I'm not from the USA, but I've been here for years, first on a student visa and then on a worker visa.
I've been happy with many of the jobs I've had, but I've wanted to do something from scratch, of my own, for a long time now. As far as I can tell there isn't any easy legal way to do this. Most of my American friends aren't in a position where they could join a startup I started. I'm also not terribly interested in killing myself to make money for investors; I'd really like to have something more like a lifestyle business.
It seems I have to choose between fulfilling my own ambitions or staying here.
The decision is complex now because I have traditionally been a bit fragile mentally. It's taken me years but I feel like I have a good stable situation here, even though I am still a bit of a loner. It takes me years and years to build up good relationships.
Moving somewhere else again, even back "home", is going to ruin all that. I haven't seen anyone from there in almost a decade. There are also some issues I have with people in my home country that I wouldn't be able to avoid.
I've tried to do stuff "on the side" but I have the kind of mind where I either give 100% or I don't. If something else is "top of mind" then it immediately is reflected in my work product, and I cannot afford to be less than excellent on the job, or I'll be booted out of the country.
So here are the choices I see:
- Give up on my ambitions, choose mental stability, stay on visas or even apply for a Green Card and then be stuck with the same employer for 7-9 years.
- Go for broke on my ambitions, leave the USA, lose touch with the only place that feels like home, risk slipping into depression.
Advice?
I've been happy with many of the jobs I've had, but I've wanted to do something from scratch, of my own, for a long time now. As far as I can tell there isn't any easy legal way to do this. Most of my American friends aren't in a position where they could join a startup I started. I'm also not terribly interested in killing myself to make money for investors; I'd really like to have something more like a lifestyle business.
It seems I have to choose between fulfilling my own ambitions or staying here.
The decision is complex now because I have traditionally been a bit fragile mentally. It's taken me years but I feel like I have a good stable situation here, even though I am still a bit of a loner. It takes me years and years to build up good relationships.
Moving somewhere else again, even back "home", is going to ruin all that. I haven't seen anyone from there in almost a decade. There are also some issues I have with people in my home country that I wouldn't be able to avoid.
I've tried to do stuff "on the side" but I have the kind of mind where I either give 100% or I don't. If something else is "top of mind" then it immediately is reflected in my work product, and I cannot afford to be less than excellent on the job, or I'll be booted out of the country.
So here are the choices I see:
- Give up on my ambitions, choose mental stability, stay on visas or even apply for a Green Card and then be stuck with the same employer for 7-9 years.
- Go for broke on my ambitions, leave the USA, lose touch with the only place that feels like home, risk slipping into depression.
Advice?