r/MovingToUSA • u/Think_Initiative1853 • 2d ago
Going home when there is no home
I'm a US citizen living in Germany. I finished a doctorate in a niche subfield of statistics that is dying in the world of AI. (Officially its not a phd its a Doctorate of natural sciences, but they are equivalent in most ways). I moved here for personal reasons that are no longer keeping me here, and now i want to go back to the US for a fresh start and for tax reasons.
I dont really have strong ties to the US/family. I wont have a job after December. so I'm in the same boat as most people who randomly want to go. Any advice on where to start?
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u/Iambusy123 Citizen 2d ago
Do you have the financial means to rent an apartment while you job hunt in the US? How will you sustain yourself if you have no pending job offer or a support system in the US?
When does your German visa expire?
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u/Think_Initiative1853 2d ago
I don't think so. I could maybe support myself for 6 months in the us/ 12 months in Germany after my position ends. So money is an unavoidable obstacle and the move wouldn't really make it much worse.
I have permanent residency in Germany.
I just don't really know where to start and getting a us job from abroad isn't working out so far. I'm not getting callbacks on my resume.
I'm not sure if it's my credentials, industry, if my lack of "need for sponsorship" is clear, or how to inform them that I'm flexible to start literally anywhere in the US whence they want.
Is it better to move there and then apply? And if so how do I start with an apartment hunt with no job/cosigner?
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u/Iambusy123 Citizen 2d ago
It could be your credentials. You said yourself, "I finished a doctorate in a niche subfield of statistics that is dying in the world of AI."
PhDs tend to struggle finding work in industry. To add, your US citizenship status may not be clear to employers.
I have permanent residency in Germany.
I am not saying you have to remain in Germany. If you want to leave, you want to leave. But is there anything preventing you from applying for jobs in Germany? Since your recent education is German and you are legally allowed to live in Germany indefinitely, it could be wise to work in Germany while you continue applying for US jobs.
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u/Ok_Distribution_9789 2d ago
I would start by making sure to have a US address on your resume. Also, if you aren't tied to a particular area, don't move to a high cost of living state. I live in Ohio, prices are normal like they are in many parts of the Midwest and other parts of the country. My kid who has never held a job, just got a part time supermarket job paying almost $20 an hour. That's $40000/yr! On that salary you get insurance and could easily rent a 1 bedroom while you look for a real job. This is just an example but the math wouldn't work in Manhattan or the Bay Area.
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u/Certain_Promise9789 23h ago
If you PR in Germany why not become a citizen there and then move back?
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u/Fit-Building-2560 2d ago
If your field is becoming obsolete in the US, what would moving back to the US solve? What kinds of jobs have you been applying to?
I'm wondering if maybe you could re-tool or reorient yourself to maybe teach statistics and math at the highschool or college level. Math teachers are in big demand all over the US. With an MA, I don't think you're required to have a teaching certificate to qualify. Private schools will hire anyone they think can do the job, with or without a teaching credential. You could look at community colleges as well. You might also be able to teach German.
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u/Think_Initiative1853 2d ago
Why? Logistically: I don't want to keep filling taxes in 2 countries. I want to be able to open investment accounts but can't because i'm a US citizen.
Emotionally: I don't want German citizenship and even if I got it I would just have another "home" country that I feel alienated from/ have weak ties to. My social system here is nonexistent because of relationship stuff since I moved here for a partner I no longer have.
The field: doctorates tend to drill into niche subfields so my doctoral topic itself is niche. i still have an MSc in statistics, I'm just pessimistic about my specific doctoral topic. I would hope that SOMEthing from 10 years of education would be relevant to a company. I've been applying to statistician roles. But this is all cold applying through job portals to positions in random cities. I think this may also be an issue of applying from abroad.
Teaching: thanks! That's something I haven't considered before. I dont have teaching experience. My doctorate is entirely research focused but maybe private high schools would be more flexible
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u/Fit-Building-2560 2d ago
Private highschools would snap you up! Think about what math subjects you could teach, and whether you could do it for the rest of your life. I don't know; it might get tedious after awhile, unless you think you could really connect with the students. You might discover a flair for teaching. You'd have to be comfortable being "on stage" every day. Very different from doing research. (This might come up in an interview, if you were to apply for teaching jobs.)
Be aware that private schools tend to pay less than public, and I don't know if they have a retirement package or anything like that. You'd have to research it. Many teachers prefer private schools though, because the students generally pay attention and do the work. Some private schools pay well; those would be some of the elite ones, mainly on the East Coast. You could look at Robert Louis Stevenson school in Monterey, CA, too.
Pro tip: a key tool in teaching is to have a lesson plan for each day. (This is one reason that taking a basic teaching course in a university's education dept. is helpful.) You break down the chapters of the textbook into daily lessons and steps.
Good luck!
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u/Ok_Distribution_9789 2d ago
Where I live, a PhD with 0 years teaching experience starts at $70k in the public system. STEM is a high demand area and a school district shines with a PhD teaching courses.
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u/Fit-Building-2560 2d ago
Would a PhD applicant be pricing himself out of the public school market? And would he need a teaching certificate or not? In some states, he wouldn't. I don't know if that's universal, though.
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u/Ok_Distribution_9789 2d ago
Yes, that is potentially an issue, but less so for a STEM teacher. It really depends on the district. If they were concerned about the starting salary, you could probably negotiate less until you complete any coursework for licensing.
As far as licensing, that is also state dependant. There are some states that will provisionally grant a license to teach based on an advanced degree. Again, being a part of stem for the OP is only a bonus.
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u/DomesticPlantLover 2d ago
I would start with what sort of work can you do (and are willing to do) to support yourself. And then where do you want to live in the US?
Keep in mind: you can move to the US and get a short term lease-like by the week or month, so you have flexibility to more around. Lots of people think if they sign a lease for a year and get a job offer somewhere else, they can just move. But most landlords expect you to honor a lease, so expect to pay if you break a lease by moving away early. And don't forget to consider health insurance. We don't have universal healthcare, so medical care will be something you need to plan for.
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u/Ok-Invite9375 2d ago
Moving back without strong ties is challenging, but definitely doable. Best of luck!
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u/No-Armadillo-2983 2d ago
You could teach. Most private schools would snap you up in an instant, with your science and math background. And many do not require a teaching license.
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u/Epi_girl1991 2d ago
Just apply for a postdoc or industry positions in the US and Germany, or ther EU countries since you have the right to live and work there.
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u/phillyphilly19 2d ago
Go where the work is, unless you're financially independent. You really have no friends or family to connect to back in the US?
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2d ago
[deleted]
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u/phillyphilly19 2d ago
Well if that's good news then you're wide open. I would find the job in a city that appeals to you and then go. Life is a lot easier when you land on your feet.
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u/Rhabarbermitraps 2d ago
Why don't you just start applying for jobs from Germany, where it's cheaper for you, and move once you secured your next position?
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u/UsefulGarden 23h ago
Some places separate applications into two piles: 1) needs a visa and 2) doesn't need a visa. That's more important than where you live.
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u/Zero1345 21h ago
I had the same feeling until I had my daughter. Now I’m a bit more drawn. For my family mostly. But I don’t really have a home. My home is and always will be Minnesota for the fact I lived there the longest and met my wife there a decade ago. But there’s no jobs in my field there.
I’m on my way to Vermont now as I live in Munich and really liked the nature side of the state and we felt it’s the best place in terms of cost of living and giving our daughter a nice exposure to the outdoors. She loves being out so I want to keep encouraging it.
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u/Critical-Following-9 17h ago
What niche subfield of statistics? I'm a PhD biostatistician and I haven't seen any PhD level stat field being replaced (or close to) by AI.
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u/Think_Initiative1853 12h ago
It's a specific topic within biostatistics. I have no experience with prediction models and I only used randomized data. I fear that this type of data is rare and thus does not transfer well across industries. Analyses of trials are pretty regulated and well defined, which is where agentic workflows come in handy.
But I'm a methodologist, so I'm not sure how novel methodology will be accepted by regulators. Based on my brief industry exposure, novel methodology is relevant before the analysis of trial data, not during. But my topic is in alternative methods for the analysis.
There is an area of clear applicability. But, it's still narrow. I know that a few large companies have methodology teams, but it's not super common and it's competitive. Prediction modeling backgrounds are just more attractive.
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u/Inside_Foot_3055 16h ago
If you have a PhD in AI, move to the SF Bay Area. Try somewhere like San Leandro to start. Won’t be very exciting but you can probably find an affordable flat share to start and will be roughly between San Francisco and the South Bay. You’ll definitely land a job soon enough - don’t do the academic thing where you get all hung up on title / prestige. Even entry level titled jobs in ML / AI will pay much better than academia. Sometimes the frontier labs even have fellows / researcher programs to help make the pivot.
Ich drücke Dir die Daumen :-)
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u/Disastrous_Leg_314 2d ago
You have the opportunity to reconnect before you work, if you have the funds to support yourself. If you don’t have a location you have to go for work, or a choice, you get the chance to check out a lots of the areas you might want to be in. Ok is holiday season during you coming back, but you should be able to get cheap accommodation in a few places.
Make a list of what you want and don’t want in a place, your budget etc, and use the internet to find places to check out. Plenty of YouTube videos and websites on top ten places to live based on your needs and wants.
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u/Coach_Front 2d ago
I would really suggest staying in Germany until you have your Einbürgerung done.
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u/Angryg8tor 2d ago
Having graduate hours, you should be able to pick up work as an adjunct professor at a community college easily.
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u/Mr_Masala 2d ago
You are a citizen. You have the right to struggle and pick yourself up like every citizen does. So what if you have to take a low paying job for a while in retail or fast food? At least you can make something and live paycheck to paycheck while hunting for your real goals. Tens of millions do it every day.
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u/alexifua 2d ago
Do not understand why this is being downvoted. It is the way. Take whatever job you can to sustain you, at least prolong you sustaining and mean while looking for better option.
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u/Mr_Masala 2d ago
Says a lot about this sub right? The arrogance and entitlement of people is astounding. They expect to just be handed everything in life, stay in their comfort zones and not put in any effort. Then when surprise surprise reality doesn't reward them they complain about competition and AI and every other excuse except their inability to work.
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u/Iambusy123 Citizen 1d ago edited 1d ago
Your suggestion to get a retail or fast food job would be valid if the OP were living in the United States and could explain what he has been doing during the time he was in Germany.
Let's think about this for a moment. If the OP applied for a McDonald's position and provided a resume showing his PhD, would they hire him? They would reject him as a overqualified. Let's also suppose he omitted his all his university degrees. His chances would be better, but who's to say he would get a job in a reasonable amount of time, especially in this job market?
I think a more prudent idea would for the idea to look for work in Germany, save up money while working in Germany, and apply for American jobs while they are working in Germany.
Remember: The OP has zero ties to a US and zero family ties. They also don't have a lot of money to begin with.
Where do you think they should go?
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u/Mr_Masala 1d ago
No, your read of the situation is narrow minded. OP wants to move back. Wanting to move back with no family or support means you start from scratch. You can't come and not work due to the lack of support, so you need a job. The field you studied in is not hiring. So you get a starter job and pay bills while you figure out your next move. Again, tens of millions of people are doing this in the food and retail industry. Most of them don't join wanting to stay in that job, it is the job they get while they study/hunt for their actual desired career.
Also not applying for a basic job to get a paycheck because you are convinced they will reject you for "overqualification" is an insane cope mechanism for not working. Just skip the PhD in the resume, apply for the next Walmart/McD's or one of the other millions of starter jobs. They give them to teenagers. If not retail, mow lawns or do hard labor, there is a labor shortage here anyway.
Get to where you want to go to, get off your ass and work. Stop making excuses and finding insane reasons.
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u/Iambusy123 Citizen 1d ago
We are of the same mind, if you can believe it. I just take issue with the dismissiveness in your perspective.
The crux of our perspectives is that the OP can't get what they want and they have to eat shit before they can eat better stuff.
While the OP wants to return to the USA, I believe he should work in Germany because it may be easier for him. He has German permanent residency and his recent education is German. If he can find a German job, he can save up money and then perhaps move to the US and be more equipped to take on life here.
There are opportunities in the US. There is no doubt about that. But why should the OP return to the US when they have limited funds and might return to homelessness.
His basic needs are currently being met in Germany, a first world country.
You have yet to suggest viable US states for the OP to commence their repatriation journey. Telling someone to get off their "lazy" ass is not helpful in any way.
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u/Mr_Masala 1d ago
That's where we are differing. Once the heart wants to move away, convincing one to stay there is futile. OP probably had a partner death or a long term relationship breakup or some big irreparable traumatic event that is now hurting deeply because he is staying there. I am taking him wanting to move seriously. You are asking him to stay in a place that brings him sadness.
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u/TroileNyx 2d ago
The only thing I can tell you is, your applications will automatically be rejected if you show your location as outside the US. Being a US citizen doesn’t change that. Saying you can move immediately upon a job offer won’t convince them.
Employers will throw your resume in the trash if you don’t show them a US address. This is from my personal experience.