The Reason Behind Indian-Americans Success

There appear to be two major factors that play a central role in the rise of Indian-Americans in the US—family, and education.

FREMONT, CA: With Parag Agrawal’s appointment as the CEO of Twitter, Indian immigrants are now leading the biggest companies in the global tech sector. From Google to Microsoft to IBM, it is clear that the US is benefiting greatly from the Indian diaspora. The success of Indian-Americans in the tech industry can be easily verified with numbers—Indian immigrants account for about 6% of the US’s foreign-born population and are now the second-largest immigrant group in the country. Indian-Americans also have higher family incomes than other Asian Americans.

There appear to be two major factors that play a central role in the rise of Indian-Americans in the US—family, and education.

Prioritizing Education

82% of Indian-Americans have college degrees, compared to 42% of average Americans. 78% of Indian-Americans are married, compared to 58% of others. Indian culture also gives immense importance to STEM education, which is a critical reason behind Indian-Americans’ success in technical and analytical fields.

It is no surprise that Indian and other Asian cultures often emphasize education and family, and the Indian-American diaspora in the US is a great example of that. Education is often seen as the path to prosperity—a couple of years of hard work pays off for the rest of their lives. One could also notice that formal education in Indian culture is not just limited to classrooms. It is often seen that kids practice maths and science at home with their parents. According to a 2017 research conducted by Mass Mutual, Asian Indians consider education as a critical aspect to a child’s success, maturity, respect, and gateway to employment. Obligation to fully fund their children’s education is also woven into the Asian Indian culture.

Considering that first-generation Indian-American parents face many challenges navigating their new lives on foreign soil, it is only plausible why they push their children so hard in terms of education.

Importance of Family

Indian-Americans have the highest family stability of any immigrant group in the US—94% of Indian-Americans are married and have kids, compared with 66% of white Americans. The rationale behind this scenario is that the Indian culture prioritizes familism over individualism. Indian-American also raises their children in a sensible way—not too relaxed, not too hard. They believe that children need guidance, which is missing in the mainstream culture.

Like the other immigrant groups in the US, the successive generations of Indian-Americans are fusing their native culture with America’s. As Indian-Americans slowly take the world by storm, the group will be at the forefront of technological, scientific, and cultural transformation in the coming years.