Hi Reader,

Yudi here,

Last week, one of my students asked me a question.

He had just achieved what thousands of international students dream about.

He finally landed a job after nine months of searching.

His H-1B got picked in the lottery. And then something unexpected happened.

An AI startup in Bangalore offered him ₹30 lakh per year.

His question was simple. "What would you do?"

At first, I thought this was going to be another conversation about salaries.

It wasn't.

On paper, the answer feels obvious.

Stay in the U.S.

Your H-1B got picked.

You've already survived the hardest part.

Why would anyone walk away now?

But once we started talking, the spreadsheet stopped mattering.

He wasn't really worried about money.

He was worried about something much harder.

His parents were getting older. His sister was married. He was the only son.

And he asked me something I couldn't answer with numbers.

"What if something happens to my parents while I'm waiting for visa appointments or immigration paperwork?"

Suddenly, this wasn't a career question anymore. It was a life question.

I think we often ask ourselves the wrong question.

Instead of asking, "Which country is better?"

we should probably ask, "What do the next five years of my life need to be about?"

Those are two very different questions.

If you're 24...

Single...

Your parents are healthy...

And your goal is to maximize your career...

Then staying in the U.S. might make perfect sense.

Not because America is better. But because this season of your life is about learning, building, and taking bigger bets.

But maybe you're in a different season.

Maybe your parents genuinely need you.

Maybe you're ready to settle down.

Maybe peace of mind matters more than maximizing your income.

Then moving back isn't giving up.

It's simply optimizing for something different.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized something.

We spend years trying to optimize our careers. Very few of us spend time deciding what we're actually optimizing for.

Money? Freedom? Family? Adventure? Stability? Impact?

Those answers change over time.

And that's okay.

One thing I did tell him, though.

If your long-term goal is still to build your career in the U.S., don't rush.

If possible, stay until your H-1B becomes active. Work for six months or a year. Build some savings. Gain meaningful experience.

Because H-1B time can often be reused later if life brings you back.

Keeping doors open is almost always a better strategy than closing them too early.

I don't know what he'll choose.

And honestly...

I don't think there is a universally right answer.

There are only answers that fit the season of life you're in.

Sometimes we treat career decisions like math problems.

Most of the time, they're identity questions.

So before you ask, "Should I stay?" or "Should I go?"

Ask yourself something deeper.

What do the next five years of my life need to be about?

You might be surprised by your own answer.

P.S. If you're navigating decisions like this, whether it's job hunting, visa strategy, or planning your next career move, that's exactly what we work through inside the Job Hunt Accelerator. Sometimes the biggest value isn't getting another resume review. It's having people around you who help you think more clearly when the decisions get complicated.