What happens when a non-IT professional decides to return to India and become an entrepreneur? Chintan's story offers a roadmap. He went to the US in 2015 for his Masters in Civil Engineering at Auburn University, applied to 5,000 jobs to find work, and then made the bold decision to return to India during COVID in 2020. Today, he runs his own business in Ahmedabad with 3 employees, working with US consultants remotely. His journey shows that non-IT professionals have more opportunities in India than ever before.

Background: Why Auburn University Over Ivy League

Chintan is from Ahmedabad, North Gujarat. His goal was always continuous learning and mastering his field throughout his lifetime.

"When you're deciding for a US university, you might be applying for high-end universities like Ivy League. But when I researched, I tried to find specific backgrounds and courses where you can focus on research. That helped me find research assistant and teaching positions to cover my fees."

Research the Labs, Not Just the Name

Chintan chose Auburn University in Alabama - not a famous state for studying, but with world-class facilities:

"Auburn University has the National Asphalt Technology Lab - wherever asphalt and highway research is done in the entire USA, it's done at Auburn. They also have aerospace engineering near Huntsville with NASA research center. That's what you need to research - specific labs, specific centers for each university. It will help you find professors and your thesis."

University Town Vibes

"It was a university town. University town vibes are a little bit different than studying in a metropolitan university."

The Non-IT Job Search: 5,000 Applications

Finding a job as a non-IT professional in the US is significantly harder than IT:

"It was a difficult time because of the presidency changeover. I had to apply for 5,000 jobs, do so many interviews. Non-IT jobs - either you're going into field, design, or manufacturing. Frankly speaking, my salary was around $40,000. You need to think about those perspectives."

OPT Card Delays Cost Job Offers

"There are three perspectives when dealing with time. Within three months you need to apply for certain jobs - now it's five months. I had job offers but didn't get my OPT card, so they declined my job. Did I compromise on the job? Yes, at certain points."

How to Find Non-IT Jobs

Chintan's strategy for finding non-IT positions:

• Make as many connections on LinkedIn as possible
• Join professional organizations like Association of Civil Engineering
• Attend conferences as a member
• Follow up job applications with personal emails to HR recruiters

"Non-IT companies generally don't post on Indeed or LinkedIn. They're just working and you need to find their website or Yellow Pages. When I got my second job, that person posted a job at 8 PM. I right away applied and sent an email. It worked backwards - the HR recruiter just posted, you applied, and followed up immediately."

Why Staying at One Company Helps

"I stuck to one or two job positions. When you're sticking with one company over time and growing further in the same company, you get to know how they work - financial perspective, marketing perspective, how other departments work. That helped me a lot to establish my company now."

Planning the Return: 1.5 Years of Preparation

Chintan didn't make a spontaneous decision. He planned 1.5 years in advance:

"We put a hard date - this is the date we will move. Then started to back-check: bank accounts, SSA accounts, 401k accounts, moving funds back to India. Because you're dealing with finance in USA and India, and you're still a citizen of India paying Indian taxes, you had to deal with your CPA."

The Detailed Checklist Approach

"I'm a frequent writer so I put everything in writing format - checklists, closing accounts. Two months left - what's the priority? One month left? On the day of moving - what do you need to do? It was planned 1.5 years ahead."

Informing Employer Early

"I informed my employer 6 months before. They helped a lot with accounting, closing accounts, salaries. They didn't have a subsidiary company in India but explored other opportunities - can we do remote work? Now we're working as consultants for them. That helped us a lot."

The Transition: Native Place First, Then Metro

Chintan recommends a two-step approach to settling in India:

"Move to native place first where you have lots of family members, extended family, and friends. When we moved back, it helped during the starting phase to settle down emotionally, financially, and physically."

Then Move to the Metro

"Then I realized I need to move to a metropolitan tier-1 or tier-2 city. We moved to Ahmedabad where I used to live, started office and business, and made connections on the business side."

Best of Both Worlds

"People think about which city is better. We figured out - if we need to spend time, go to native place also. My kids and nephews are living there. We can travel back to native place, enjoy village life. It helps a lot on the family side."

Building the Business in India

COVID time became an opportunity for transformation:

"During COVID it was free time. I was transitioning mentally, emotionally. I went on social detox - just 2 hours screen time per day, meditation. I realized my learning and skills in civil engineering from both USA and India."

Leveraging US Connections

"On the same day I tried to contact my previous employer - can I work remotely? That's how it started with small projects. Then slowly I contacted those consultants from my job applications. Now we're on board with those consultants."

Family Business Background Helps

"Our family business is related to civil engineering. That helped me learn Indian systems, governmental projects, how the financial side works. It's helping me a lot now."

Wife as Business Partner

"My wife was thinking to find a job, but we also planned for family - a baby. Now she's the financial accountant in our company. She handles project invoicing, project tracking, project controlling, communication with consultants, PR and SE of employees. Mutual understanding between life partners helped us a lot when we moved back."

Today, Chintan has 3 employees working under him, running a business that bridges his US expertise with Indian operations.

Non-IT Opportunities in India Today

Chintan says opportunities have "drastically changed" in the last decade:

Civil Engineering

"For civil engineering, you can find manufacturing jobs, field jobs, and design jobs. So many US companies and MNCs have opened offices in Pune, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Delhi. You can transition within your company."

He gives specific examples:

"We work in wood framing industry in USA - we use LT and Simpson anchors. Those companies have started operations in India. You need to be proactive in the industry."

Mechanical Engineering

"Mechanical side is more manufacturing. India is leading on manufacturing because of Japan and China. Companies like Daikin, Hitachi for AC manufacturing have operations here."

Electrical Engineering

"On electrical side, you can easily find jobs within governmental sector. Government sectors are offering more opportunities collaborating with private sector in non-IT jobs."

Advice for NRIs Thinking About Moving Back

"If you're thinking to move back to India, it's the right opportunity and right time. Not because India is growing, but India is growing in all sectors - spiritually, ethically, financially. GDP is growing."

Visit Before You Decide

"They need to explore and frequently visit India to see how India is behaving. Whatever you search on Google, you will not experience right away here."

Join Professional Organizations

"Try to make membership with nonprofit or profit organizations. I'm a member of Indo-American Chamber of Commerce. Today we have a meeting in Ahmedabad for 'Invest in USA' - exploring investor groups and projects throughout USA. It helps keep connections with USA and grow professionally and personally."

The Three Seasons Rule

"Once you spend three seasons in India - summer, monsoon, and winter - then after, just don't compare anything. When you move, it will be hard for you for three months."

Life in India: Different, Not Comparable

"You cannot compare life between US and India - it's totally different. In Seattle or Washington DC, you find the same Walmart at different locations. In India, when you travel you find different culture, different vibes, different people, different language, different food. It will take more time to adjust, but life is much easier. When you're trying to fix something, it will be hard - but I'm always learning something new."