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Glass Floor

There used to be the notion that if you were smart and worked hard, there was room at the top for you in America. Many of us immigrants came to the country believing this to be true - there were success stories that illustrated this as possible. 

 One of my elderly relatives was toiling away is an obscure banking job in India back in the 60s with no prospects of growth or change. He had great attitude and hustle but that would not get him anywhere in Kolkata back in the day. 

 He immigrated to the States. Started out as a bank teller, worked a large number of side gigs including catering, event planning and owning some fast food franchises over time. He also moved up in his bank job and retired a senior executive. Both his kids went to highly selective colleges and are doing well for themselves. P had lived the American Dream and was an inspiration for family and friends in Kolkata.

Just about everyone who had a relative in America could tell you such a story. For kids like us back home, it confirmed what we believed to be true and we wanted to take our chances as well. I have seen many of my peers rise to levels they could not have aspired to in India. They were smart, industrious and also happened to be in the right place and the right time. The doors indeed opened for them in America and meritocracy prevailed. 

 I am afraid, those were likely the last doors to be opened and our kids may or may not have been able to squeak in. Unlike P's kids where it was a foregone conclusion that they would go to the best colleges and experience a tremendous upward mobility because they were good enough for it and their parents had worked hard to get them there, today that is far from the case. I believe there is a lot of truth to this Huffpost article.
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