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Discussion in 'General Discussions - USA & Canada' started by papapandu, Aug 13, 2016.

  1. papapandu

    papapandu New IL'ite

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    I seek your guidance in my choice of career.

    I have lived in the US for the last 10 years on H4 visa. Recently I applied and got my work permit. My kid will be going to Kindergarten this Fall. I would like to resume working.

    I did my B.Com and finished my CA (Chartered Accountancy) in India and worked for 6 years before coming to US. At this point of time, I am not in a position to take up jobs that involve travel frequently or long working hours.

    I have mulled over the following career options:

    1. Do Masters in Accounting along with CPA : Given my educational background, this is the natural course to take.

    Challenges:
    a. Register for Masters in Accounting along with CPA. Needs me to take a loan. I have no control over the length of my stay in US and might need to pack up and go to India if needed. Educational loan seems a huge risk especially given that the job opportunities in Accounting are limited.

    b. Very long working hours. My husband also works long hours and I prefer something which has the regular 8 hour job in order to spend adequate time with my kid.

    c. I am not sure if all companies will hire H4s with work permits as this permit is dependent on husband's H1.

    2. Testing/Quality Assurance: This is a totally new field for me but suggested by many people to gain an entry into the working force. The usual route of going through an Indian consulting firm, training and do projects.

    Questions:
    1. How is the working hours in this field?
    2. How long does it take to get trained and to find a job?
    3. What kind of salary are we looking at? ( I am aware of the caveat : Don't look at salary when starting a job. Any CA worth his salt would know this fully well. However I am not 18 years old now and I have a family, so working for Rs.300 pm is not an option :))

    3. Data science/Analytics : All my research says this field is brimming with opportunities. Again the same questions:

    a. How does one get an entry into this field? Will doing courses on Coursera suffice or should one get a Masters degree? Is going through Desi consultants (Hadoop) an option?
    b.What are the working hours typically like?

    Are there other options that I should be looking at to start working as soon as possible? Like Teaching, Educational Technology (Elearning etc), Technical writing, Business Analyst? Anyone in those fields here?

    I am good at writing in English skills and can do basic number crunching required of an accountant.

    Another important question :Is the 3 year degree a deal breaker for all the jobs I listed above? I do have a 3 year CA, but I do not know how this is interpreted outside of the CPA world.

    Your replies much appreciated.
     
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  2. aspha

    aspha Gold IL'ite

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    I am a technical writer and very happy about my job. I think its one of the most easy going and less demanding job, Plus if you get lucky you might end up getting a Work from home type of job as this job requires no travelling.

    Currently I work for a small startup part-time 2 days a week or 16 hours a week. So far its going good and I am loving what I am doing.

    Just a side note: You mentioned you are a CA, have you thought about working/volunteer with firms like Liberty tax or HR block? Or even local libraries they do need volunteer accountants. I say volunteer because that might give you some hang of things that go around in this part of world in taxation.
     
    Vaikuntha and papapandu like this.
  3. papapandu

    papapandu New IL'ite

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    Thanks for replying. I am glad that Technical writing is working out great for you.

    I have some questions for you:

    1.Can you share what your background is? Do you have a 4 year degree from India or a 3 year Undergrad plus post graduation? My worry is that I have a 3 year degree (CA is not considered a degree).

    2. Did you do any kind of training/courses to get started? Can you point to some websites/resources please?

    3. Did you work in Technical writing while in India? Basically how does one get started without a background in this field?

    4. What is the salary that a fresher might expect? This helps to compare salaries in accounting/taxation.
     
  4. papapandu

    papapandu New IL'ite

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    Can other members help out please?
     
  5. Rajkum846

    Rajkum846 Platinum IL'ite

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    Given your background, and your need for 8 hours job - you can try working in a bank. You can start as a teller in the branch. Best of luck.
     
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  6. papapandu

    papapandu New IL'ite

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    Thanks for replying although your reply does not address any of my concerns. I hope you are aware that Tellers work in shifts at basic wage and not necessarily 8 hours! I did work in banking, what a teller does in the US is vastly different from what a CA does in a bank!!

    I am pretty sure there are jobs that involve working 8 hours, pay better and have better growth opportunities. There are plenty of people (Indians) around me who do that. They just are not willing to share with me what they do/how they started doing it.
     
  7. papapandu

    papapandu New IL'ite

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    Yes, I have explored that option. The pay is very poor and no growth opportunities to increase the salary either.
     
  8. Rihana

    Rihana Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    That kind of situation - work 8 hours, good pay, growth opportunities.. usually comes after having proven yourself in a company.
    Or maybe you are ignoring suggestions that don't give a short enough direct path to comfortable, flex job?

    Not to discourage you, but the reality is you have too many restrictions and limitations - lack of experience, not directly employable degree, need flex hours, decent pay, cannot travel, different visa permit. To put it bluntly - you cannot be so choosy. Desi consultants seem to be the best option, but even there 8 hours may be a tough thing to get when you are new to the job scene. Simply because you will have to spend more time getting the work done.

    Another option is look at the needs in your area. Maybe starting a tutoring center or something similar will give you more flexibility.
     
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  9. MalStrom

    MalStrom IL Hall of Fame

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    As Rihana suggested, tutoring is a good option for flexible hours and reasonable pay. Bonus if you are good in math and hard sciences. One of my friends started to do this when he was laid off from a well-paying professional job. He initially worked for a tutoring center but as he built contacts he has starting giving private lessons. It has become almost a full time occupation and he has replaced his former salary to a considerable extent.
     
  10. aspha

    aspha Gold IL'ite

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    Last edited: Aug 17, 2016

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