I got an H-1B visa and my dream job at Google. Both were less secure than I thought.

Gu Yichen was laid off shortly after starting at Google and discovered how unstable life on an H-1B visa can be.

Provided by Gu Yichen

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Gu Yichen, a 31-year-old Chinese national who lives in California. After being laid off by Google, he returned to Amazon, where he works on an H-1B visa.His words have been edited for length and clarity.I spent my sophomore year of high school as an exchange student in Yacolt, a small town in Washington State.I didn't realize that participating in the program would lead me to skip China's entrance exam and set me on a path toward studying abroad for my bachelor's.

I also hadn't realized that it would eventually lead me to build a career in the US.

In his teens, Gu traveled to the US as an exchange student and lived in a small town in Washington State.