Hii there 💛
28 female here. I work at Amex as a senior associate. I make decent money - 26LPA. Studying abroad has been something I’ve always wanted to do since my first year of engineering. I’m a 2020 graduate with a CS degree. My GPA is 8.92 and I’ve had 5 years if work ex.
In these 5 years - I have tried to get serious about studying abroad thrice. The first time I gave GRE - got 314/330 which is kinda okay but COVID hit and I could not go. In 2024 I again got serious about moving abroad and started preparing for GRE - however due to some emergency and issues in personal life - I had to take a break again. In 2025- I made a resolution to get out of India for sure. The previous two times I wanted to go to US but this time - I decided to move to Netherlands.
Why NL? Because of the below:
Because of all of the above - I started preparing again but again I got hit with some realisations that are making me question my decision to go abroad:
I feel like everytime I make up my mind about leaving India - I start getting these signs from Universe not to. My brain tells me this is just me making excuses and not getting out of my comfort zone. My gut tells me it’s stupid to leave a well paying job and go to a life of hustle & uncertainty.
Don’t get me wrong - I’m not running away from hard work - in fact while researching alternatives, I came across these distance learning courses from top US Uni that will give me the cherished degree of MS but in a remote setting. I will have to do the same assignments and projects and coursework as a student physically present jn Uni- I can do this alongside job and while it will be a challenge- I will at least have my job and income with me. I also plan to do additional courses and maybe also get put if Amex and interview for bigger companies. Not to mention that all the money I have been saving so far (close to 20L)- I can utilise to buy house/car or just wealth creation instead of spending on my study abroad plans and becoming broke at the end of it.
Can someone PLEASE help me out in this? Do you feel I have valid points? Do you feel the ROI of studying abroad isn’t that great if that can also be achieved via a remote course from top Uni? Is spending so much money only to return to India in search of job worth it?? Would love some personal, first hand experience sharing.
Thank you for reading if you’re still with me. Please let me know your thoughts.
Do not move to west.
Max you can go to Arab, Japan, Russia.
Save this. you will thank me 5 years after.
Okay, thank you for the heads up. Noted.
Hi
I would advise you not to go for higher education at this stage of your career unless you want to change industry/role.
Thank you - I don’t think I wanna completely change my role. I’m in FinTech and I suppose it could work for the long run.
Feel for you, I've done something very similar in my career. Just say I'm 3 years ahead in one of the choices you took. I didn't/couldn't go outside. I have my regrets about it. Earning decent here now, so I have my freedom and career in a better state had I gone to Europe. My POV, and this is something I'm also planning yo- European Job Market is in shambles right now. Should improve in the coming years. I would suggest stick it out here for 2-3 years. Grow and save a bit. Build your applications.
Try to find a partner that's supportive and of similar views. ( It's actually one of the most imp thing, it's not about being traditional, but finding a like minded partner abroad ( esp Indian) would be hard. Most Indians abroad are still of the shill mindset. ( But yeah, great people pool is very limited).
Am-ex is going to give you time and money. Start trying for international transfer and international roles from India , will take time to materialize but doable. And once you make it to a job outside, take a study break for masters. Large MNCs are supportive. And you have a good boomerang option and are given a higher preference to join back. Lesser pressure post masters as well.
Just my 2 cents.
Heyy man, Thank you so much. Your reply made me feel a whole lot better. I appreciate you taking the time to write this. Means a lot.
Based on my analysis, i'd advice you to continue in India.
Could you elaborate on your analysis?
If I were you, I'd ask myself what is more important.
1: Great carrier- Moving outside of India is a great decision considering the kind of person you're. (I understand that you have some different opinions but trust me it is best if you try for yourself)
2: Settled life in india- Getting married and promotion while staying in the country.
I mean- both are important. But I wanna take a calculated risk.
It is indeed a great question as we all want to make right decisions. Considering our family is old school and can't let you restart the life when you're about to settle down. Remember we have to take risks and narrow down to what is important vs what we can trade for better work life balance.
Yeah - it all seems a tradeoff now.
Germany bit is true I have many friends finding it difficult to get jobs. They are trying for other geographies
Hey. Please don't consider Europe for better tech roles. There is a scarcity. I did forgo offers from good universities near London back in 2021, couldn't find a more success case to convince myself. ROI is not good there + one year MS may not deliver much. Consider international transfer through AMEX. That would make more sense, in terms of independence as well ib.
Hey, I feel you.
I am same age, 2020 graduate and have been working in Flipkart for last 3 years.I was confused for the longest time( still am). Didn’t like coding and landed in supply chain role, started preparing for GMAT, realised midway that it might not be the best thing to do, given the crazy high mba fees. Took GRE to keep my options open for MS/MBA( didn’t do very well) but couldn’t make up my mind to actually go all in the process. And just like that it’s 5 years. I am scared of the regrets that might come down the line. This decision is difficult :)
I know its a long read - but you’ll be helping me out so much if you can share your experience
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