Moving back to India
By: Pavan Punaroor
Tags: Engineering, Move To India, Going Home, Career Change, Change Your Life

It has been more than 6 years now. We are happily settled in India as I write this. I started my life in USA by completing my MS (Master of science) in 2001 starting with Marist college, Poughkeepsie, NY and continuing at UTA, Arlington, Texas. I completed a great summer Internship at i2 Technologies (which was one of the top companies during those times), got selected by Sabre holdings during a campus recruitment drive as a software engineer. I went on to have successful technical leadership stints at Travelocity.com and eventually moved on to engineering management in a company working on telematics software which was eventually bought by SiriusXM. All these years until 2014 we were in the Dallas Area where we bought a house, had two kids, and my wife having a good career in science. In June 2014 we packed our bags (we actually had 8 big suitcases), kept most of our stuff in storage, rented our house and decided to move to India. All this without a job in India and with a silent confidence (overconfidence maybe) that we will be OK since we are moving to a place where we have our family and where we have our roots.

So, what made me move back to my birth country at the peak of my career in USA when everything seemed to be settled?

Parents and family

We were extremely happy at our house in Dallas but there was always something missing. it just was not a home. Home for me is where family and relatives are close-by. I always missed spending quality time with parents and being there for them when needed. Being in US for so long meant missing out on many milestones, family celebrations and festivals. Just the joy of spending Diwali in India with family is priceless and there are numerous such festivals. Getting help while we bring up the kids was also an added bonus for us both.

Kids

Not having the kids spend time with grandparents I felt is missing out on something important that I always cherished growing up. The bond that the kids share with grandparents is priceless which brings so much joy to both the grandkids and the grandparents. There was also the factor of kids understanding Indian culture, traditions, language and so many aspects which is purely Indian including the freedom of playing with a group of friends outside late at night without needing a prior appointment.

Break the monotony

Maybe it was just me, but things quickly started to get monotonous. Maybe it was the lack of options to go around without needing to fly. We love to travel and Texas being BIG, you drive and drive only to realise you are still in Texas. There are only so many times we can drive to Austin, San Antonio and Houston. We wanted lot more things to do over the weekend and on holidays and even during the weekday evenings and our options started reducing.

There were also many things that I was apprehensive about while I planned to move back.

Work

Obviously not having the luxury of having work waiting for me was a big drawback which also meant I needed to find something fast that matched my expectation of my ideal job which I had got used to while I worked in Dallas. I wasn’t sure if such a job and work life balance ever existed in India because when I left India in 2000 that was non existent.

School for kids

Kids needed to be in a school that matched the kind of education system that we have in the US. Again blame it on my ignorance, I wasn’t again sure if such schools ever existed in India and how easy it would be to get admitted to those.

Quality of life

What about the quality of life? Do I still need to stand in line to pay my utility bill? What about the malls, movies, restaurants, bars, parks. Can it even come close to the experience we had in US?

Believe it or not, once we settled in Bangalore, I soon realised that all these were unfounded apprehensions. Work matched and in some aspects (engagement at the work place) was better than that of my experience in the US. Thanks to PayPal. School is now awesome after one bad experience. The quality of life was..hold your breath.. better! Outstanding entertainment for the adults and kids, cheap and great places to travel throughout India, parents and family just a 3 hour drive away, getting food, medicines and groceries delivered to your doorstep plus the privilege of being able to afford cook, nanny and a maid.

Is everything rosy and there are absolutely no problems in India and I don’t miss life in the US? Absolutely not! I do miss the clean roads, the outstanding infrastructure, medical care, Kayaking, cycling and the air quality. In terms of career, there are lots of high paying jobs here but in the MNCs I still feel there is scope of improvement in terms of making the offshore units the centre of excellence. There just are not enough products (in MNCs) that are built completely in India. This has a potential to impact growth and you tend to hit the ceiling very fast.

My Experience

I did eventually decide to settle down in India after 2–3 years. Until our next adventure, I am extremely happy here and love it here in India.Everything has to work well like clockwork for you to adjust in India after spending so many years abroad. There is also the luck factor. Eventually it is your priorities that will make it easier for you to make a decision. Mine was very clear. Do experience work and life in the US if you get the opportunity. I had simply an amazing experience there. At some point of time, if you have the same priorities as mine or if you know what you want, do make the decision to move at just the right time. Timing and committing to the decision is important. If you do decide to move back, your country of origin will be waiting for you to welcome you back.

If you need more guidance on this topic, please follow me on https://www.facebook.com/engineeringabetteryou and get in touch. I would be happy to guide and make the move easier for you.