Career Archives - PRABODH KANDALA

So, you lost your job in Tech layoffs and you are on H1B and you need to find a job within 60 days to maintain status.

This is the season where recruiting is slow and there is a possibility of recession lurking around the corner to make things more complicated. Best case scenario probably is to find the job within 60 days. I am not a lawyer, but I imagine that the other good scenarios could be to switch to a dependent visa if you have a spouse working on a valid visa or switching to F1 to go back to college. All of which will give you some time before you find your next job. But, what if you are in a situation without any of these options and your time is running out and you have no other option but to go back to the country you came from.

I understand that you are in panic mode now worried about the uncertain future or worse yet worried that there is no future.

I was in similar situation several years ago and If there is anything that I can tell you from my experience, it is that the future isn’t uncertain, at least to those who are open and hopeful.

Back then, I was requesting for time off to attend my sister’s wedding in my country. I had to get my visa stamped because of change of status from F1 to H1B. My leave request was turned down several dozen times as company believed that I may get stuck in the country for several months as the visa officer may issue a 221G form instead of directly granting the visa on the spot. But, I had a 50% chance of getting visa approved on the spot without 221G and I want to take that chance to attend my only sister’s wedding (a life time event).

After hundreds of requests, my then company gave me two choices:

Choice 1: Stay and work

Choice 2: Resign and leave

I felt my future was uncertain. My colleagues and few friends suggested me not to take a chance by going back to my country as that means doors to US will be shut and it could be tough to adopt to the working culture in my country. I tried hard to convince my company and 4 days before my sister’s wedding and 2 days before the flight, I made a decision and here is exactly how my thoughts ran:

“I am not going to miss this one time life event. Life will give opportunities again but this event is not going to come back. I will try for my visa. If I don’t, I will apply for a post doctoral position in any University and chances are that USA may welcome me on a different visa. In the worst case scenario of USA doors shut, I will work in my country teaching students at college I studied. As long as I am still alive in my worst case scenario. I am good”. The moment I made this introspection, I decided to take option 2 because I am going to be alive in my worst case scenario.

I gave a verbal resignation and flew to attend my sister’s wedding. I got my visa approved on the spot (no 221G) one day before my sister’s wedding and I came back to USA 10 days later. Luckily for me, my payroll was running until after I returned because of the PTO I accumulated. I interviewed for one company while in my country and 2 companies within 2 days after landing in the USA and within a month from there, I started my new job.

While my situation was not entirely same as what you are going through now, this entire experience changed my life in terms of decision making and I am thankful that this situation made me much bolder.

Here are the reasons why I ask you not to panic if you have all your doors shut while on H1B and all doors are shut.

Fortune favors the brave: In these situations, you tend to take shortcuts. But if you have tried all your options and looking at the exit door. Do the right thing and right things will happen to you. Nature somehow aligns things for you when you take right and bold decisions.

You can always return to USA: You are probably worried about your chances of getting a visa again. But think about it. If you have studied here and/or contributing your services to big Technology or Financial or whatever sector company it is, chances are that you have highly valuable skills. USA is a pro-immigrant country. Your skills will be always welcome here. It is a matter of time before you find another job in USA while staying in your country and getting back.

You can always live in the country that you came from (unless you have a life threat): You are probably worried to go back and work in your country because the pay is not comparable to what you get paid in USA and work culture is 180 degree different.

I agree with those, but think about it. If you are in a situation where you are still on H1B, my educated guess is that you are staying in US for less than 15 years. Going by those numbers, you lived majority of your life in the country you came from and you adopted here. You will be able to adopt back home too. Moreover, World is Flat now and working culture has become better in many part of the world compared to a decade ago.

4. Consider this as a family break: If you are on H1B, chances are that it has been several years since you made a visit to your family back in your country. Consider this situation as a family break. Pandemic made us realize how we were ignoring our family lives. This is one kind of situation that will give you a chance to spend time with your family back in your country.

We are all humans and panic is all real but don’t lose your hope. But, If you are prepared for a worst case scenario, you will always be happy with any outcome better than that scenario. In a spiritualistic sense, you have nothing to lose in these kind of scenarios although it feels like that on the surface. You never know what is in store for you.

When we rise from adversity and became better than what we were before.

If you are in this H1B situation and need a sounding board, please write to prabodh@prabodhkandala.com.

If you think this article will be helpful to someone in this H1B situation, please share

No matter how much we know, there is always so much we do not know.

This is an universal fact. Yet, many of us are not open about ourselves at workplace losing on the opportunity to learn and grow. All great leaders and mentors are open about what they do not know. They rely on other team members or people who report into them for something they don’t have knowledge about.

If people of such a stature can be open about what they do not know. Why can’t we?

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Not being open is not our fault. There are many situations and perceptions in our environment and culture that leads us into this habit of not being open. Whatever the reasons are, here is how we tend to keep ourselves in the dark in different stages of career.

In our early careers, many of us are scared to ask questions. We are worried that people might judge us. Our inner voice stops us from asking questions. It says something like this “I just got selected for this role, my hiring manager or team members may think that I do not know this trivial thing. Let me not ask and try to figure it out myself” This way of thinking do not end there. In an year, the same voice says “It is over an year since I am here, people may judge me that I haven’t gained this skill yet”. This way of thinking keeps on continuing to become a habit that will work against us.

In mid to late careers, we may feel that we should not expose our lack of knowledge to our managers, peers and those who report into us. Our voice will now start saying “At this level, I should have known this. Exposing my lack of knowledge may hinder me from a promotion” or “People may judge me that I should not belong to this leadership position”.

While not being open is more prominent in early careers than in late stage careers, it is still observed in significant number of people who are in later part of their careers.

Irrespective of whenever it is, this way of thinking will do more harm than good. You will become much lesser in confidence as you are denying yourself a new learning. No one is perfect and no one has infinite knowledge anyway.

**You grow when you are open about what you don’t know**

Here is some perspectives that will help us to be open:

1. People don’t judge us. They help us: While we often worry that our colleagues may judge us when we ask for help or be open about what we know. That is often wrong. No one has time to judge you. They simply help and move on to their next thing.

2. Being honest is always the best and it boosts our confidence: Being your authentic self is the best. No on is perfect and everyone knows that no one can know everything. It is better to say “I do not know about this thing and i would like to learn about it” than being hidden in the dark forever. Moreover, every time you are honest and learn something new, it boosts your confidence and others appreciate that.

3. You inspire others to be open as well: There are many people who think similarly in these situations and stay in their cocoon. Being open will rub off on other people as well. When they ask about something they do not know (and probably you too) and someone else helps, everyone is learning. It is a win-win.

While sometimes ego comes in our way to ask, develop this habit of being open and you will let your career flourish. Next time, if you are in a dilemma or if there is something you don’t know but need to know to do your job. Be yourself and ask it out.

The habit of asking about what we don’t know is a sign of strength and not that of a weakness.

Note: If you are too much dependent on each and every task every day for a long time. You should have been somewhere else anyway.

If you are on H1B and lost your job in the lay offs, you may benefit from read this.

How being open about what you don’t know will help every stage of your career.

If you are on H1B and lost your job in the lay offs, you may benefit from read this.

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If you are on H1B and lost your job in the lay offs, you may benefit from read this.