Epaper
A 61-year-old Indian-origin software engineer in the United States is considering returning to India after nearly two years without a full-time job.
Gautam Dev, an IIT Kanpur alumnus based in Dallas, Texas, resigned from his software engineering job in September 2024 after being asked to relocate to another state to retain his position. He chose to remain in Dallas and look for another opportunity, but his job search has proved far more difficult than expected.
Dev told Business Insider that he had spent more than two decades in the IT industry and had previously experienced short gaps between jobs. In the past, however, he was usually able to find a new role within a few months.
This time, despite applying for several positions and attending multiple interviews, he has not received an offer.
Dev said he mainly searched for jobs through LinkedIn and also reached out to people in his professional network. According to him, many said their companies were not hiring, while some were hesitant to change jobs because of uncertainty in the market.
He believes his age may be working against him. He also feels that the long gap in his employment history has made it harder to get interview calls.
Another concern is the changing nature of the technology industry.
Dev said artificial intelligence is now taking over some tasks that software engineers once handled manually. While he has seen openings for AI-related roles, he does not have a strong background in the field and is unsure whether those jobs are suitable for him.
Turns to Gig Work
After months of unsuccessful job applications, Dev gradually shifted his focus from finding a full-time role to simply earning an income.
He briefly tried day trading, but the initial gains did not last. Earlier this year, he began taking up gig work through platforms such as Uber, DoorDash and Walmart Spark.
The income has been modest, but Dev said it at least gives him some financial support.
His options are limited, however, because he is unable to carry heavy items, which rules out certain types of delivery work.
Savings Run Out, Debt Builds Up
The prolonged unemployment has taken a serious toll on Dev’s finances.
His savings have been exhausted, while rent and other expenses continue to pile up. He has also accumulated credit card debt.
Dev said he would like to move to a cheaper apartment, but worries that landlords may ask for proof of employment and income.
He also feels that relocating would take time away from gig work, which is currently his only source of income.
In January, Dev started a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $9,000. He said the entire amount went towards paying bills.
He admitted that asking others for financial help was difficult, though some people responded with kindness and generosity.
Considering a Return to India
For now, Dev plans to continue with gig work.
He will become eligible for Social Security benefits when he turns 62 in January 2027 and hopes the payments, combined with his gig earnings, will help ease his financial pressure.
Dev is also seriously considering returning to India, where he lived before moving to the US more than two decades ago. He later became a US citizen.
However, he said he is not planning to make the move immediately, as returning to India would require time and preparation.
“I never imagined I’d end up in this situation, but here I am,” he said.
A sharper headline option: “IIT Kanpur Alum Jobless for 2 Years in US, Survives on Gig Work and May Return to India”.
sounds fake to me. At age 62 he is qualified for retirement benifits from govt. Thats more than enough as he probably have paid off house. If he has kids they must have been already settled
After his social security and medicare etc .. will not be able to make it. Yes other option is to get SS benefits and live comfortably in India
Strange…that last line indicates that AI was used to write this NRI news…” sharper headline option: “IIT Kanpur Alum Jobless for 2 Years in US, Survives on Gig Work and May Return to India”.
I checked his linkedin, unfortunately its a true story. Only way I feel is, when anyone encounters this situation, they must push hard, update cv, learn new technologies, ready to relocate and make yourself a desirable person to employer.
61 years inka enduku da neeki e job happy ha retire ayipo
In US, there’s no retirement age, people sometimes work till 75-80 years of age
Ippati varaku sampaadinchindhi emi chesaado
“resigned from his software engineering job in September 2024 after being asked to relocate to another state to retain his position”
At 61?? I’d have moved and started enjoying new place and new phase of life
What if AI wasn’t at this speed he would have got job and his decision would have been correct. It is like wallstreet. Some times shit happens, he could have done some PMP certifications or atleast considered picking some state govt job at Austin, definitely he would have been hired, looks like this story is half baked. May be his mental ability went down not to demean after working so many years and age factor. If story is fully true, then it is a usecase for all
Looks like at Dallas he has setup with aunty
I think there are a few important lessons we can take away from his story:
I have a friend who lost his job at 62 and spent a little over a year looking for another opportunity. During that time, he invested in learning AI technologies, eventually landed a remote position, and relocated accordingly.
The takeaway is that we can’t control every market downturn or employment decision, but we can take steps to remain relevant, financially prepared, and flexible. Continuous learning, financial discipline, and adaptability aren’t optional anymore; they’re essential to navigating an increasingly unpredictable job market.
why don’t you consider teaching high school students or undergrads ? if you are from IIT your basics are strong.
May be he did his masters from IIT. In that case, you can’t assume his basics are strong. Again 20 years in the industry still don’t have enough reserves for few years means software may not be his core competancy.
There are lot of people in US they still respect IITians and consider for job. The other way is to take PMP kind of certification and I am sure he will get excellent position. I guess, he probably living single and waiting to get his social security and move to India. With the social security and RS conversion, will provide happy life in India with meeting near and dear, relatives, old friends etc his future will be glittering and happy in India. I guess it will be another 3 or four months before he claim his social security. Wish you all the best dear.
Very nice, warm reply. Love it.
At 61 years age no corporate will be willing to hire that person because of high healthcare costs to the company and low productivity , while the law says to not discriminate.
what about the Social Security benefits?
if you can’t live comfortably in USA with just Social Security benefits then go to India and you get to live there much better with same social security benefits.
fir myself if I have to die I will die in India and it’s cheaper to die in India than die there in USA
Why healthcare will be high? It will be fixed at org level and not be different for each employee
Several large companies use self funded plans. i.e though health care providers offer the plan for the employess their role is limited to managing the plan and actual money spent comes from the company. Hence it is cheaper for the companies to have younger work force.
At the end of the day if employer makes lot of money then they can absorb else they have to pass it on to employees only.
If a company has 100 employees, and all are youth with minimal health care requirements then health insurance company will charge less to those 100 employees collectively. But if there are lot of aged employees in that 100 employees in that company, then health insurance company would have to charge more because the usage of health services increases among those 100 employees due to their higher age factor related ailments.
this is how all insurence companies work.
At 65, he becomes eligible for Medicare
Should’ve secured job first then resign from working company, that’s the smart move
Very sad, hope he gains strength and survive.
Dallas has bad job market and it is over crowded market, if I were him happily move to CA area, he has cool latest tech stack as per Linkedin. He came from India, whether it is Dallas or Bay Area shouldn’t matter, pack up drive and enjoy the ride.
Ayyo
Complainer. illi spanishh are better!
In America IIT means nothing and only in GA it is relevant point to discuss. Here(There) only Dollar matters. Few years back I met a lady Indian at Florida from LSE (London School of Ecnomics) who was struggling financially but I was not really impressed with the skills(and confidence) on the face of it. Life is about continuosly reinventing oneself till you throw in the towel to take recluse in retirement.The whole problem is that a human never like to retire which is the of life essence. To make such a difficult decision needs tremendous courage driven by spiritual awakening