Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Dubai Expat Help Forum

First off, great forum I've read back almost all of the entries for the last couple of months and I've learned a lot as a result.

I'll be graduating in a couple of months and although I have a couple of job offers from US companies I must admit I'm more than a little tempted to try Dubai.

I haven't seen many posts from younger people and I was wondering what life may be like for a young grad such as myself?

Is it worth turning down a decent Bay Area (california) job for a chance at happiness abroad?

In california i'd be paying in excess of 60% of my income simply for housing, how does this compare for entry level positions in dubai?

What are the job prospects like for recent grads? Is it even worth it?

Thanks for any insight...

s1lent47 wrote:First off, great forum I've read back almost all of the entries for the last couple of months and I've learned a lot as a result.

I'll be graduating in a couple of months and although I have a couple of job offers from US companies I must admit I'm more than a little tempted to try Dubai.

I haven't seen many posts from younger people and I was wondering what life may be like for a young grad such as myself?

Is it worth turning down a decent Bay Area (california) job for a chance at happiness abroad?

In california i'd be paying in excess of 60% of my income simply for housing, how does this compare for entry level positions in dubai?

What are the job prospects like for recent grads? Is it even worth it?

Thanks for any insight...

Here is what I think: stay in the Bay area, get some experience and then come to Dubai. An entry level job will be crap in Dubai (well at least the pay). Your expenses, housing, car, etc. will be the same if not more than the bay area (the good thing is that it would be tax fee - since you would most likely be making less than $90K per year). Once you have a couple of years experience in the USA you will command a higher salary - unless you happen to be indian/pakistani/etc - its just the way it is here.

You can always visit Dubai. Here is another thought; take the job but give yourself some time between graduation and job start. Ask your folks for a trip to dubai as a graduation present.

Almost forgot, how much you earn also depends on what you studied and your skills. Don't forget there are many, many well qualified people from India, Pakistan, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, etc. for whom getting to Dubai is easier than getting into the USA (geographically and visa requirements) so there is a lot more competition here specially for a recent graduate. As it should be.

Bay Area vs. Dubai. No brainer. Bay Area.

Hi,
I wanted to weigh in on this topic as I am a recent US college grad who has just moved to Dubai...

I graduated from school in December, and moved to Dubai in January, and so far I have no regretted it for a minute. I think as an American especially there are plenty of opportunities and good money to be made. There are also quite a few young expats so the social life is good. I think that while you're young it makes more sense to try new things (eg moving to Dubai) and experience them fully before you're old and ugly and saddled with responsibility...

Furthermore, I have a friend who just moved from the Bay area (around the same time I did, about two months ago) to Dubai and I think he thinks he made the right decision... if you want I could put you in touch with him, he loves meeting new people and his is a big Bay area guy so I'm sure he would love to hear from you if you have questions... have youe ever been to the Kingfish? I think it's in Oakland, anyway he talks about it all the time, just wondering...

Anyway I hope that helps somewhat, I mean the rents here can be expensive but beyond that I think you'll find the cost of living is much less than it is in San Fran area... anyway just let me know if you'd like more info

Hi,
I wanted to weigh in on this topic as I am a recent US college grad who has just moved to Dubai...

I graduated from school in December, and moved to Dubai in January, and so far I have no regretted it for a minute. I think as an American especially there are plenty of opportunities and good money to be made. There are also quite a few young expats so the social life is good. I think that while you're young it makes more sense to try new things (eg moving to Dubai) and experience them fully before you're old and ugly and saddled with responsibility...

Furthermore, I have a friend who just moved from the Bay area (around the same time I did, about two months ago) to Dubai and I think he thinks he made the right decision... if you want I could put you in touch with him, he loves meeting new people and his is a big Bay area guy so I'm sure he would love to hear from you if you have questions... have youe ever been to the Kingfish? I think it's in Oakland, anyway he talks about it all the time, just wondering...

Anyway I hope that helps somewhat, I mean the rents here can be expensive but beyond that I think you'll find the cost of living is much less than it is in San Fran area... anyway just let me know if you'd like more info

Hi,
I wanted to weigh in on this topic as I am a recent US college grad who has just moved to Dubai...

I graduated from school in December, and moved to Dubai in January, and so far I have no regretted it for a minute. I think as an American especially there are plenty of opportunities and good money to be made. There are also quite a few young expats so the social life is good. I think that while you're young it makes more sense to try new things (eg moving to Dubai) and experience them fully before you're old and ugly and saddled with responsibility...

Furthermore, I have a friend who just moved from the Bay area (around the same time I did, about two months ago) to Dubai and I think he thinks he made the right decision... if you want I could put you in touch with him, he loves meeting new people and his is a big Bay area guy so I'm sure he would love to hear from you if you have questions... have youe ever been to the Kingfish? I think it's in Oakland, anyway he talks about it all the time, just wondering...

Anyway I hope that helps somewhat, I mean the rents here can be expensive but beyond that I think you'll find the cost of living is much less than it is in San Fran area... anyway just let me know if you'd like more info

Sorry to say that, but I'd consider an average American wanting to move here to be crazy. But of course, it all comes back to what you're looking for.

I personally am looking for freedom. Being an Arab, I chose Dubai. If I were a white American, I don't think I would ever leave the U.S.

If you're white, some people here will make you feel like a god. They respect whites. But I've been to San Francisco (I was considering transferring to California State in Hayward) and people there are just patient, polite and sweet because they're happy. Here, on the other hand, the rich are stressed out, and the poor are oppressed; only few are happy.

BTW, I'm also a recent graduate from ASU and I can't yet find a job here. I envy jenji and his friend for scoring big bucks in Dubai right after graduation.

Thanks for the help everyone. I took it all into consideration and I brought my expat ideas to one of the companies and they upped my starting salary and offered a bonus. It's a little too good to be true so I had to jump at it before HR changed their mind.

Thanks for all the help though I guess I'll just have to leave Dubai as a vacation destination for the time being.

Hey everyone,
Its good to read this forum. I too am a recent grad from the USA on the east coast. I have been interviewing for an engineering job in Dubai. From reading the forums here it sounds like a lot of fun but I have some concerns. Have any of you who are my age (25) had problems with lack of culture, women, money, etc? I would love to hear some feedback from anyone in their 20s without kids about the dubai life.

maximusprime wrote:Hey everyone,
Its good to read this forum. I too am a recent grad from the USA on the east coast. I have been interviewing for an engineering job in Dubai. From reading the forums here it sounds like a lot of fun but I have some concerns. Have any of you who are my age (25) had problems with lack of culture, women, money, etc? I would love to hear some feedback from anyone in their 20s without kids about the dubai life.

ou have a lack of culture Maximus? Well that will be your own problem to deal with. Problem with women? That is also an individual concern.

Check out the Romance Forum on here an you will see that Dubai is a s3xual city just like anywhere else with young people, and some of the clubs and bars are are better than other places in the world. It is a young fun city.

Scarlet,
By culture I mean art, music, cuisine, intelectual people, not just partying and shopping. Also I have heard that there is a dispporportionate ratio of men to women in Dubai and I wanted to know if anyone in there 20's has experienced any frustration with this. Obviously this is a matter of personal preference but it is something I would like to know about before making the move.