Naveen's Career Timeline

Reality Check at Big Companies

"Before you get into any big company, you think they are really perfect with many good things and no flaws. In Google, I saw things to some extent. But when I moved to Amazon, I saw that the company is really big but there are so many small things - problems that have been aged for 7, 10, 15 years that haven't been solved. It's just prioritization - it's not a priority, so nobody solved it."

Why Luxembourg?

• Financially made more sense at the time
• Felt safer in terms of security
• Daughter was only 3 years old - young enough to adapt
• Parents' health was okay - no immediate concerns

Other Luxembourg Challenges

• Weekend shutdowns: Most things close over weekends
• No "customer is King": Monopoly in most fields - only 1-2 options for telecom, groceries, etc.
• Gray weather: Depressing, especially for homemakers
• Free culture: Concerned about cultural impact on children

What They Wanted for Their Children

• Indian ethics and morals
• Respect for elders and traditions
• Connection to Indian culture
• Not necessarily doing puja three times a day, but foundational values

Seattle vs Luxembourg

What Naveen Observed

• No promising activity: His portfolio and teams showed no growth potential
• Heavy cost-cutting: Across all teams he knew in his 8 years at Amazon
• Micro-layoffs: Unlike 2023's mass layoffs where entire portfolios were scrapped, 2024 saw people laid off without backfill - work distributed to already oversubscribed employees
• No end in sight: Companies moving to frugal approach for 2025 as well
• Amazon announcements: 5-day return-to-office mandate, cutting managerial positions, adding more IC workforce

The Timeline

• January 2024: Started thinking about the move
• January - April/May: Observed how things were going at work
• Mid-May to End of May: Made the final decision
• July 31, 2024: Landed in India

Total execution time: ~2 months

The Project Plan

The realtor gave him a detailed project plan with specific steps and timelines. If they executed everything on time, the house could be listed in 2 weeks.

The execution:

• Emptied entire 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath house into the garage in 2-2.5 days
• Handed over to staging and repair folks
• House listed for sale in exactly 2 weeks
• Didn't sleep for 2 days continuously while packing

Why July/August?

Many people think you should arrive by April/May since the Indian academic year starts in June. But Naveen thought differently:

• April-May is peak summer in India
• Moving from pleasant US weather to Indian summer is a health hazard
• Kids losing a couple months of school is okay
• Better to arrive when it's cooler
• Kids have the rest of the year to settle before next summer
• By next summer, they'll have built some immunity and adjusted

The Math Gap

The math standards differed between Europe and US. It took 6-7 months for her to catch up academically.

Parents' approach: "We didn't push her much academically. Given the age, you don't really need to push them. As long as they have decent academic performance plus social-mental balance, you're good."

Monthly Expenses Breakdown

Note: School fees vary significantly by area. East Hyderabad (where they live) is cheaper than West Hyderabad (near Hitech City). The same ICSE school might cost 5-6 lakhs on the West side vs 3 lakhs on the East side.

Naveen's Advice

• Go deeper: Calculate actual monthly expenses + yearly one-off expenses (like school fees)
• Consider EMIs: If you have property loans, factor those in
• Have a cushion: 2-3 years of expenses saved
• Have income: Either a job lined up or passive income sources
• Diversify: Real estate, land, farming, angel investments, mutual funds

Healthcare: Night and Day Difference

Naveen shares two stories from Luxembourg that highlight the healthcare difference:

Story 1: His daughter had an ear infection with 103-104°F fever. They went to the hospital at 8 PM and waited until 12:30-1 AM for a doctor - only to be told "take medicine and go."

Story 2: A friend's daughter broke her hand during skating. They went to the hospital at 6 PM and waited until 2 AM just to confirm it was a fracture. The orthopedic appointment? Two weeks later. The child waited with a strapped hand for two weeks.

In India: "No matter what check you need, at what point in time, you can just go get it done. Whether you put money or not is secondary - the first important thing is the care is given."

Other Positives

• Digital payments: "I can see the digital revolution. This is simply amazing. I don't have to carry my wallet - just phone, you're good."
• City development: Hyderabad has changed significantly in 6+ years - "the change is for good"
• Services: Everything delivered to doorstep
• Family: Being close to parents and extended family

Parks and Play Areas

Himabindu: "Parks, obviously. Kids' play areas - these things we are definitely missing."

They live in an independent house, not a gated community, which limits the spontaneous play opportunities kids had in Seattle's apartment communities.

Their plan: Move to a gated community with amenities - this is part of their financial planning.

Key Advice Points

• Don't overthink finances: There's no magic number. Go with your gut but be practical.
• Trust your kids: They will adjust better than you think. Give them 3-6 months.
• Prepare kids for language: Teach them the local language basics before moving.
• Time the move right: Consider weather, not just academic calendar.
• Come with an open mind: Otherwise it's very difficult.
• Have a backup plan: But don't let the backup become an excuse to never move.

What was Naveen's career path before moving abroad?

Naveen was a BTech graduate in Electrical and Electronics Engineering who moved into IT (like many Indian engineers, with no relation to what he studied). He started as a software developer at Mastech in Bangalore. When the 2008 recession hit, he was demotivated but moved into sales and marketing for air conditioners, doing door-to-door sales covering 200-250 kilometers daily in Hyderabad. He learned that every job has learning opportunities. Later, he got an opportunity to work at Google in a consultant/vendor environment, where he spent about 7.5 years doing operations, business analysis, compliance, incident management, program management, and product management. He then moved to Amazon in Bangalore, where he solved critical problems within 6-9 months, gaining visibility with global stakeholders.

Why did Naveen choose Luxembourg over Sydney when Amazon offered relocation?

When Amazon offered Naveen opportunities to move to Luxembourg, Sydney, or another team in Bangalore, he chose Luxembourg for several reasons: 1) Financially, Luxembourg made more sense at the time, 2) Safety and security - Luxembourg felt safer, 3) Even though Luxembourg didn't have English as a primary language, they were okay with that challenge. His daughter was about 3 years old at the time. Their decision-making framework was: Where are parents and how is their health? Are kids young enough to adapt? As long as both factors balanced out, they were open to moving.

What were the challenges of living in Luxembourg?

Luxembourg had three languages: Luxembourgish (a mix of German, Dutch, and French), German, and French. Kids become trilingual through the school system. Daily life required using Google Translator for everything - shampoo, soap, groceries. Some locals wouldn't speak English even if they knew it. The Indian population was small (1500-2000 at the time). Social circle was very limited. Things shut down over weekends. There's no "customer is King" concept - it's monopoly in most fields with only 1-2 options for telecom, groceries, etc. The education system was concerning: at the entry of middle school (around 6th grade), teachers decide if a kid goes into technical or non-technical fields, essentially making career decisions for children at age 11-12.

Why did Naveen and Himabindu move from Luxembourg to Seattle?

Multiple reasons drove the move: 1) Cultural concerns - they wanted their kids rooted in Indian culture, ethics, and morals, and the free European culture concerned them, 2) Education system - the early career tracking in Luxembourg schools worried them, 3) Limited Indian community and social circle, 4) Gray weather causing feelings of loneliness, especially for Himabindu as a homemaker, 5) They observed that kids integrate into local culture within 3-5 years, making it hard to pull them out later. They were about to hit that point. Interestingly, they left Luxembourg before getting PR (which required 5 years) because they were never intent on settling there. They also sold their property (bought with 0% down payment, 1.2% interest rate) after 2 years to avoid capital gains tax.

How was life in Seattle compared to Luxembourg?

Seattle was much better for the family: 1) Weather was more pleasant (though Americans consider Seattle gray, it was better than Luxembourg), 2) English language made everything easier, 3) Large Indian community - they lived in Redmond opposite Microsoft campus where finding local Americans was "an anomaly", 4) Kids could play freely with other Indian kids in the community, 5) Himabindu had much more social interaction and company. They bought property in Seattle as well, continuing their strategy of building assets. However, they still observed the 3-5 year integration window for kids and wanted to move before their daughter reached middle school.

What triggered Naveen's decision to return to India in 2024?

Multiple factors converged: 1) Kids' timing - daughter was completing 4th grade, and they wanted to move before middle school (5th grade in India), 2) Job market - no promising activity in his portfolio, heavy cost-cutting at Amazon with micro-layoffs (people laid off without backfill, work distributed to remaining oversubscribed employees), 3) No growth visibility for 2-3 years, 4) Amazon's 5-day return-to-office mandate and managerial position cuts announced, 5) Extreme pressure situation expected, 6) He was on L1A visa with green card close to processing, but since they never intended to settle in US, waiting didn't make sense. The decision was made in May 2024, and they landed in India on July 31, 2024 - about 2 months of execution.

How did Naveen's family execute the move from Seattle to India so quickly?

They executed in about 2 months with military precision: 1) Naveen had a realtor friend who gave him a project plan - specific steps and timelines to list the house in 2 weeks, 2) They emptied a 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath house into the garage in 2-2.5 days, 3) Handed over to staging/repair folks, 4) Listed house for sale within exactly 2 weeks, 5) Decided to sell rather than rent (didn't want remote property management hassle, global taxation complications), 6) Aimed for no-profit-no-loss on house sale (achieved this), 7) Didn't sleep for 2 days continuously while packing, 8) Came to India with only 4 suitcases (didn't ship anything due to COVID-era shipping delays of 9-12 months they'd seen friends experience), 9) Chose to arrive in July/August (after summer) so kids could adjust before next summer.

How did Naveen's daughter adjust to schools across three countries?

The daughter showed remarkable resilience: Luxembourg (age 3): Hardest transition - different language, different-looking classmates, different toilets, different food smells. She cried a lot initially. Parents took her to parks and made efforts to keep her happy on weekends. Seattle (after Luxembourg): Easier because of English, though she needed 6-7 months to catch up on math standards. Parents didn't push academics, focused on social-mental balance. India (age 10, 5th grade): Smoothest transition - same country, similar-looking people. Parents taught her Telugu basics before moving (Telugu Badi classes in Seattle, showed her Telugu script). Within months of arriving, she could write Telugu paragraphs and scored well in Telugu exams. Parents gave her 1-2 year adjustment timeline without academic pressure.

What is Naveen's financial advice for people planning to return to India?

Naveen's practical advice: 1) Don't overthink - online calculators saying you need 8-10-15 crores create unnecessary anxiety, 2) There's no magic number that will make you happy - everyone has different comfort levels, 3) Go deeper into actual monthly expenses + yearly one-off expenses (like school fees), 4) His breakdown: Monthly groceries, internet, phone bills = ~35-40K for their lifestyle. School fees (ICSE) = 2.5-3 lakhs/year for both kids combined (varies by area - East Hyderabad is cheaper than West), 5) Have 2-3 years of expenses saved plus a constant income source, 6) If you have a job lined up in India, you're even more secure, 7) Consider passive income sources: real estate, land, farming, angel investments, mutual funds, 8) Don't wait for the "perfect" corpus - you'll miss the bus and never make it.

What does Naveen appreciate and miss about India after returning?

What he appreciates: 1) Healthcare - immediate access vs weeks/months of waiting in Europe/US. In Luxembourg, his daughter waited 4+ hours with 104°F fever just to be told "take medicine and go." A friend's daughter with a broken hand waited until 2 AM and then got orthopedic appointment 2 weeks later, 2) Digital payments revolution - just phone needed, no wallet, 3) City development in Hyderabad - huge positive change in 6+ years, 4) Services - everything delivered to doorstep. What he misses: Parks and kids' play areas (they live in independent house, not gated community), the structured outdoor activities available abroad. What his wife Himabindu emphasizes: Come with an open mind - otherwise it's very difficult. They're taking things positively and still exploring.