he might have seen them for only about a week each year. Moving back gave him years of ordinary evenings with them.
“You can earn more money later. You cannot earn back the years,” he wrote.
Take a look:
Internet reacts
The post drew mixed reactions, with some users relating to his concerns about working abroad on a visa, while others questioned whether he really had a choice.
One person commented, “I have never been to the US, but it feels like moving to a Gulf country for a job. One layoff and it’s game over.”
Another wrote, “Three years ago, they had only started tightening visa rules, so you made the right decision. You would have struggled anyway. So don’t tell us what you achieved and all that. You had no other option but to come back.”
Another commenter simply wrote, “Ujjwal, it’s done, bro…”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)