A girl from Kazakhstan talks about studying and working in the U.S., what leadership programs are and how they help start a career.
Dilara Baysikenova, 29, Dallas, senior analyst and developer at JPMorgan Chase, @magnolia_gardens1
About the moving
My aunt invited me to New York when I was 16. I don't know how my mom found the money for the ticket, but I came to the U.S. with nothing but ambition in my pocket.
After studying at KazGUU, I came back to New York, where I already had friends and favorite places. I went to Baruch College. While studying, I worked at two or three places in parallel and met a lot of cool people along the way.
I recommend going to a community college and then transferring to a private university if you want. Many people I know went to NYU or Columbia University. I went to a regular college but paid my own way through part-time tuition.
On Adaptation and the Challenges
I lived in midtown Manhattan with my aunt for a long time, then in a sorority in Chelsea, and then with a friend in New Jersey. My aunt encouraged me to work and even scolded me if I took long naps in the morning.
The main challenges of moving to the States: being away from relatives, high taxes, big projects and challenging tasks at work and university. The U.S. is a country of hardworking people. Even the Japanese are surprised by the work culture in the States. During my college years, I worked without days off.
If you recently moved here, I recommend making friends, moonlighting on a few projects, and not being afraid to participate in various clubs.
About development and career
There is no cramming in US schools, not much homework. This was unusual for me. Children are taught choice, abundance, thinking outside the box, and creativity. They respect hard work and success. In finance schools, 80% of learning is mastery of collaboration, leadership and communication and only 20% is in the exact sciences. Everything else is learned by doing.
So, to succeed in the USA you need to know English and have good communication skills. For analysts I recommend learning SQL, for beginners — Java script programming languages. I recommend creating portfolios and case studies, online presence and constant practice. Mastery is the result of hard work.
My experience proved that career dreams and ambitions can come true in another country.
At JP Morgan Chase, I started my career by participating in a leadership program. Large companies have such programs. They help young professionals get accelerated hands-on training in one of the departments. You go through several rotations in a short period of time, working in different departments, and after that you can become a leader. At first, I worked in risk management, but then I moved to the digitalization department, doing development and design.
We traveled to different states for training, gaining experience. I ended up designing the Chase app feature and collaborating with Disney. Contributed to the creation of a program for private home buyers. I did event planning for the company to raise corporate morale.
How the move impacted
Living abroad makes you appreciate your culture and language more. Today I would advise people not to leave, but to realize themselves by creating a business.
My plan is to return to Kazakhstan. I've had a lot of experience in the United States, I've learned a lot. And I want to contribute to the development of my country.
