I want to move to the US but don't know how to get there

Kelix

I just turned 19 and I'm going to college in September here in Ireland. The thing is, I don't know what course to do because my life goal is to move to California. Literally all my life I've wanted to live in the U.S and I genuinely believe I won't be happy until I'm there. I don't have any relations in the U.S so that form of getting into the country isn't possible. Does anyone have any tips for me to work and live there? It's the CAO time of year and honestly I'm constantly worrying that my choices will end up with me not being able to move there, it's keeping me up at night. Thanks.

qz

If all your worries in life are like this, you're gonna have it pretty easy mate.

You're 19, don't sweat it. You literally have all of your life ahead of you. Pick a course for a job you want to do. As much as you're strung out on the OC boxsets, you wouldn't be happy working a shít job in CA, no matter how floppy Sandy Cohen's hair is.

Kelix

qz wrote: »

If all your worries in life are like this, you're gonna have it pretty easy mate.

You're 19, don't sweat it. You literally have all of your life ahead of you. Pick a course for a job you want to do. As much as you're strung out on the OC boxsets, you wouldn't be happy working a shít job in CA, no matter how floppy Sandy Cohen's hair is.

I've honestly never seen an episode of the OC in my life. haha. It's the stress of it all right now, I want to do film studies or journalism and the prospects of getting a job here in that field is very slim. Everybody has different life goals and it may seem stupid to you but it's very important to me...

WoollyRedHat

qz wrote: »

If all your worries in life are like this, you're gonna have it pretty easy mate.

You're 19, don't sweat it. You literally have all of your life ahead of you. Pick a course for a job you want to do. As much as you're strung out on the OC boxsets, you wouldn't be happy working a shít job in CA, no matter how floppy Sandy Cohen's hair is.

Sandy Cohen has a great job, nice wife too

jd83

Your best bet to living your dream is to get qualified in something here, get a job and get experience. Maybe google jobs that the u.s are finding it hard to fill with u.s citizens. By going to college you can also get work visa by way of the j1 visa for the summer. Also (not entirely sure of this one so correct me if im wrong.) there is a 1 year visa for graduates also.

Short of that you can also apply for the green card lotto. However the odds of winning are slim and if you do win you need to show you have qualifications to help you find work and aprox 13 k in savings to support yourself if you move there. So back to my first point go to university get a qualification in something.

Jesus Shaves

Just keep going in a westerly direction

qz

Kelix wrote: »

I've honestly never seen an episode of the OC in my life. haha. It's the stress of it all right now, I want to do film studies or journalism and the prospects of getting a job here in that field is very slim. Everybody has different life goals and it may seem stupid to you but it's very important to me...

Totally agree, one of mine is to own a Ferrari. Another is to live in the States at some stage. People think that's ridiculous, but people differ.I'm with you 100%. All I'm saying is, don't let the location determine what you want to do in life.

I'm only slightly older than you. I have my degree only recently, and objectively it's a good one, but it's not one that will let me transfer to another country without some extra work or qualification on top of it.

I have a very good job at the moment, with plenty room for serious expansion into the future. Just don't let a geographic region determine what you're going to do to provide for yourself. Do what you want, if it's journalism so be it. You don't necessarily have to practice it when you're finished college. You're not shackled to a degree, let alone a country.

Kelix

qz wrote: »

Totally agree, one of mine is to own a Ferrari. Another is to live in the States at some stage. People think that's ridiculous, but people differ.I'm with you 100%. All I'm saying is, don't let the location determine what you want to do in life.

I'm only slightly older than you. I have my degree only recently, and objectively it's a good one, but it's not one that will let me transfer to another country without some extra work or qualification on top of it.

I have a very good job at the moment, with plenty room for serious expansion into the future. Just don't let a geographic region determine what you're going to do to provide for yourself. Do what you want, if it's journalism so be it. You don't necessarily have to practice it when you're finished college. You're not shackled to a degree, let alone a country.

Hope you don't mind me asking, but what course did you do to get yourself a job like that? I'm still at the point where I'm looking into everything, just curious, sounds good.

efb

wexie

Plenty of large US companies in Ireland that will offer opportunities to move internally if you're good enough.

Google, Facebook, HP, Microsoft, Salesforce, Dell, EMC etc etc etc.

I'm sure there are plenty outside of IT as well.

And if you want to do film studies/journalism at a guess I'd say there are probably courses out there that would give you a decent amount of IT skills to land a job with some of the companies I just mentioned.

You could get a job here and pick up the sponsor here as well. Get into the US with a job in hand.

OH, and good man for thinking ahead, hope it works out for ya

Kelix

wexie wrote: »

Plenty of large US companies in Ireland that will offer opportunities to move internally if you're good enough.

Google, Facebook, HP, Microsoft, Salesforce, Dell, EMC etc etc etc.

I'm sure there are plenty outside of IT as well.

And if you want to do film studies/journalism at a guess I'd say there are probably courses out there that would give you a decent amount of IT skills to land a job with some of the companies I just mentioned.

You could get a job here and pick up the sponsor here as well. Get into the US with a job in hand.

OH, and good man for thinking ahead, hope it works out for ya

Thanks! I'm a girl, by the way haha. But I've heard of that route before, working for an american corporation and hoping for a transfer. Seems to be the most likely way, in terms of visas and having a job as soon as you get there.

Palmy

You want to be making great money in CA,living expenses are crazy + you pay quite alot in taxes in CA..:D

wexie

Kelix wrote: »

Thanks! I'm a girl, by the way haha.

Apologies :eek:

And I won't say good girl....good woman?

Good luck

Killer Wench

Palmy wrote: »

You want to be making great money in CA,living expenses are crazy + you pay quite alot in taxes in CA..:D

One day, by the time she leaves college, she will realize that CA is severely overrated. And this from someone born in California.

Kelix

Killer Wench wrote: »

One day, by the time she leaves college, she will realize that CA is severely overrated. And this from someone born in California.

I don't want to live there because of any of those cheesey California based shows for teenagers, honestly don't watch any of them and never have. I want to live there because of climate, it's English speaking and there's more to do there in your past time than in Ireland, for me and what I like to do anyway. It's proven that living in dull and rainy places depresses you, so why stay right? Seems like the only thing to do here is go out getting drunk every weekend, which isn't for me and isn't what I want to spend my life looking forward to every week. I know people say that's stereotyping but I'm honestly yet to meet someone here who isn't like that, so I have nothing else to go by.

WoollyRedHat

Kelix wrote: »

I don't want to live there because of any of those cheesey California based shows for teenagers, honestly don't watch any of them and never have. I want to live there because of climate, it's English speaking and there's more to do there in your past time than in Ireland, for me and what I like to do anyway. It's proven that living in dull and rainy places depresses you, so why stay right? Seems like the only thing to do here is go out getting drunk every weekend, which isn't for me and isn't what I want to spend my life looking forward to every week. I know people say that's stereotyping but I'm honestly yet to meet someone here who isn't like that, so I have nothing else to go by.

I agree with to an extent.. however it's more to do with culture than anything else, although California obviosly has more opportunities because of weather and so forth... you should think of e-mailing some organizations that assit Irish immigrants and maybe try and get as much advice as possible and then consider that if you really want to live there. EIIC I presume covers the whole of the States... do you like to surf?

Kelix

WoollyRedHat wrote: »

I agree with to an extent.. however it's more to do with culture than anything else, although California obviosly has more opportunities because of weather and so forth... you should think of e-mailing some organizations that assit Irish immigrants and maybe try and get as much advice as possible and then consider that if you really want to live there. EIIC I presume covers the whole of the States... do you like to surf?

Yep I live on the west coast, used to surf up until the junior cert, always wanted to get back into it. It's great.

JohnMearsheimer

When I was your age I would have thought along similar lines to you but 10 years down the road and after living in 2 countries outside of Ireland I can tell you anywhere gets to be same crap different place after a while. Ireland isn't really all that bad. I took a group of Americans out on the town last weekend, one of them, a girl from NYC, told me she would love to move to Cobh...grass is always greener and all that.

Mr. K

I have a similar sort of fixation on New York...I'm trying to make arrangements to go in September! I graduated with a Masters in Journalism in January, so the clock is ticking!

WoollyRedHat

Kelix wrote: »

Yep I live on the west coast, used to surf up until the junior cert, always wanted to get back into it. It's great.

Cool, would love to get into surfing myself, was thinking of lessons a while ago but going away for the summer, so will wait. West is lovely though, been up by Bundorran before and loved it.

Kelix

Kelix wrote: »

I don't want to live there because of any of those cheesey California based shows for teenagers, honestly don't watch any of them and never have. I want to live there because of climate, it's English speaking and there's more to do there in your past time than in Ireland, for me and what I like to do anyway.

You might find places in Europe with a lower unemployment and crime rate than CA that have similar to what you're looking for?

I might (just might) wind up living in CA and to be honest I'd prefer to stay in safe, familiar Dublin.... but one goes where one must! (Do you want my fiance? He could take you to CA, but you'll have to marry him, and clean his house lol. But I'm taking the cat, the cat is mine).

Killer Wench

Kelix wrote: »

I don't want to live there because of any of those cheesey California based shows for teenagers, honestly don't watch any of them and never have. I want to live there because of climate, it's English speaking and there's more to do there in your past time than in Ireland, for me and what I like to do anyway. It's proven that living in dull and rainy places depresses you, so why stay right? Seems like the only thing to do here is go out getting drunk every weekend, which isn't for me and isn't what I want to spend my life looking forward to every week. I know people say that's stereotyping but I'm honestly yet to meet someone here who isn't like that, so I have nothing else to go by.

If it is about climate, then why not consider Virginia, or Arizona, or Texas? Texas has the top five markets for employment during this economically depressed time where as California is bankrupt, citizens are taxed to the hilt, and housing and education costs are out of this world. It is the third highest state in terms of unemployment compared to Virginia which is at 5.8; it too has ample beach property and access to cultural and historical sites and a great quality of life. Hell, even Hawaii has a lower unemployment rate than California.

What is it about California (other than it's not Ireland) that draws you? There are 50 states in this country and there is a huge range of climates; you can find the consistently mild to the annoyingly extreme.

California is extremely overrated and if it is your dream to move to the US, then you should consider establishing yourself in a less competitive market and then moving to California once you are established. Seriously.

Not trying to burst your dream but to be frank, seeing all of these threads about California and New York just make me go WTF since there are so many freaking great places here in the States.

*deep breath*

Have you thought about applying for an au pair position? If I understand the requirements correctly, you only have to be over the age of 18 and a high school graduate.

Kelix

Killer Wench wrote: »

If it is about climate, then why not consider Virginia, or Arizona, or Texas? Texas has the top five markets for employment during this economically depressed time where as California is bankrupt, citizens are taxed to the hilt, and housing and education costs are out of this world. It is the third highest state in terms of unemployment compared to Virginia which is at 5.8; it too has ample beach property and access to cultural and historical sites and a great quality of life. Hell, even Hawaii has a lower unemployment rate than California.

What is it about California (other than it's not Ireland) that draws you? There are 50 states in this country and there is a huge range of climates; you can find the consistently mild to the annoyingly extreme.

California is extremely overrated and if it is your dream to move to the US, then you should consider establishing yourself in a less competitive market and then moving to California once you are established. Seriously.

Not trying to burst your dream but to be frank, seeing all of these threads about California and New York just make me go WTF since there are so many freaking great places here in the States.

*deep breath*

Have you thought about applying for an au pair position? If I understand the requirements correctly, you only have to be over the age of 18 and a high school graduate.

I'm open to moving anywhere in the U.S after I graduate, California is just kind of where I hope to eventually settle down, it's not specifically California, like the places you mentioned, anywhere I'd be happy really. Florida is similar, Hawaii, etc. An au pair job could be pretty risky for a young girl to do though, given that you don't know the people or situation you're getting yourself into, you know?

h57xiucj2z946q

Killer Wench wrote: »

If it is about climate, then why not consider Virginia, or Arizona, or Texas?

My other half is from Arizona. If you'd be thinking of the metro area, you'd have to like heat! Its insanely hot during the summer. Common for days to be over 37+ degrees 3-4 months of the year. Can get up to 45+ on bad days. Lucky if it cools down to 25-30 at night! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix,_Arizona#Climate
Rest of the year is nice and warm, but still very intense for pale Irish skin :-)

Living expenses are a lot less than CA, and your about a 6 hour drive to San Diego if you want to visit a beach. Your about a 3 hour drive from Flagstaff/Northern Arizona if you wanna escape the heat, where in fact in wintertime its not uncommon for them to be snowed under.

dave2pvd

Kelix wrote: »

Florida is similar, Hawaii, etc.

Similar as in? I guess they both have coastline and beaches. That's about it!

MadsL

Diana Wooden Janitor wrote: »

in fact in wintertime its not uncommon for them to be snowed under.

Just got 3" of the white stuff here in Albuquerque...85F one day, snow the next

+1 on living expenses in California, there are cheaper and nicer parts of the US IMHO.