The article has been automatically translated into English by Google Translate from Russian and has not been edited.

'You never know what an American thinks': a Kazakh woman - about moving and looking for work in the USA

'23.04.2021'

Source: tengrinews.kz

Azhar Nurgalinova, 22, moved to the United States from Almaty thanks to a relative who has lived in America for over 20 years. The girl spoke about her life experience, free housing and proper employment in an interview with a reporter. Tengrinews.kz.

Photo: Shutterstock

The family reunification program allowed the girl to get a green card. Azhar graduated from a university in Almaty and moved to San Francisco. At first she lived with her aunt. But youthful maximalism and a desire to test her strength pushed the girl to move out from a relative.

The adaptation period in the USA for the Almaty woman was difficult. She admits that her close relationship with her family drove her into depression during the first months of her life abroad. Often, thoughts of returning to their homeland were visited.

“Besides that, there was a lot of difficulty with the language. My English was intermediate, I found it difficult to even order a coffee. It was difficult to pass the job interview, the Americans could not pronounce my name, they called me on the phone and asked for “Hazard”. I hung up, only after a while I realized that they were looking for me. I managed to work in one startup from home. I realized that this was not mine - I wanted more communication with people. I had experience in an architectural company. Then I got a job in a clothing store, ”the immigrant recalled.

In February 2018, Azhar received a grant to attend school, which provided her with free housing.

“I go to a school that teaches programming. The non-standard principle of the school is based on practice. It is not necessary to memorize theory and cramming textbooks, especially when it comes to programming. There are no teachers or classes here. You are given a task or project, and you have to do it yourself. They are accepted to this school from the age of 18. This is where we gain skills and experience. Usually, to get a job as a programmer, you need to go through several stages of coding interviews, which is what we learn here. The course itself lasts from six months to a year, ”the girl shared.

According to her, after graduating from school, graduates receive the necessary knowledge base, which allows them to find a job in the IT field. In the labor market in the programming sector in the United States, diplomas or certifications are rarely considered. The skills of the future employee are more important to employers.

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Azhar currently works in Macy's, one of the largest retail chains in the USA, and at the same time continues to study at a programming school.

“I was looking for a job for a couple of days a week to combine my studies, and I will work 20 hours a week. This is enough for food. Since I already have a place to live, I only need funds for food. At first I thought that I would be hired as a consultant, but after seeing my resume, I was appointed as an assistant sales manager. I control reporting and merchandising, ”she said.

The California minimum wage is $ 12 an hour for companies with more than 26 employees, and for smaller companies it is a minimum of $ 11 an hour.

“When my compatriots move here, they mostly face language problems. This is one of the main reasons why Kazakhstanis get jobs in the service sector, and not in large companies. Employment is indeed much more difficult than in Kazakhstan, ”she said.

In her opinion, the most important criterion for employment in the United States is constant development, the desire to learn new things.

“I went through a total of 500 interviews, both telephone and live. As a result, I haven’t gotten a job of my dreams yet. It is necessary to constantly develop and learn. Even the interviews themselves gave me a good experience, I had to answer different questions. I haven't even heard of many things. After that, she took online courses on the skills requested. In three months of passing the interview, I learned more than in four years of study at the university, ”the girl admitted.

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When talking about people, Azhar believes that Americans hide their true feelings and emotions.

“You never know what this or that person really thinks about you - they are so brought up: they always smile, and in interviews it is difficult to understand whether the company liked you or the recruiters are just pretending. As for Kazakhstanis, everything is written on our faces. I love honesty, and I would like to know the true attitude towards me, ”Azhar complained.

“As for the standard of living in Almaty and Astana, I do not see any special differences in civilization. In Kazakhstan, it is sometimes cleaner than in some areas of San Francisco, there are a lot of homeless people and an unpleasant smell, in Almaty it is less common, ”she said.

The interlocutor admits that it was not difficult for her to find friends in the United States. Basically, the social circle is friends from the programming school. But her relations with the Kazakhs did not work out there.

“I always try to speak only the best about our Motherland. About the beauty of our nature. I hope that many people have only a good opinion and impression about Kazakhstan, ”Azhar summed up.

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