It all started with a chat with Vinu. And as has many times though the objectives of the work was very different you derive something very different from it. I was contacting Vinu and was thinking of catching up. But what I got out of the 20-30 min chat was re-visting my student life. Especailly looking into some facets like Financial which at that time was so un-nerving that I never looked into it. But overall it was re-living a stage of my life which at that time was tough and hard, phyiscally but more importantly mentally. But it was the same hard going that changed and also improved me in so many ways.
US and India are so different now. Globalization has changed both of them in so many ways in the last 10 years I have know and have started appreciating them so much more. But my migration from my country to this certainly was when these changes had started. The Globalization force that will change the two Democracies that were so different make them seem a bit similar now. India is now a proud county, with greener future. And US by the same forces is now once the country whoes once green pasture so many wanted to come to, including me, are now encountering the Fall Season.
[12:31:06 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Hi Vinu seems you had contacted me earlier
[12:31:16 PM] Shantanu Shukla: on Skype.. was not online so missed you
[12:31:48 PM] vinu: hey
[12:31:49 PM] vinu: yeah
[12:32:08 PM] vinu: tell me....how much did u have to spend from your side for ur MS
[12:33:42 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Not sure about hte exact amount.. but I thnk Ihad some 6000$ from credit cards here and I had taken a loan of 8 Lakhs.....
[12:33:55 PM] Shantanu Shukla: plus some 2 Lakh my savings
[12:34:13 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and some 1.5 lakh tha my Dad gave from his pocket
[12:34:53 PM] Shantanu Shukla: but most important.... "THE COST of fees then were less than now"
[12:35:31 PM] Shantanu Shukla: all school's fee have increaded by atleast 40 -50 % from my time fees
[12:36:23 PM] vinu: u never got scholarship for any semester?
[12:36:34 PM] vinu: i mean did u have to pay fees for all the 4 semesters
[12:37:08 PM] Shantanu Shukla: yes that is correct... no scholarship
[12:37:21 PM] Shantanu Shukla: FYI the fees now at syracuse is $1,249 per credit hour
[12:37:38 PM] Shantanu Shukla: at my time it was around $800..
[12:38:08 PM] Shantanu Shukla: so around 60% more now if I had to do the same course
[12:38:45 PM] vinu: what about living expenses
[12:38:51 PM] vinu: how did u manage that?
[12:39:04 PM] Shantanu Shukla: we worked at food court to cover that portion
[12:39:27 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and working 80 hours to 100 hours a week during summer covered one semester fees
[12:40:03 PM] Shantanu Shukla: ie the 3 months of break we got between 1-2 year, ie between 2 and 3 semester
[12:40:43 PM] vinu: u basically have to pay for tuition and living expenses...right
[12:40:51 PM] vinu: there is no other cost involved....right
[12:42:24 PM] Shantanu Shukla: why not.. coming to US, I think it costed me Rs 50,000 or something like that for one way flight
[12:42:45 PM] Shantanu Shukla: besides applying fees to US... GRE fees etc etc..
[12:43:05 PM] Shantanu Shukla: But most important is time...
[12:43:19 PM] Shantanu Shukla: remember when I was incurring debts.. msot ppl were earning money
[12:43:58 PM] Shantanu Shukla: FYI - I did find the cost per credit at that time was less than 4*00 per credit
[12:44:08 PM] Shantanu Shukla: sorry $800 per credit
[12:44:14 PM] Shantanu Shukla: saw this link http://www.syracuse.com/visit/poststandard/index.ssf?/visit/colleges.html
[12:44:14 PM] vinu: yeah but not much money....when u were studying..ppl were earning Rs.25000-40000 per month max
[12:44:30 PM] vinu: in india
[12:44:41 PM] vinu: u could make that working in macdonalds in usa
[12:44:44 PM] Shantanu Shukla: But what about expereince
[12:44:50 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and oppurtunity cost
[12:45:09 PM] vinu: ur getting to study from usa....getting more experience than the crap work doen in india
[12:45:13 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Dude if I had worked there and came to US in 2004...my startning salary would be much higher
[12:45:24 PM] vinu: FYI....i have really learnt something after coming to USA
[12:45:32 PM] vinu: the quality of work in India was crap
[12:45:54 PM] Shantanu Shukla: remember if you cannot get through campus.... like most of us had to all our degree comes to nothing
[12:46:16 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Well Vinu we have talked about what is better.... earlier also...
[12:46:36 PM] vinu: i mean i had to sturggle to come to USA
[12:46:47 PM] Shantanu Shukla: The study in US kwas never easy and will never be easy.. if you are coming as fresh student from India...
[12:47:05 PM] Shantanu Shukla: But I had to struggle like ass when we came as student...
[12:47:07 PM] vinu: and i know people who came thought infosys, tcs etc....who worked for 60k-70k for years
[12:47:17 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and after the MS it was not even easy to stay back
[12:47:26 PM] Shantanu Shukla: immigration poicy in US is crappy even then
[12:47:41 PM] Shantanu Shukla: what do you mean by 60K...
[12:47:55 PM] Shantanu Shukla: my this years income is less than 60K
[12:47:57 PM] Shantanu Shukla: even now
[12:48:15 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and my first 3 years income after my MS was less than 50K
[12:48:56 PM] Shantanu Shukla: anyway vinu as I said... the MS only helped me broadening my understanding... and that is what in the ,ong run that will help me...
[12:49:18 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and I am ok to go thorugh the suffering and pain to get it..
[12:49:46 PM] Shantanu Shukla: MS in US is tough... it was for me and so it was for Rose...
[12:51:19 PM] Shantanu Shukla: But what you get from it is not the degree but the mind... and the expereince... As we said if you can get through MS and survive you are ready for the real life out there..
[12:51:51 PM] Shantanu Shukla: A really good thing of US system... I really feel because of almost free educaton in India, you never realise it..
[12:51:55 PM] Shantanu Shukla: That is my take on it
[12:52:40 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Anyway one good thing of being unemployed... can look into other things which are also important...
[12:53:28 PM] Shantanu Shukla: anyway I know you are work... But just FYI - a lot of this writing was for me to write out my thinking .. I might actaully write a Blog on it...
[12:53:39 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and that was Blog
[12:54:47 PM] Shantanu Shukla: so u can jsut neglect a lot of my writing or ramblings of mind if you could say so
[12:55:42 PM] vinu: i know of a lot of people...who came to study in university of southern california...good universities
[12:55:52 PM] vinu: and directly got into cisco, google etc
[12:56:31 PM] Shantanu Shukla: not us...
[12:56:43 PM] Shantanu Shukla: as i said it all depends which year you graduated
[12:56:54 PM] vinu: i mean there are 2 ways to come to usa through companies
[12:57:08 PM] vinu: either come through a consultant....or come through tcs, wipro etc
[12:57:23 PM] vinu: consultant is not a good idea...because they cheat a lot
[12:57:47 PM] vinu: and wipro, tcs, your skills are not too good....because god knows what they make you do
[12:58:10 PM] vinu: unless ur in jave, SAP etc...in which case....u can still manage a good salary
[12:58:39 PM] Shantanu Shukla: that is true about TCS etc
[12:59:14 PM] Shantanu Shukla: but that is the main reason we take risk of coming to US to study... it is not the MS we come for.. we come for oppurtunity...
[12:59:30 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and as you certianly know.. this is a land of oppurtunities
[12:59:57 PM] vinu: yeah...but not on a H1B....there are too many restrictions
[1:00:23 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Well you have to wait till you get the GC... it is worth the wait if you ask me...
[1:00:34 PM] vinu: btw...is canada...a land of oppurtunities lijke USA....i mean what can i not do in Canada...that i can do in usa
[1:00:51 PM] Shantanu Shukla: so why are you in US
[1:00:58 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Dude I know what Canada is...
[1:01:07 PM] Shantanu Shukla: cold as hell
[1:01:14 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and little oppurtunituy
[1:01:29 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Have you seen the cold of canada
[1:02:09 PM] vinu: i have seen cold of Germany....its not good...but u can survive
[1:02:16 PM] vinu: i have relatives in Germany
[1:02:28 PM] vinu: so i guess Canada is as cold as Germany...right
[1:02:43 PM] vinu: what u mean...little oppurtunity...have u been to canada
[1:04:14 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Germany is like Dallas
[1:04:20 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Canda is another stuff
[1:04:33 PM] Shantanu Shukla: I have stayed in Upstate NY
[1:04:56 PM] Shantanu Shukla: It is cold man
[1:05:02 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Cold as hell
[1:05:30 PM] Shantanu Shukla: well I think I should say the Hell would freeze if it was there in Upstate NY or Canda
[1:05:56 PM] Shantanu Shukla: DO you know US army trains people to fight the siberian cold by taking them to Upstate NY
[1:06:52 PM] Shantanu Shukla: I hope you know the diff between Germany and Siberia.. !!!
[1:06:58 PM] Shantanu Shukla: ie in coldness
[1:07:02 PM] Shantanu Shukla: they are not the same
[1:07:12 PM] vinu: ur saying its that cold
[1:07:33 PM] Shantanu Shukla: I have seen -25 Fhreheit
[1:07:42 PM] Shantanu Shukla: at night
[1:07:49 PM] vinu: i have a friend in montreal....and he says....its not that cold
[1:07:51 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and -5 F at 2 in the afternoon
[1:08:05 PM] Shantanu Shukla: all this minus the wind chill
[1:08:16 PM] vinu: he moved from miami to montreal....and i havent seen him complaining
[1:08:59 PM] Shantanu Shukla: how many winters he has stayed there
[1:09:03 PM] vinu: he told me....its just the wrong impression that canada is very cold....
[1:09:11 PM] vinu: he has been there for 3-4 years
[1:09:35 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Well Vinu I and all of Rose's family are from NE
[1:09:42 PM] Shantanu Shukla: if someone says NE is not cold
[1:10:07 PM] Shantanu Shukla: I think he must be coming from Siberia... :)
[1:10:18 PM] vinu: ok
[1:10:30 PM] vinu: i am just stuck on my H1B man
[1:10:42 PM] vinu: and i dont know how long it will take to get GC
[1:10:54 PM] vinu: so i was thinlking about moving to canada
[1:11:24 PM] Shantanu Shukla: have you applied for GC
[1:11:32 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and at what level
[1:11:36 PM] vinu: yes...its in process...EB2
[1:11:49 PM] Shantanu Shukla: so you are good
[1:11:53 PM] Shantanu Shukla: should get it soon
[1:12:07 PM] Shantanu Shukla: most of my freinds who had applied with me hav got theirs
[1:12:14 PM] vinu: my lawyer said...4-5 years
[1:12:16 PM] Shantanu Shukla: if it is EB2 you are good
[1:12:22 PM] Shantanu Shukla: when had you applied
[1:12:30 PM] Shantanu Shukla: ie ur prioirty date
[1:12:32 PM] vinu: i applied just recently
[1:12:40 PM] vinu: i havent got the priority date yet
[1:12:48 PM] Shantanu Shukla: man u are in US for last 4-5 years... should have applied earlier
[1:13:00 PM] Shantanu Shukla: I have been telling you from day one
[1:13:29 PM] vinu: yeah....i was not sure of my plans....if i wanted to stick with my compnay or not
[1:13:43 PM] vinu: so just got delayed
[1:14:33 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Well that is the part of the pain.. I was in GC process for 4 years myself...
[1:14:57 PM] Shantanu Shukla: luckily these dayit is only3-4 year.. when I had applied it was almost 4-5 years
[1:15:22 PM] vinu: yeah we will see
[1:15:46 PM] Shantanu Shukla: The time will fly by soon....
[1:15:49 PM] vinu: has everyone from our mca batch in usa....got their GC
[1:15:56 PM] Shantanu Shukla: but what is your exact application date
[1:16:16 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and hope you are following Muthy.com and toehr immigration sites
[1:16:46 PM] Shantanu Shukla: also as for Montreal when ur freind said it is not that cold there
[1:16:55 PM] Shantanu Shukla: the avegare temperature in Dec is AVERAGES
Hi 20°F
Lo 3°F
[1:17:02 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and it is not Jan
[1:17:10 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and if he says that is not that cold
[1:17:17 PM] Shantanu Shukla: I think he really comes from Siberia
[1:17:26 PM] Shantanu Shukla: http://www.weather.com/weather/monthly/CAXX0301
[1:17:47 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and remeber it is not Quebec and other places which are away from coast
[1:18:24 PM] vinu: anywyays...we will see
[1:19:11 PM] Shantanu Shukla: anyway enjoy your day
[1:19:16 PM] Shantanu Shukla: will need to run
[1:19:17 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Byee
[1:19:21 PM] vinu: ok...bye
[1:19:24 PM] Shantanu Shukla: lets catch up soon
[1:19:27 PM] vinu: sure
[1:19:39 PM] Shantanu Shukla: you have a nice day
