In the UK, ‘paki’ is equivalent to ‘nigger’. That’s why I asked the question- I was surprised that the poster used the term to refer to himself.
Paki in UK is derogatory but not in US.
For what it is worth- wikipedia Noun Paki (plural Pakis) (British, Canadian, offensive, racial slur) A Pakistani, or, more generally and incorrectly used, a person who is perceived to be from South Asian or the Indian Subcontinent origin which is still considered offensive. See usage notes. Usage notes The abbreviation Paki acquired offensive connotations in the 1960s when used by British tabloids to refer to subjects of former colony states in a derogatory and racist manner. In modern British usage “Paki” is typically used in a derogatory way as a label for all South Asians, including Indians, Afghans and Bangladeshis. To a lesser extent, the term has been applied as a racial slur towards Arabs and other Middle Eastern-looking groups who may resemble South Asians. During the 60’s many emigrants were also dubbed as “black” to further segregrate them from the white community. Some would say such a division still exists in parts of England. In recent times there has been a trend by second and third-generation British Pakistanis to reclaim the word. The word has been turned into a keepsake for the young British Pakistani community that is not acceptable for someone outside the community to say it, including Indians and Bangladeshis.
sumz Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Middle East is > quite behind when it comes to human rights and > quite ahead when it comes to racism. I hope this is meant as a joke. the ME is one of the most racist places you can find today. Nowhere else on earth is your salary (and status) based on the color of your skin, at least so openly.
exactly as mo said. In middle east especially Oman and Sharjah, you are not allowed to eat anything in public during Ramadan as locals are fasting. Indian/Asian migrants have to close their shops and then have lunch just to make sure that cops/moral police do not see them having lunch. In Saudi Arabia, every woman has to hide her face bacause of stupid rule. Women can’t drive in Saudi Arabia. Also if you are not a muslim then you may also have hard-time to adjust in that environment. You may get better salaries at the expense of your freedom.
mo34 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > sumz Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Middle East is > > quite behind when it comes to human rights and > > quite ahead when it comes to racism. > > I hope this is meant as a joke. the ME is one of > the most racist places you can find today. Nowhere > else on earth is your salary (and status) based on > the color of your skin, at least so openly. I think i wasn’t clear. I meant they haven’t progressed in terms of human rights. By ‘ahead in racism’ i meant they have a high level of racism in this region.
In Canada, you’ll find your @ss behind bars if you used that word.
Goat Of God Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > In Canada, you’ll find your @ss behind bars if you > used that word. Right, but in Canada it’s also illegal to kill a sasquatch, so go figure.
eureka Wrote: > Right, but in Canada it’s also illegal to kill a > sasquatch, so go figure. Absolutely! But, killing an animal like you will definitely get rewarded here! Learn how respected “Bigfoot” is in the native american culture before letting your mouth run wild, you fool! 
No, it makes sense, kind of like how you can’t kill unicorns or mermaids in many countries. However, just imagine if a unicorn or a sasquatch grining maniacally while aiming a gun at you. What then? I sincerely hope you’re never faced with that situation.
> “Now this guy has an advantage (his fiance - > Hence a Work Visa), but that’s about it. I > can’t understand why he would throw away a good job in his country to start at age 24-> 25 with nothing here other than the right to work.” well part of the reason was that i actually thought CFA would help alot more than it actually does. so i didn’t think it would be as difficult as it now seems. But again if i have to choose between one of us having a decent job in either Pakistan or the US, i’d obviously choose the US. Cuz a decent job here will allow me to live with the bare minimum necessities cuz the cost of living is high. whereas in the US we can probably end up having a decent amount of savings. Plus theres too much uncertainty here in Pakistan. And u just dont feel secure anymore cuz anything can happen at anytime. And when IMF leaves, the economy might just go down the drain again. The quality of life will probably be better in the states, so why not keep settling down in Pakistan as a fallback option…? And i won’t have a work visa, i’d have a k-3 (spouse) visa thru which i can apply for GC,which doesnt take too much time.
mellowman123 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > “Now this guy has an advantage (his fiance - > > Hence a Work Visa), but that’s about it. I > can’t > understand why he would throw away a good job in > his country to start at age 24-> 25 with nothing > here other than the right to work.” > > well part of the reason was that i actually > thought CFA would help alot more than it actually > does. so i didn’t think it would be as difficult > as it now seems. > > But again if i have to choose between one of us > having a decent job in either Pakistan or the US, > i’d obviously choose the US. Cuz a decent job here > will allow me to live with the bare minimum > necessities cuz the cost of living is high. > whereas in the US we can probably end up having a > decent amount of savings. Plus theres too much > uncertainty here in Pakistan. And u just dont feel > secure anymore cuz anything can happen at anytime. > And when IMF leaves, the economy might just go > down the drain again. The quality of life will > probably be better in the states, so why not keep > settling down in Pakistan as a fallback option…? > > And i won’t have a work visa, i’d have a k-3 > (spouse) visa thru which i can apply for GC,which > doesnt take too much time. Let me guess…arranged marriage with a girl from your country, now a citizen of US?
mellowman123 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > “Now this guy has an advantage (his fiance - > > Hence a Work Visa), but that’s about it. I > can’t > understand why he would throw away a good job in > his country to start at age 24-> 25 with nothing > here other than the right to work.” > > well part of the reason was that i actually > thought CFA would help alot more than it actually > does. so i didn’t think it would be as difficult > as it now seems. > > But again if i have to choose between one of us > having a decent job in either Pakistan or the US, > i’d obviously choose the US. Cuz a decent job here > will allow me to live with the bare minimum > necessities cuz the cost of living is high. > whereas in the US we can probably end up having a > decent amount of savings. Plus theres too much > uncertainty here in Pakistan. And u just dont feel > secure anymore cuz anything can happen at anytime. > And when IMF leaves, the economy might just go > down the drain again. The quality of life will > probably be better in the states, so why not keep > settling down in Pakistan as a fallback option…? > > And i won’t have a work visa, i’d have a k-3 > (spouse) visa thru which i can apply for GC,which > doesnt take too much time. My advice to you: 1 - Don’t count on your wife supporting you. It will not work. You have to come up with some other plan where you will be the main provider for the family. 2 - Pakistan might not be stable, but you have to consider the fact that you will be unemployed and probably for a long time given the current economic conditions and your lack of qualifications. 3 - One thing you could do is consider the Gulf region for the first 2-3 years of your marriage until things get better in the US, you get your CFA ( maybe a respectable MBA) and then make the move. ( Your wife could probably get a decent paying job in the Gulf using her American Passport).
unless there is some unique situation where you want to get hitched abroad I would strongly suggest just coming here on tourist visa and getting married after a couple of months. This will save you a lot of trouble dealing with embassies- I’ve heard some horror stories. Based on recent friends and personal experiences you’ll have you GC in hand in ~6-9 months (lol many are getting the GC before the work permit!).
Sorry to not have chimed in on this thread earlier. I was a bit intimidated by the enormous post count, and knowing that I don’t have a clearly defined opinion as to whether “Paki” is truly a racist term or not, I wasn’t sure if I’d be invited to this party… Anyway, to make the transition, you could do a couple of things: First, you can find someone at your firm or in your networks that can hook you up with an opportunity in the United States. That’s going to be a huge stretch, but who knows, people of similar ethnicities often tend to stick together and help each other out especially if they can relate to your personal situation. Secondly, as others have pointed out, you can go to business school here. You’ll have a much better shot at getting a job in the US that way because the recruiting channels will be open to you. Ultimately, you have a lot of things to consider in terms of work, life, family, and of course the geographical considerations. However, in reading your posts, it seems like you have a real curiosity to come to the United States. You have a ton of thoughts – so many I can’t keep track of all of them – but that is a good thing because you’re considering as many variables as possible (as you should). But, your overall tone suggests that you want to make the move to the United States. Given where you are in your career path, your best way to facilitate that transition is to go to business school. If I were you, I would go gangbusters in terms of doing all the right preparation and get your applications in for round 1 of business school admissions if that’s what you decide to do. You have a lot of time still yet a lot to think about. Most of the people that I know who are at good firms but immigrated to the States late in their lives got where they are because of recruiting at their business school.
Great advice as always numi, if it was not for your suggesions/advice/thoughts - I would have absconded AF long time ago. Keep the good advice coming.
This plan is not realistic. Assuming that he manages to get accepted at a “good” school ( where “good firms” recruit) , how is he going to pay for it ? Apply for student loans ? That’s going to require a GC plus some kind of credit history I assume and finally that will leave him coming out of school with at least 250K in loans just for going to school. Combine that with his marriage, the move, … Too risky.
mo34, can you please explain how you got the $250K in loans? I don’t know the author’s financial considerations but yes, business school is undoubtedly a huge investment. I think in most good schools, it really is possible to get by on $130-150K. A lot of the extra expenses come from student trips and things like that…obviously many would argue that these are integral components to one’s MBA experience, but you can still have a good education, meet many people and get a good job without participating on all of that stuff. I’ve met several people that were already married before business school and they seem to have a good time even if they can’t go on the trips and party with their classmates all the time. I also respect the fact that it would be a challenging move for his fiancee as well, though my impression was that she’d be on board with the move and find a way to make things work.
LaGrandFinale, thanks for your kind words. I’m always happy to help here. This is definitely one of the more interesting threads I’ve read lately…sounds like this guy has some real decisions to make.
If our Paki friend doesn’t get financing from his home country (bank, government), the MBA option is not feasible even if it’s only $130K. Besides, the girl is already settled in a specific city, so that’s a huge constraint he would face.