Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

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House Cleaning

Well, after editing the title issue retroactively over all the previous entries, I feel much better. Now there's no need to migrate, no need to start all over.

As for the very long period of time without writing a single entry, it was a result of the "I have to get this important thing done, before I can do this not-as-important-thing" mentality. My father specifically mentioned that while he was here and although it seems that I haven't taken his advice to heart immediately, in my defense, better late than never.

This current period is a tough and trying time for me, but also a great stretch where I can prove to not only myself but others who care, that I can do what I say I want to do.

First and foremost. Find a job, here, in the USA.

Many may think it's not that difficult, but comparing the job market for recent international graduates now and ten years ago, times have definitely changed. There's an H1B cap that has been lowered to 65,000 (in 2000, it was 195,000) Sure there is an additional 20,000 for "advanced degrees", such as my masters in economics, but in FY2006, the cap for October 1, 2006 was filled by May 26.

To compound the issue, I must find a position that is 1) directly related to my field of study, so that means no sales, management, etc jobs; and 2) my potential employer will be willing to sponsor me for that position, with all the legality attached.

Nowadays, corporations such as Ameriprise and Morgan Stanley have disclaimers stating that "one must be authorized to work in the US without restriction as to duration" or simply flat out "we will not hire those that require sponsorship". And they claim they are EOE, "equal opportunity employer". Yeah, right. It's like when you see commercials for new movies that always state, "Only in theaters".

I guess things would be easier if I didn't want to stay in the US, and more opportunities would present itself if I weren't so adamant on staying in Michigan, specifically, East Lansing. But yes, I can be taught. I am looking at greener pastures, such as Chicago, New York and the West Coast. So may the opportunity present itself for me to grasp.

So now I will be doing house cleaning, both literally and figuratively, so that I will be in the right mindset when looking for jobs, and also be prepared to relocate at a moment's notice.

Migration Back

Actually, after upgrading/integrating together both my Blogger and Google accounts and fiddling with some of the control options, everything's good (so far). Plus, Empyreean is just so hard to remember for some.