Returning to Nepal with a US degree, good or a bad idea?

I wish all the nepalese return back to Nepal and make it a better one.

There are always pros and cons for everything. Being here in USA have its own advantages and disadvantages and so is in nepal too. As rahul point out some problems let me go through all of this and brother don't take it personally, i am not criticizing you, you might be right too. i m just justifying...

"I came here about 5 6 months ago"

That's the catch, you been here just for few months and that's why nepal seems so bad for you (as i understand). There are many people among us who felt the same way you are feeling right now. In fact i told myself there is no way now i m going back.nepal is this that and bla bla and bla. Its because we enjoy the things we haven't experienced before. No loadshedding, hot water on one tap, cold on another..Wow. techonlogy, the fast processing of driving license) etc etc. "Just took the test and got the driver license". Nepal ma bhako bhaye ghus khaunu parthyo ..yo hunthyo tyo hunthy...Everything seems good and as a matter of fact it is for now..

I assume you came here on student visa(f1) correct me if  i am wrong. If you are came through residency program you might not experience the same.


Next year, when you go there to renew your driver license (or when it get expired) and they will not accept your application just because you don't have a enrollment paper, then please don't forget to share your frustation(managing time for work, asking a favor from your boss etc etc) here on sajha.com. Then you will realize brother what it feels like being in nepal.

"kaam garera thakera ghar jada jaba loadshedding huncha "

Well,even there is electricity 24 hour, i don't watch TV, i never iron my clothes or do anything that will make use of electricity except switching on the lights(why? don't have time, even i do, would like to rest for that time). Raise your hands if you are agree with this. I am talking about a typical guy who work on a gas station and pays almost all the money to college, and survives on the rest of money sharing apartment with 2-3 guys. Single room payo bhane thulo kura ho, Single apartment ta tadha ko kura ho.. ..Now tell me, What we gone do then when u get married? have kids? aaru ta kurai chodau na....if you are saying official job payo bhane ta bhai halcha,,hold a minute i m coming too that later.......

"At least kaam garney lai ijjat cha yaha"

Definetly, but here is my story. Even after doing master couldn't able to do job and still houring.from now on...i will call this Houring...one day i was looking at a vacancy for a bank teller and suddenly my eyes caught the qualification requirement . Do u know what was the requirement? High school diploma. don't believe me search it on google, there is plenty of jobs in interent.. I asked then myself ? why i studied then ? what the use of it ? when and where i m gone use it. that's why i studied so hard?

Ani kun ijjat ko kura garya brother, even the guy who sells vegetables(no offense hai, maile kaam sano thulo bhane ko hoina euta example matra deko)on the street in ktm, those people talk with him nicely who KNOW him. aaru le j j bhane pani jasle chine ko chan they do business with them, will ask to come later. Same thing is here, you work on a gas station people who are regular are nice or at least pretend to be nice.if Some new guy shows up , he will ask you "Where r u from"? I take it as you r not from here...you can throw out those as**hol from the door but it will keep going. The point i m here trying to make is that "RUDE PEOPLE ARE EVERYWHERE". those who don't see ijjat for that guy who sells vegetables on the street are those who dont' see any ijjat for anyone over here. nepal ma pani kaam garda ijjat nai jane hoina.


may be i m a looser who can't make it. as i don't believe on luck i don't blame on it but what about other people. Not one not two many of them, hundreds, thousands. i know there are smarter people.? what about them, why they come here on sajha to share the frustation..Its because the system itself. a complex system. And i m not blaming it, i know we are supposed to go back when we finish our study...

"Nepal ma actor actress,doctor engineer haru are not satisfied"

My previous manager was a doctor and doing morning shift.and i m not bluffing, if you want pm me i can provide the details,he is in linkden too... Even i know somebody who graduated with me was a doctor back home. Doctor padhe ko ghanta ko lagi ho??if you are satisfied with that $3000 then i don't have to tell anything.. You can be satsified its all about personal choice. Saroj khanal, karishma manadhar are already in nepal. I guess other nepalese actor, actress who are here will be there too sooner or later. Do u know why? at least people know them, they have respect over there. people know them.

"nepal has unemployement rate of "

what's the unemployement rate over here? doesn't matter for us because first we need legal paper to get hired...by the time you get the paper you will be too old to start from the begining job which doesn't need any experience. If you are in IT sector, you will move to different state doing one and another project and if indian consultancy is good u will get the green card after 5 years if only everything worked out. but for that you have to finish your study.

if you already have legal paper, to get a job u need a degree from here. As far as i know degree from nepal doesn't count that much correct me if i m wrong. For that again, u need to go to school, pay large fee and get the degree..After that it would be a little bit bright. but again it all depends.

"at least yeha car liyer hide ko chu"
I am not trying to down u brother but can i ask you which car? which make and what the mileage? i m driving honda and for me its like having a cycle(not motor bike) in ktm. don't u agree with me guys? i mean everybody drives that 3rd hand or 10th hand car over here. If you can drive, BMW or Merceedeez then it will count ? isn't that right?

Last but not the least, what about family? I wish it never happen to you but when somebody get sick i mean really sick or passed away or somebody is getting married and then you can't make it there? why because of the financial problem, visa, status or any other problem? what about that ?i witnessed such incidents here on sajha and one of my friend too. What about the festivals? u might now like dashain, tihar or holi but rather celebrate new year christmas but when you have to work on christmas, new year and when people ask you with whom u gone celebrate thanks giving and u don't have an answer or when you can't wish new year to ur family on new year eve just because line was too busy then don't forget to come here on sajha brother.

well if anyone don't care and chase only their enjoyment, i have nothing to say. 

Last thing i am not being a pessimistic , i m just showing what will happen in next 2-5 years, if  you or any can't make it then you will be like me "DHOBI KO KUTTA NA GHAR KO NA GHAT KO".

Sorry for being too long..

Any correction will be apprieciated.

Their are different type of ppl  here.

F1- American degreee but not job due to status( absolutely no sponsoring these days, my experince) (hourly servents)

F1 again- studying till no other degree is left..( masters, phd etc etc) I met one girl who was doctor and did her MD in Nepal, came here and did her MBA too. now is in dhoti consultancy.  I couldn't understand why?.

DV lottery, greencard- No american degreee, hourly wage life style

Green card ( professional) - Ppl having green card and good job( These ppl least complain)

Illegal Amigos- I have no idea what they are planning , either go back, stay like this ,or marry somebody to get paper

H1B- ( only woorying about saving their job , linked with a lot of other things like status)

 Suite yourself in these categories 

Please add if something is missing.

@rakches : buddy no offense but if somebody could prove his point arguing loudly then I'm sure I can make Albert einstine apologize to me for making physics so tough for me and everyone here knows what the truth is, even you. So stop whining start bud-wishing(heheh)
Nobody is going back
Jay America
Jay timro dollar

 @rakches
making the right choice at right time is not an option brother.think b4 u get back.voli ko din ma u dont have to regret,make such descision.
wherever u go.to earn money u have to wrk hard.even though u do bussiness u have to work day and night to succed whether it is nepal or usa or any other country.
6 months is not a bad time to be here and have an analysis how things goes around here.
If we all get back to Nepal than that woud increase population,unemployment,loadshedding etc.
ani jaba 1uta thulo post ma SLC ni pass nagareko manish lai dekhchau taba timley job interview ko belama requirement highschool vako birsinchau.
bussiness kholna ko lagi 1uta anpad lai paisa khulauna parcha
to get a good post 1uta unpad manchey lai gayera sifarish garnu parcha.
Ma masters degree sakako machey ley 1uta SLC ni pass nagareko manish lai sifarish garna vannu pareko thiyo for a passport.
My ego hurts when it goes on like that.
at least timi yaha masters sakayera highschool wala haru sanga compete gareko rahechau

 I didn't go through this all the way to end but I would consider guys who goes back to Nepal as a failure unless there is some family problems. Guys, just remember the day you spread your wings and left Nepal....Remember !!! Where is that commitment, energy and patience? Why are you giving up so easily ???? It's so nasty back in Nepal. 

Interesting topic.

First off, Dolphin, I wish to know what companies are so eager to hire US Graduates by offering 1 Lakh rupees per month. Lets not kid ourselves here. If you have a Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance etc, you start off at 15k/ month with 12-month mandatory training related to management.

If you have a Master's ( Preferably MBA ), you will start off at around 25-30k. Now consider Kathmandu's inflated market. If you go out, which you most definitely will, a thousand rupees will buy you a plate of mo:mo, some appetizer and probably a glass of beer. Now imagine you're out on a date or out and about to treat your friends. 4-5k is a must.

Consider the price of clothes. I went out shopping for some trenchcoat just the other day. A Chinese brand with a poor finishing was priced at 3,500.

Lets move on to bigger things. What is your parents' financial background? Do you live in a house that offers privacy? If you've lived in the states for over 5 years, you're highly likely to seek privacy. What about noise pollution factor? Where's your house located at? In the main street or in a quiet neighborhood?You might wonder why I'm bringing this up. Surely, you'd want to live in a quiet neighborhood. Now if your parental house doesn't meet your expectations, you'd consider building a house, right? The cost of land at a semi-decent land in Kathmandu is about 10 lakhs ( at the very least ). When on Earth will you earn money to buy a ropani of land and build a house?

If you led a decent life in the states ( as in, a civilized manner ), you'll get the culture shock of your life-time. People taking a piss in the sidewalks, people picking noises, pollution, "rudeness" are just some examples.

Moving on, you gotta consider the fact that Nepal's electricity crisis is worsening year after another. There are news surfacing in local media that next year's load-shedding will be hiked for up to 20 hours/ day. Now you might say you can opt for alternative sources such as inverters and generators but what you really need to think is, having moved back, you're the person who's likely to bear the responsibility.

Don't think about inverters and generators that supplied electric needs to your household while you were home as a visitor during the winter break. After you move back, petrol and batteries needed to operate those power sources will need to be bought by you! The same goes for veggies, groceries, clothing, cost for performing religious rituals and everything else! You will need to be more responsible!

Then there's the issue of traffic. At this very moment, about 5-6 new massive malls are being built in sensitive areas such as Tripureshore, Sundhara and Teku. Traffic situation, as it already is, has become a major issue. Now when these malls open and start their operations, the parking lot will be able to house about 1,000 more vehicles leading traffic situation to worsen further as the condition of Kathmandu is such that neither the roads can be expanded, nor newer roads built! Who could've imagined that it'd take a person to reach Sundhara from Jorpati 2 hours!

Therefore my friends, I'd really urge you all to think 10 times before deciding to move back. Security situation is so freaking worse. If you were to open a restaurant, befriending a bunch of gangsters is a must. If you made it big, you'll be an easy target of extortion. And who the hell's gonna come save your ass? Nepali Police? You better no kid yourself.

You'll be paying taxes, doing everything required to lead a noble life but the country that can't even provide security will give you nothing for welfare!

All that said, if your parents are well off, then perhaps, you're better off returning back ( provided that you're confident of getting back into the groove of environment you were brought up in ).

But, if you're aspiring to make money, to build a decent house, buying a car and what not then please, don't trouble to kid yourself. A Hyundai i20 car costs over 30,000 dollars! When you're making 300 bucks/ month how many years will it take you to ride a basic car.

Further, as I've aforementioned, you won't even get to enjoy the luxury of riding a car because the roads are so damn full of vehicles. Just the other day, a local newspaper stated that about 150 odd vehicles run within a square km within Kathmandu!

I love my country as much as anybody but the fact remains : Nepal has increased 10 fold in the past 5 years, for the bad, not good. The commodities cost as much as they do in the states and you'll be making 1/5th of what you'd be making in the States (at the minimum, provided that you'd make 20k rupees per month here and you're making 2k back in the states ).

Therefore, think and think again people! Don't take the opportunities in the States for granted. Work hard. Motivate yourself. "Grow" some money, plant the seeds of succeeding, get established and then consider moving back.

The responsibilities weighing on your shoulders once you've moved back itself will be more troublesome than all the gooey work your Indian boss asks you to perform.

Good luck!

PPl currently living in America are scared to death when thinking about going back Nepal. Whom to blame?

Guys, this is an amazing thread. Highly appreciate the sincerity with which all the ketas have poured their heart. Garib desh ko mancche ko dillema yo thread le ekdamai ramro sanga capture gareko chha. Ke garne? Desh ko maya ektira chha ra need for survival and opportunity aarko tira available. Jata farkida pani mutu chyaatine.

ok granted then, don't go to Nepal because the traffic is crappy, people pick their nose, things are expensive but that does not mean it is easy for students in the usa as well. we all want a future. given the current unemployment and unfriendlylethess to foreigners speically the ones who look like us is not an easy matter to deal with.
so if you have a green card or in a process to get a greeen card then you might want to hang in there and go home to check things out when you can return back safe i guess. but if you're a student , the only option for you is to work for an Indian or paki business owner as a slave then you are better off going.
however, when you decide to go back be sure to experence another cultural shock. if your family is not lavishly wealthy trhen you probably will have a hard time buying a car or going out to restaurants for every lunch /dinner as you're used to in the usa. however, you will have other things for you there. no citizenship or paper problems, no language barrier, you can be job less for 2 years and still live (ya try that in the usa as a foreigner), you will feel secure being around with friends and family.

remember in America as a student  you can only buy small things to give you instant gratification. you can buy lunch, cheap stuff at walmart and maybe buy a car. but ask those guys when was the last time they went to see a dentist or a doc. In Nepal you can go to a good dentist and get your teeth taken care of without selling your kidney. car in America is a necessity back in Nepal when you pay loads of vhansar and other taxes it becomes a sign of novely. you barely enjoy driving your car when you know you have no certainity to live in the country. how can you enjoy your car when you look at the liscence plate sticker and wonder if you're going to be here to renew it again next year. you can't even buy a family size toothpaste at walmart without knowing if they gonna kick you out before you u finish it. security in life is a big factor too.
so if you havfe a green card of option to live here permanently ya think twice but if you're a struggling student and working for an indian , go back.. be a human...

You've made some fantastic points there, Kalopani.

But I thought the thread merely asked a simple question, "Would you return to Nepal or rather work hard to achieve something in the US". As such, I don't think discussing the situations of students or even comparing the lives of Nepali students in the states vs Nepali students in Nepal is appropriate.

I certainly agree that if you've already completed your education in the U.S. and are unable to find a decent job, you'd rather return back than work in gas stations but why'd one return back if he's got a decent job in the states?

More often than not, Nepali students in the States struggle their way to earn their degrees. They bust their asses, work hard, study hard ( and party hard too ) - all in hopes of making it big. Or getting a decent job and leading decent lives. Of course, problems and issues do arise - those related to payments, economic conditions, job market, language barrier et al. But even then, do you reckon you'd rather return back after having spent a fortune to earn your degrees?

As we're all aware, Kathmandu's inflation is so damn ridiculous that its unbelievable at times. When you're making 20k/month and when the price of commodities cost as much as they do in the States, how're you going to cope with that?

Back in the States, even if you worked at a gas station, you could earn enough money in a month to buy you a flat screen tv. A TV of save size costs over 150,000 Rupees here! When are you going to be able to afford it?

Further, say you're from some rural areas of Nepal currently in the States and decided to return back, it's almost impossible to buy a piece of Land in Nepal as the situation has gone beyond control! An ana of land in decent areas cost 40 lakhs! ( that's 60k! ).

This is Nepal for god's sake! We make 600 dollars per year and lands, commodities have become so damn unaffordable.

So again, unless you've failed to land a job in the US or are working in a gas station despite holding a Master's Degree, returning back will be a big step backwards. Nepal's condition has worsened so much that it's depressing at times.

There are people riding automobiles costing over 1.3 crores, owning properties worth 10 crores and yet, the country is so poor. There's no security, no electricity and no water supply.

Return back if your parents are well-off ( but like I aforementioned ), it won't be the same as visiting Nepal during your breaks! You'll need to man up, bear the responsibilities and cope with all the pressures that will be mounting on you! Thus, work hard, study hard and try to settle in the States.

Nepal is a paradise but when the entire country is run by thugs who carry a "nothing to lose" attitude, even a sacred place like this can turn into hell.

Believe it or not, if you made it big here and a bunch of "gundas" tried to extort money (which they definitely will), you'll have nobody to look up to except god. The Police is incompetent and the government is simply clueless.


So again, think 10 times before thinking about returning to Nepal. Escape this romanticism about leading a decent life here and come back to reality. foods or watching ghisa pita movies.

 For the record, I live in Nepal. 

@AgniBikram, you've made a good point friend.

It boggles my mind to hear people back in Nepal these days taking about lakhs and crores as if it were petty change. When I was a kid growing up in Kathmandu back in the 90's even buying a motorcycle was a matter of pride, and nowadays, luxury goods get swallowed up like candy.

Until 5 years back even working a menial job in US could afford someone a house and a car in Kathmandu. Now, even with a decent job it's a far cry. I went back to Nepal after 6 years in 2009 and I was in for a huge surprise. Houses, apartment, shopping malls had sprung up everywhere and the upper strata of Nepalis seemed like they were having it good.

However, on the flip side,  I saw that the reality of 95 percent Nepalis was that no matter what they did, they would just be getting by on their rented, mosquito infested 'deras' without a decent job or three meals a day. Most of all, the void was of hope, or rather the lack of it.

If there is one thing that has grown in Nepal in the 2000's, its INEQUALITY. If you're from a wealthy family and have a ropani or two of land inside ringroad, it wouldn't be a bad idea to go back. If you put 1 crore in a bank and you would get 12 lakhs a year in interest. If you're of modest means or you're from rural Nepal, you will want to shoot yourself after a month or two of returning.

yes my point exactly, one should not leave a suitable place for a worse one. if you're well settled in the US ,if you have a green card or in a process to get one i don't think people are carazy to just pack up and leave the US. most of the time, people who talk about going back are the ones who are illegal or in f1 status and don't see any prospects. so let's not forget the main audience here.  for the record i have lived in Nepal for 21 years and lived in the us for 13. and i am sure i will have no problems adjusting back to where i was 13 years ago, if i have to.   yes,i have worked for dhotis and pakis and it's not worth it. i was writing that post for the f1 students who can't seem to land a job or get papers. of course if you have a good job and have gc , do not leave...  

 btw, Agni ji if i am not mistaken the original question of the thread was , "Returning to Nepal with a US degree, good or a bad idea?" ( it is still there if yo uscroll up :) ) not merely asking for what you suggested.   how can you talk about Nepali degree holders in US who want to return and exclude F1 students? hmmm

 True. I suppose I got a bit carried away after reading Dolphin's post. Where on earth one can make 100 thousand rupees per month ( starting salary ) with a MBA degree, I'll never know. 

But yeah, I think your point echoes mine too. If you have a GC with a quality education, or even doing your masters or phd you're better off living in the States. However, if you're doing nothing productive ( as in working for Dhotis ) despite having a degree, you ought to get your asses back and launch into life. 

What you have in Nepal and not in US, if your family, your parents. Every moment spent in US is moment not spent with them. As we struggle here in the US, our parents age in Nepal. And before we know, they will have died. And it will be too late to regret. Then any motivation to go back to Nepal will be worthless.
I moved to the US when I was in my late teens; I was excited about my new life and did not bother to look back and think about my parents. Now it's been 12 years in the US, and each time I think about my parents. Each time I go home to visit, I see their wrinkled face and greyed hair. And I see it more and more during each visit. Before they used to tell me that there was no point coming back as Nepal has not future. But today I can feel that their sentiment has changed. After 12 years, they miss me as much. They must wonder if I will every be back to spend time with them during the last stages of their lives. And brining them to the US would be like uprooting a well grown plant. It will just dry and die off in a new soil.
So this is where I am today; go back to spend time with the most imporant thing in life or stay here and hold on to the comfort and some money but all alone.

hurray i think there are many of us who are in the same boat. it is worse when you have kids. then you are really divided. we have already missed out a lot in life while trying to struggle here. while stressing for school, jobs and immigration we forget that our parents are waking up at 4 in the morning to pull water into the tank. while we are over joyed by our accomplishment such as getting a work permit  here we forget that they are fighting with the crowd while running around for errands. we forget that our little bhai bhahees , bhanja bhanjees are getting older and getting married and going abroad for studies. when we go see them we have no connection. our relatives are getting older and dying and we can't be there. yet, like someone up there said we wait till weekends to hangout with Nepalis. i don't know about you but when i was in my late teens and early 20s i loved going out and trying things but now i am in my mid 30s i like to stay home and hang out with other Nepalis..i feel like i can relate more with my fellow people than talking about turkey for 3 hours, or lawn care which don't interest me. my friends in Nepal are lot happier than me. they never worry about losing jobs or being unemployed. they have become managers and enjoying their lives with their loved ones.

 Interestingly, I was thinking about going back, and I ran into these comments here.

 In fact, I am a borderline case-- I may make about same amount of money if I stay here as I would in Nepal. Some of my friends have made tons of money lately back home, and are riding good cars, and  I have been wondering, if I think I am good, and if those jerks are successful in what they are doing, why not me? With US education, shouldn't I be confident about running successful business in KTM?

If merchandises are expensive in KTM, there must be people who can afford them. In fact, there must be lots of people who can afford them. Who are those people? It can't be that the handful of MPs or ministers are the only consumers of these shops. There has to be thousands. Probably These people are successful businessmen. Even in the states, only businessmen are very rich, others have to work their ass off to pay off their house loan anyway. (How many years does it take to pay off a house loan in New York?) After thirty years of working my ass off for white people, what will I be left with? Crumpled skins and wistful look at my youth? And, going back to the consumer base of stuffs in KTM, if there are a lot of people who can buy cars, those fancy apartments, houses, goods, then I am sure the system exists where you can be one of those people. With US education, I am assuming I will find some way to crack into these elite groups. Of course, I am walking around with mediocrity, then it wouldn't matter whether I am here or in Nepal, I will be miserable soul, looked down upon by successful men and grinding my way to the end of the life.

Another thing is, often successful people don't complain and failures have thousands of complaint and they are loud. If someone leaves Nepal after DV shutting up his business in Nepal, then it is evident that his business was not going anywhere, and here in the states he will have one thousand reasons to badmouth Nepal. My friends shrug off the problems caused by corruption (yes, it is there, but we know how to manuevre around it). In fact, there are some good things too. In Nepal, if you make money in doing business, you make money, you hardly bother about paying tax. (Just pay some minimum). Run private schools? All profits are yours. Run trading office? All profits are yours. The income tax is like 25% if you are listed as an employee. Interest gain tax is 6%. These things point to an environment where you should think about some kind of business rather than looking for job. And business opportunies are aplenty, of course you have to be patient. One day, there will be market for things such as 7-11 store, 24 hours coffee shops, packaged food etc etc.

At the end of the day, do whatever pleases you. These days, I miss Nepali food. Gundruk, Masyaura, different achars, taas, sekuwa etc etc. If you are a successful man in Nepal, you will have tons of things to enjoy there. If you are a failure, or if you are one of those lousy lazy guys who don't know that starting out as a Rs 25 thousand per month MBA freshman doesn't mean you will be forever stuck there with 25K, then I am sure Nepal is no good for you. Jobs in any business should be considered an opportunity to learn the trade, make connection and start a new business, and shouldn't be considered a place where you stay forever.

Here are a few things about life in the states. I never considered these people successful: waiters, postdocs,  barbers, gas station attendants, liquor store attendants, small time programmers etc etc. If you are in these positions for more than 2-4 years, then you should consider yourself an unsuccessful person. If you are one of these and continously say bad things about Nepal or you feel jealous of other successful people, then you should really see treatment because not only you are a failure but also you want others around you to be a failure. If you are changing your jobs fast and moving up the ladder in the process, then you have my respects. Most likely, you are also one of those persons who never speak bad of Nepal. 

 Btw, most of the people around where I live get greencard by applying for asylym. It seems it is like 99% success rate these days. Why greencard is such a big deal anymore is beyond me.