Relocating to the US - Help needed

[Az]

So, me and the GF are considering relocating to the US for a while, with NYC first option, and SF/Bay area a second. We don't want to move in permamently, but considering this will be a significant boost to our careers. We plan this to be a 2-3 year gig.

We are both Israelis. I am am an international sales manger, with experience in the EU and CIS and she is a software engineer, with several years of experience. We both have Bachelor's degrees in STEM ( I am in chemistry, and she's in comp. sci.), and MBAs.

She is currently working development for an Israeli branch of a big US based company, and I am working in a small company managing channel and direct sales for capital equipment ( Optics and combined SW/HW systems) in Europe and the CIS.

She wants to continue working as a software developer, preferrably for a major company, while I am interested in either continuing my sales/biz-dev job or venturing into certain aspects of finance.

What are our chances / opportunities? Any experiences to share? how do we start?

This is very serious and very important, and assitance in the issue would be much appreciated.

[Ben Kenobi]

Well, I wouldn't go to either NYC or the Bay area. Both have terrible economies at the moment. Sky high cost of living.

If she's doing software engineering and you want something to do with your chem degree, I'd recommend Texas as there are plenty of jobs in both. She's working for a US company and wants to transfer to the US out of Israel? That makes things substantially easier for her. Where is her company based in the US? Start from there and work outwards. Are you willing to take a cut in pay yourself to make this move?

First start you guys have to figure out are:

1. what are your goals? You aren't going to start out in the US with a better job than you have at present. There are opportunities to move up but those take time. If you're looking for a 2 year gig, expect to make less money with the benefit of getting US experience and travelling to a different country.

2. you'll have to apply for jobs and your visas. That will take several years likely, unless you have an opportunity already lined up. That also costs a fair amount of money to do, not counting relocation and transportation costs.

3, I'll let you talk to one of the folks who are in either one of these fields, they will know more than me. I made the jump myself, but it took quite some time, and I'm doing a much different deal than you - working towards citizenship not just a job for awhile and then going back.

[regexcellent]

The two worst metro areas in the country

I kid, of course. I don't have a reason to dislike San Francisco aside from I don't want to live there myself.

In order to get in you're going to need a visa. If either of you are a citizen this will be pretty easy. If you can get someone to hire you in the US then it is also going to be a lot easier.

As for work you're going to find more software stuff in San Francisco. IBM has major offices in New York, though, in Binghampton and Poughkeepsie. Those are both pretty far from New York City but you can commute to Poughkeepsie from the suburbs of NYC like White Plains.

[The Mad Monk]

Johnson County, Kansas. Seriously. Wealthy, educated, high tech, cheap.

[snoopy369]

I would suggest that the most useful people you might talk to would be Asher and Krazyhorse, given their industries and knowledge of some of the relevant cities.

[regexcellent]

Asher will just tell him to go to Canada instead, and specifically Calgary (or anywhere but Toronto).

[Ben Kenobi]

Yes, KH is really the best bet.

[Dinner]

Don't let him see that post or it will end up in his sig.

[Krill]

Asher will just tell him to go to Canada instead, and specifically Calgary (or anywhere but Toronto).

What can I say, he already convinced me.

[Alexander's Horse]

move to Australia - we are now the richest country on earth, low unemployment, booming economy and we have large wealthy Jewish/Israeli communities in Sydney and Melbourne if you need that support, you would be welcome

[snoopy369]

Doesn't Australia also give incentives to people in certain fields to emigrate there?

[The Mad Monk]

Australia: we used to bring immigrants here in chains, now we just bribe them.

[Alexander's Horse]

ya lucky convicts lol, only developed country not to go into recession in the GFC, more than 20 years of unbroken economic growth and lifestyle to die for - brilliant sunny day in Sydney today

Join the superpower of the 21st century, get in at the ground floor

[regexcellent]

I thought it was WA driving economic growth? Get in on that mining money.

[The Mad Monk]

Sydney? What happened to your cozy island paradise?