Making more than 1 crore in a year in the U.S. can be a dream but to many professionals, it is not that simple. Tanvi Pisal, a 29-year-old Indian UX designer, has made a story about her experiences of navigating layoffs, visa stress, and a job market that seems uncertain and that high salaries do not necessarily mean everything is fine.
In a contract position connected to Apple in San Jose, Pisal claims that life in the tech ecosystem of the US is commonly a struggle, not prosperity.
From Pune to Silicon Valley – A Career Shift
Pisal started her career as a software engineer at Pune with 3.5 lakh per year. But her focus on the creative work led her to switch to the field of UX and product design a choice that predetermined her future, as well as contributed to making her profession more competitive.
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She entered a Master’s programme in Human-Computer Interaction at San Jose State University in order to get a formal education. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, derailed her plans, causing admissions and visa approvals to be delayed.
In 2021, she finally relocated to the US, where she found herself in a difficult post-pandemic situation where even part-time jobs in the campuses were hard to find.
Hard Job Market and Visa Stress
Pisal graduated in 2023 and entered what she calls one of the most difficult job markets in the last few years. She was able to get a position that paid her about $70,000 and it increased to 80,000.
Although the salary offered is small in the US tech standards, she took up the position because of the lack of opportunities and visa limitations. She asserts that design positions are much less in comparison with software engineering, and the competition is highly intensive.
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She was also faced with the issue of dependency on the visa, in which losing employment can directly affect the right to remain in the country.
Relocation and a 12-Day Job, Layoff
After almost three years in the position, Pisal was dismissed in October 2025. At around the same period she was interviewing in various companies, however a big setback was visa sponsorship.
Having gone through a 10-round interview process in the city, she finally got a job in a New York-based startup. The chance proved however, short-lived.
She said that the work culture was very intense with people expected to work as early as morning and as late as night. In only 12 days of work, she was fired due to failure to live up to those expectations.
And the blow struck when she was already on the other side of the country and was in a very precarious position.
Race vs Time and a new opportunity
Pisal had approximately 60 days to secure a new job or risk being forced out of the US as she had limited time under her visa conditions. She embraced a rigorous program she began her day at 4 am to apply to jobs, and then she made specific applications and enhanced her portfolio.
This led to her landing a contractual job with an Apple-related consultancy and her persistence worked. With her home located in San Jose, this position currently pays her a yearly salary of approximately $120,000-130,000 (more than 1 crore).
Everyone Is in Survival Mode
Pisal claims that even with a good salary the pressure never leaves. She remains on F1 OPT visa and is hoping to get H-1B visa to stabilize.
Looking back at her experience she says that the US job market is anything but glamorous as it is painted out to be.
Here, people are job security oriented, everyone is in survival mode, she observed.
Another aspect she emphasized was the emotional issues living alone, being independent in everything, and having to cope with uncertainty.
A Reality Check to the Aspirants
Pisal thinks that students and professionals who want to relocate to other countries ought to be wise in their decisions. As much as the prospects and wages in the US are favorable, the threats and stresses are also high.
Her story highlights a bigger pattern in the global workforce that being highly paid does not necessarily imply job security, particularly in the sectors where layoffs, automation, and evolving demand are common.
Despite the difficulties, she is still optimistically wary, keeping her fingers crossed that she can experience and push on until she can stand on her feet.
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