the economy jobs etc.

[miss g 1]

i was talking to my fiance lastnight.. hes really worried that im going to go out there and we arent going to be able to make it, not because we dont love each other but because of how bad things are in the economy

in his life of work (finance) he hears and sees alot of people going bust, losing their jobs etc.. his state has the highest unemployment in the whole of the usa..

maybe im naive but its never even for a moment crossed my mind that i wnt find a job.... ive got alot of good experience and a good education.. and the most important thing is i have a positive attitude..

what are you guys thoughts ? are you guys worried.. what steps are you taking as backup measures?

[Big Papa Zone 93]

i was talking to my fiance lastnight.. hes really worried that im going to go out there and we arent going to be able to make it, not because we dont love each other but because of how bad things are in the economy

in his life of work (finance) he hears and sees alot of people going bust, losing their jobs etc.. his state has the highest unemployment in the whole of the usa..

maybe im naive but its never even for a moment crossed my mind that i wnt find a job.... ive got alot of good experience and a good education.. and the most important thing is i have a positive attitude..

what are you guys thoughts ? are you guys worried.. what steps are you taking as backup measures?

Well, I don't think Illinois has the highest unemployment rate in America. That's a good thing. However, I'm afraid your experience and UK education will probably count for jack sh!t out there, especially in the current climate. That's a bad thing.

Back up measures? My boss has said I can have my job back if it doesn't work out. Go me.

[miss g 1]

actually im going to michigan!

see i know and understand all that.. but just because things are going shitty for everyone else, i dont see why it has to go the same way for me...

i guess i could have my job back if it came down to it.. but its kinda sht after spending so long trying to be together..

[Big Papa Zone 93]

actually im going to michigan!

Oh sorry, it's just when I saw your local office was Chicago, I automatically assumed you were in Illinois.

Right, I'm off to St Andrews to watch Saints stuff Brum - c ya *waves*

[miss g 1]

yeah right!!! dont come back crying when saints get smashed!

[MMW 2]

Well i have experienced many financial woes in my working life but no matter how bad the situation seems, a good attitude and determination will always provide a way! I spent several years laid off in Michigan due to the ups and downs of the auto industry and still managed to support a wife and 5 kids by doing whatever it took. I cut grass, shoveled snow, finally opened my own landscaping business. None of which i had a clue of when i started it. If you are hard working and willing to do what it takes you can weather any economic climate. Just trust God will provide and do your part and things will be OK. It may not be great but you will survive. Faith is believing even when you can't see the end results.

[MARM 7]

missg,

I am in Illinois (I saw you wrote Chicago then you mentioned you are going to Michigan) and right now, I don't think it matters where in the USA, everyone has been drastically affected. My fiance will be joining me here in Chicago. And like you mentioned, he also has 10+ years of experience and UK-based education in his field. But like Damian P mentioned, it will not count for much at all once he gets here, especially with the way things are going. We have broadened our options of where to settle in the USA, and we have decided that employment agencies nationwide as well as some national contacts I made through some networking are going to be our options; anywhere he gets a well-paying offer, we will move. I am finishing up my Masters degree right now, so I will be looking for a job right along with him when he gets here (we have my mother as the co-sponsor and will be living with my parents until we find jobs, etc). The best way to deal with the economical crisis right now for K-1 and other family based visa applicants coming to the USA is to broaden your options. Take what you get, even if it means moving to another state. For now, this is what we have planned.

ETA: I like what MMW wrote...where there is a will, there is a way!

Edited March 7, 2009 by MARM

[miss g 1]

thank you for your advice, its made me feel better

and MMW faith is what guides me in my everyday life.. I havent had the easiest of lives either, ive lived in a 3rd world country before where you have to make things happen, and when my fiance was asking me what makes me think I am so different.. ME.. im not being arrogant, but you can read any survival book, any positive motivation any religious, any psychological book there is and you are always going to get the same thing.. YOU MAKE YOUR OWN reality.. by what you have faith in. I never for a minute saw that things would go bad when I move and they wont..

i have so many plans, and my nets are going to be cast open and wide.. i am working on my resume now.. ive been looking at companies i want to work for, and I am going to approach them in person when I am there.. show them that they need me.. i work hard in everything i do

i always do little courses or do diplomas here and there so i can do anything..

i have been speaking to a close friend about Washington Dc, if things start to get rough.. i will make the move, its the one place that is actually doing really well, house prices are going up, not down, business is booming.. jobs are in abundance..

my friend is always sending my job listings because he wants to see us make it.. and we will !!

[Laura+Tom 2]

Dunno what I'm going to do, apply for everything and anything I suppose though I refuse to wait tables and work in a supermarket. I did that for 5yrs and hated every minute of it. It's a shame as I worked so hard to get where I am now with my career and if I do have to come back for any reason there is no way I would get my old job back. I'd have to start from the bottom again, though I suppose that's what I'll be doing in the US plus I'd have to wait for citizenship *sigh*.

[NickyMcMillan 0]

Its true, employment opportunities out here are limited right now. I had a steady job in the UK for 8 years. Counts for nothing here. Its taken me about 6 months to find a job. Actually, I did find a job after about a month, then they laid me off due to poor thanksgiving sales figures after a fortnight.

There is a good chance you will have to start at the very bottom. If your not willing to do that, you may find yourself kicking your heels for a long time. That's what I have been doing since I got here last June. Make no bones about it, its not easy.

If it wasn't for my wife's job, I'm not sure how long we would have lasted here. Point of the matter really is, if your counting your future plans on getting a job as soon as you get here (or as soon as you get the EAD card), then you may want to look over the plan again.

On the brighter side of things, I have manged to get a job similar to what I was doing back in the UK. Over 50 people applied for 3 positions. its tough.

I wish you the very best of luck.

Edited March 8, 2009 by NickyMcMillan

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Well here goes...It's your Nan Nich with her thoughts. Ready or not, here I go..........

The economy is very serious right now and isn't going to turn around quickly. Good people with excellent experience are getting cut loose daily because their companies are trying to stay afloat and they have to cut expenses. Those fine educated workers are going to be competing with you for the fewer jobs available.

Nick has been here 5 months and has had his work authorization 2 months. He has years of experience in IT and Telecommunications. He hasn't found a job yet. Luckily, I can afford him. LOL. Seriously though, we knew we could manage financially for an extended period of time without an income from him. We thought about all those things before we decided to go for it and do the immigration thing. He had visited here close to 20 times and knew exactly what he was getting into moving to Texas.

You need to think real hard about the reality of living on one paycheck. There's so many people on VJ who are scraping to meet the conditions of the Affidavit of Support that it amazes me. (Not talking to those who are finishing their Masters degree.) It is going to be real hard and frustrating to barely make ends meet. Money problems can spoil relationships. You need to really be committed and willing to sacrifice some fun things like movies, shopping, a cool car, the latest i-phone, partying, and frequent trips back home unless you can afford them. If you spouse doesn't have health insurance and can add you to the policy, it's going to be a shock to you the cost of medical care. I hope you have known your fiance for many years and are 150% sure they are perfect for you and you can trust them with your life. If your relationship is the slightest bit "rocky" now, it's going to get worse.

So assuming you've made it past the doom and gloom, here's some ideas of things to consider.

• Don't spend a ton of money on a fancy wedding unless your parents are paying.
• Marry quickly and file for AOS quickly. The sooner you apply, the sooner you get work authorization and a driver's license. Remember it costs $1010 to file, and then there's the associated costs of more passport photos (6) and seeing a Civil Surgeon to get your immunizations on the I-693. Budget for AOS now.
• Don't start a family right away unless you've got a ton of money and health insurance. Babies are real expensive. They need check-ups and shots and diapers and get ear infections which requires prescription medicine. Daycare will take a big bite out of your paycheck if you plan to work.
• Don't think you have to have the latest and greatest tech gear. High speed internet and cable TV and new cool mobile phones just add to your monthly bills.
• Don't run up credit card bills. It'll bite you in the butt. The high interest rate you pay on those balances you carry over each month, make that bargain purchase you got actually much more expensive. If you charge, then make sure you can pay the whole bill at the end of the month.
• Try to save something each month, even the tiniest amount. It's a great habit and by the time you get as old as Nick and me, you'll have a bloody fortune. Not really, but you might have a comfortable life and unexpected expenses won't derail you.

Here's a cost of living calculator that you might want to bookmark if you're considering relocating. It'll give you a comparison of two cities as far as how expensive one is over the other.

http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costoflivin...stofliving.html

I'm sure most of you know what you're doing, but just in case there's a few out there that figure they'll immigrate, marry, and give it a try to see how it goes, but have no job skills or savings, then think about it and know it's not going to be Disneyland or a fairy tale.

[MARM 7]

Excellent advice, Nich!

I just wanted to add some thoughts regarding starting from the bottom up...of course no one WANTS to work below their potential, but since is becomes a NEED, it is in your best interest to remain open with your options. For example, my fiance is an accountant with an MBA but also has quite a few Microsoft Certifications (MCSA/MCSE/A+, etc) and 10+ years experience in finance and office management. So we are planning on taking ANYTHING for him that fits somewhat into his background, such as a help desk tech, admin assistant, whatever he can get that he would feel comfortable committing to in light of his background. Even though he is WELL above these positions in terms of his education and experience, it is a matter of need, not want right now.

Another important point Nich mentioned is SAVINGS! SAVE, SAVE, SAVE as much as you can and whatever you can. We are planning on a simple court marriage in DuPage County, IL, that is it. We have a lifetime for each other and many many occasions to celebrate our happiness and love. It is unavoidable for us to visit back home once he gets his K-1 before POE, but we have enough savings and plans to last a good while even after the expenses on that trip. Also, we are thankful to my parents who are supporting us 150% (I am 21 yrs old, and some pple may think it irresponsible of me to not be out on my own, but I appreciate my parents and enjoy staying with them and they are helping me both of us out, and I would not want it any other way).

Also, timing is VERY CRUCIAL! We are doing all our AOS research right now and preparing all the forms with the information we can so that as soon as we get our marriage certificate, we are ready to mail the package. In order to speed things up, we have done our civil surgeon research for the I-693 for AOS and we made a phone call to the DuPage County Clerk and asked if we could bring the marriage certificate ourselves from the judge after the ceremony to get it registered/certified (therefore having the marriage certificate immediately after the marriage ceremony...meaning we get to file AOS right away!).

Network! I have spend a lot of time making contacts and networking nationally while completing my degree and made a list of contacts for my fiance once he gets to the USA to pursue regarding employment opportunities. And thankfully I have a job lined up after graduation. Resources ARE available, believe me, it just takes a lot of time and effort of course to plan every step of the way.

Another tip is to make a chronological list (like the K-1 flow chart) of what to do right after POE. Plan everything in terms of days/weeks. For example, (now this depends on state to state requirements) we planned the day we go for marriage license, marriage ceremony, SSN, Driver's license/State ID, AOS filing, legal/official paperwork such as adding the name of the spouse to bank accounts, bills, etc. And in this way, we have calculated all immediate costs including AOS and everything else from marriage license fees to how much it costs to open a joint safety locker at the bank, etc.

I know it gets frustrating to wait during this K-1 process, but the time can be used very wisely if you know what to do, and with a site like VJ, resources and help are a click away!

So these are just some of our tips for everyone (sorry I stole some of yours Nich ).

-Marm

Edited March 8, 2009 by MARM

[Ian + Anne 0]

I've found that the IT sector is hard to get into, I have some Microsoft Certs too and work experience from the UK, but it's not worth anything here in the US, I have not been able to secure a job with them since I have been here in the US.

I've had to change my career for the time being, like some have said here before, you need to be willing to do any type of work to get a foot on the ladder.

There are plenty of service jobs that can pay well - look into driving for a hotel, this also includes cleaning parts of the hotel as well. The tips can be great too if you are polite and help with luggage. Tips alone per week can be as much as $200.00 or more on top of your $9 / $10 an hour wage. If your good at it you can make $600.00 + a week easy.

[MonkeyJuice 3]

I will be moving to Michigan too & the job situation there is bothering me so I have decided to save. Save as much as possible because I dont count on getting a job soon after AOS.

I have my own house in the UK which didn't sell so I moved in with my parents until I get my visa & I am renting the house out. The income from that pays the mortgage & some left over. Hopefully when the economy improves I'll be able to sell it.

Staying with my parents enables me to save most of my salary each month. I want to be able to contribute when I get over to the states & although I know my fiance is happy to support us both until I find work, I would still prefer to help out and at the same time retain some of my independence.

[miss g 1]

monkey juice where in MI are you moving too???

thanks guys for all the help and info.. yes i am saving as much as i can.. its a good thing that i am still stuck in my frugal student ways, i pretty much can live cheap...

we arent having a big wedding, we are going to do the court thing and not tell anyone (complicated family drama avoidance issue) and save up for the big one.