# Recently became a US permanent resident and need some advice!



## dyls5 (Mar 7, 2016)

Hi,

I recently became a US permeant resident after marrying my wife and going through the whole process. We currently live in New York City but are planning to move out west to LA in July when our lease is up. 

Both my wife and I are 26 and she went to college and now works in advertising sales and has a great job offer to move out west. I am in the opposite situation, I never went to college as in Australia you don't need a secondary education to get a decent job. Right now in NYC i am working in a bar which is fun but not what I want to do forever!

It seems like the majority of jobs here in the US requires a bachelors degree unless you have connections or know somebody. I would like to go to school when we move but we cant just reply on one salary especially living in such an expensive city.

Has anyone else been in the same situation as me? I am starting to get worried if we stay here in the US then I will most likely have to work in a bar to make decent money. Also I've heard that major cities are tough to find jobs if you haven't been to college because of all the competition of everyone applying. 

Any help would be awesome!

Thanks


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

You should consider going to a community college (which are usually much cheaper than 4 year colleges), then after two years at the community college transferring to a state university to get your degree.

Plenty of people have been in your position, and lots of students have part time jobs to help with financing college.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

The U.S. military is another common route to college funding. That includes the National Guard for example. Yes, non-citizen permanent residents can join. Most employers give some preference to military veterans.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

You can do nicely without a degree. It is a matter of finding your niche. What did you do in AUS?


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## rpattyn (Mar 11, 2016)

I came to US without a degree 16 years ago - I was lucky, the company that I worked for in South Africa hired me in USA but I have learned that hard work and a humble but strong attitude with a good work ethic, can carry you much further than a degree. It takes a while to build up your name but find out what your passion is, what you really want to do that you are prepared to give your all to, then study it by whatever means that you can (many free online university courses available), find a temp job in the area of your passion and work your way up.
It worked for me - good luck !


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## gemmarasmussen (Mar 16, 2016)

Better you stay in NY as you and your wife has settled there. And at the top of it you are loving your work and your wife is also working.


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## mamasue (Oct 7, 2008)

gemmarasmussen said:


> Better you stay in NY as you and your wife has settled there. And at the top of it you are loving your work and your wife is also working.


I totally disagree. Your wife's been offered a great job, and hopefully enough money to live in LA....
Unskilled jobs, like bar work, can be found easily, until you decide on a career path to follow.
if you ever think of leaving the US to try somewhere new, it's probably a good idea to become a US citizen first ( after 3 years of being a LPR, in your case), then you'll have the flexibility of coming and going whenever you want to.
Personally, if I had a choice between cold winters and warm ones, I'd definitely choose LA.


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## arakoto (Jun 21, 2013)

Real estate agents, hospitality jobs, etc. don't require a bachelors, although in the case of real estate you do have to study, pass an exam and be certified in a specific state. The community college route, as mentioned, is also a great path to follow. If you are a good bartender, any social leaning job like hospitality management, there is a good chance you can work your way up with classes on the side. Hard work, a good attitude and yes, networking (building those relationships) can be as important as a BA in the US. Good luck!


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## Kimbella (Jul 4, 2013)

dyls5 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I recently became a US permeant resident after marrying my wife and going through the whole process. We currently live in New York City but are planning to move out west to LA in July when our lease is up.
> 
> ...


There will be a number of jobs with decent wages you could do, but you just won't know what they are because of lack of cultural reference. Depending on what your preferences and personality are, you could look into local mental health advocacy groups for work as a case manager, or in the hospitals as a orderly, or floor worker; you could look into trade schools for two year degrees in welding, auto mechanics, nursing, etc. You could look into warehouse work for the many shipping and supply industries in the LA area -- warehouse worker, salesman, dock worker, furniture mover... you could look into working at a local home improvement store, with a goal to move upwards into management ... hospital staff: food service, janitorial work, supply clerks... local government work for county offices: animal control, department clerks, etc...


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## JohnSoCal (Sep 2, 2007)

dyls5 said:


> Hi,
> It seems like the majority of jobs here in the US requires a bachelors degree unless you have connections or know somebody. I would like to go to school when we move but we cant just reply on one salary especially living in such an expensive city.
> 
> Has anyone else been in the same situation as me? I am starting to get worried if we stay here in the US then I will most likely have to work in a bar to make decent money. Also I've heard that major cities are tough to find jobs if you haven't been to college because of all the competition of everyone applying.
> ...


I don't know where you got this information but it is false. There are a lot of decent paying jobs that don't require a college degree but do require some skills. There are more job applicants in the big cities but there are also a lot more jobs. It all depends on where. Each area/city is different. My daughter never attended college and she makes $100,000 in the business world. She does have a strong skill set and work ethic.

Los Angeles is expensive but is cheaper than NYC except for transportation. I live just an hour from Los Angeles.

Having said that, having a college degree definitely makes it easier to earn a decent living depending of course on what the degree is.


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## TristanMD (Apr 14, 2016)

If you have the right attitude and personality then Sales is a great avenue. Just make sure you find a good product that you believe in and it will makes things much easier.


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