‍I want to share my observations on the occupational choice new immigrants make: a new life gives a chance to restart.

What do career advisors say on this point? Basically, there are three “must-dos”. The first one is learning to speak English fluently. The second one is getting a university or college degree in the United States. The last but not least is social networking.

People have to think over what job to do. A lot of them start with a survival job. Moving to a new country gives a great incentive for the complete revision of their knowledge and skills; it facilitates identifying new areas of activity, often far from their former professional career.

Many times I've noticed that new immigrants are trying to find something "at the crossroads" or which intersects their skills. They are seeking the occupation which is not exactly what they had before, but is close to their new spheres of interests. What is popular too is when one spouse gets accreditation of his or her qualifications and takes out the license for the same job he or she did before, while the partner, who might have the same qualification, accompanies the spouse’s occupation on the administrative side, for example, working as a receptionist.

What else matters? The choice of profession should be done right the first time – no refunds if, for example, the choice was made in favor of studying in a college and the person changed his mind later.

Also important is the fact that many immigrants come to the United States as an adult, so they have to make a living, and often, to raise children. What should you do if you are in this situation and lack time to make a decision? There are some considerable reasons not to limit yourself to doing a survival job, even if you are satisfied with it. The first one is the need to be convinced that nothing is impossible in your life. The second is to become proactive. It can be perceived by some as good luck. Only you know how much effort “good luck” costs.

Nothing of the immigrant employment story, which you are familiar with, is going to happen exactly the same way in your own life. Will it be good or bad news? It’s up to you!

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