Ask HN: Good resources for new immigrants on how to settle?
Hey everyone,
I'm an immigrant seeking information on how to get started in the US. Apart of the obligations of signing up with Selective Service, getting a SSN, setup a bank account, etc. I'm especially interested in the best ways of finding a job, house, friends, etc. and in terms of financial security, what to look out for when searching for a job. My background is Computer Science/Economics (M.Sc.) with 5+ years experience in IT consultancy and software engineering (iOS/Android).
Thanks for the help. 1. House - get a roommate (or 3) if you're young and have no family living with you. They will be your main friend(s) 2. Get a secured credit card from a credit union to build up your credit 3. Take out a loan with said credit union after a few months (even if you don't need it) 4. Friends --- work, meetup.com, gym classes, sports leagues,
random bars if you're an extrovert. Go everywhere you are invited. 5. Job - Use consulting firms here to get contracts and work your way in. Look for healthcare mainly,but a job in a decent sized city so you can connect with others (after an ok salary of course) 6. Phone - Get a cheap prepaid cell 1. I figured that might me a good starting point, but may not be worthwhile in the long run in order to built up property right?
2. Can you recommend a specific credit union? What do I've to look out for? I'm currently in CA.
3. Okay
4. Alright
5. What do you mean by "look for healthcare"? A decent salary for a software engineer would be what? 90k? What site do you guys use for finding a job? Indeed, Glassdoor, etc. or anything special?
6. Check! 1. I'm not sure I understand what you mean by built up property. Right now your goal should be to connect with others and make friends, settling down in a house on your own isn't ideal at this time unless you have a family.
2. Any credit union that'll accept you will do. On the job portion, get a job that you like (can't stress this enough) that covers your rent+utilities, food and leaves enough to go out to eat a couple days a week as well as about 1K in savings a month if possible. Not sure what that is in california, but your an engineer so I trust you can use your skills to arrive at a decent figure. Search for jobs anywhere you can get the word out, friends, indeed, LinkedIn etc. You will realize soon that getting a phone can be very tricky. Pre-paid plans are incredibly expensive and in order to get postpaid plan you need to have a credit history which takes over a year to build. I made some friends and then joined one of their existing plans while I waited to build my own credit history. Meetup.com is a good resource to get involved in the community and make friends. Also look for local volunteering opportunities on weekends to get you started on a social circle. Phones can be cheap - I have a $30/month prepaid cell phone with 5GB, unlimited video/music. Paired with a google voice number, it's effectively unlimited everything. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tmobile-30-Wireless-Airtime-Card/... That's a great deal! But apart of the phone story, how do I build up a credit score quickly? I do have a decent amount of cash savings and everything I own is paid off.. Get a secured credit card from a credit union, not a bank, to build up your credit. That's what I did and it worked out beautifully. Oh okay, thank you. I didn't think about that...During a semester abroad I used to have a plan from H2O wireless which was not as expensive though. I'll definitely check out Meetup!