Priya Bajaj and Darshan Shah left India and moved to the US a few years ago. Though it was a bit of an adjustment at first, they say corporate life in America offered them a work-life balance they didn’t have before. Corporate life in America gave them the time to build their own platform and create content.
When Priya Bajaj was offered a job at Google India and relocated to the US, she thought she’d give it a try for six months – she never expected to be in America seven years later.
“My whole family was in India so there was no reason for me to move here,” Bajaj said, “plus I was dating him,” she said of her now-husband.
Bajaj’s husband, Darshan Shah, was working as a producer for Sony Pictures in Mumbai at the time she got the offer, and he was happy with his life in India, so the two agreed to continue their long-distance relationship while she took on the new challenge.
Bajaj said she first landed in the U.S. in January 2017 and didn’t feel comfortable until about a year later, at which point she and Shah were married and she persuaded him to come to the U.S.
American companies were a culture shock.
When Bajaj and Shah first moved to the United States, they struggled with living together, navigating immigration procedures and finding stable work.
After moving, Shah looked for video production jobs in the media and entertainment industry, but found it difficult to find those jobs without local connections. He eventually shifted his focus to video content production and marketing in the technology sector, working for several startups, before moving on to work as a contractor at Google and then Indeed.
Bajaj said Shah had to adapt to the interview process: In India, interviews focus more on past experience, whereas in the U.S., you’re expected to sell yourself and talk about what you can bring to the table, she said.
Despite having secured a job, Bajaj struggled initially after moving.
“The first six or seven months weren’t that easy,” Bajaj said, adding that from a cultural standpoint, “it was very difficult to work here.”
Bajaj and Shah both feel it took them time to understand the cultural nuances of American companies. In India, the workplace was truly like a “community” and coworkers were best friends, Shah said. Bajaj and Shah said they had to learn the limits of professionalism in the U.S.
The nine-to-five lifestyle gave them an opportunity.
Bajaj said it was difficult at first, but once he got used to it, he wanted to stay in the U.S. and see where his career took him.
Bajaj said people in India tend to go above and beyond what is expected of them and it is a common instinct to always say “yes” at the workplace, especially for those early in their careers. Many Indian corporate workers also hire cooking and cleaning staff to help with basic household chores, which allows them to work long hours, she said.
“In India, you can work 18 hours, you just work,” Bajaj said. “Your chores are done, your meals are prepared. You don’t have to clean, cook groceries or do anything.”
Bajaj and Shah said they now have more control over their time: Shah has more time outside of work, which allows him to focus more on his health, and Bajaj has the opportunity to take on board roles, speak at events and create content.
Moving means starting over, and not everyone can do that.
Moving to the US has also brought opportunities outside of full-time work for Bajaj and Shah: In their free time, they started “It’s Ok Yaar,” a platform for South Asian immigrants.
“We’re hustlers,” Bajaj says. “We like to do things outside of our full-time jobs.”
Bajaj said that if the opportunity hadn’t presented itself in the U.S., she might have tried other countries. She and Shah enjoy being pushed out of their comfort zones.
However, moving to America is not for everyone.
Mr Bajaj warns that surviving in the job market requires networking and the ability to handle rejection, and if you’re already living comfortably and “successfully” in your home country, you should ask yourself if you’re ready to start over again, he says.