Mixing Different Traditions and Picking What’s Best’: Characteristics and Migration Experiences of Polish High-Tech Professionals in Silicon Valley
Growing demand for a highly skilled workforce in a knowledge- and technology-based economy stimulates the recruitment of international professionals, resulting in their increased participation in the total volume of international migrants. However, little scholarly attention has been paid to their i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw, and Polish Academy of Sciences
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Central and Eastern European Migration Review |
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| Online Access: | http://www.ceemr.uw.edu.pl/vol-12-no-1-2023/articles/mixing-different-traditions-and-picking-what-s-best-characteristics-and |
| _version_ | 1797752567004921856 |
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| author | Marzena Sasnal |
| author_facet | Marzena Sasnal |
| author_sort | Marzena Sasnal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Growing demand for a highly skilled workforce in a knowledge- and technology-based economy stimulates the recruitment of international professionals, resulting in their increased participation in the total volume of international migrants. However, little scholarly attention has been paid to their integration strategies and migration trajectories. Drawing on 46 interviews with Polish high-tech professionals, this article explores their characteristics and migration experiences in Silicon Valley. Grounded theory, a biographical method, a transnational approach and the concept of social anchoring guided my data collection, analysis and interpretation. The study results indicated that high-tech professionals were well prepared for immigration to the United States and were able to integrate effectively into the multicultural environment of Silicon Valley by adopting the rules of the host society ‘only as much as necessary’ without rejecting their previous cultural affiliations. Working at the level of competence and professional experience from the moment of arriving in the United States facilitated their structural adaptation to American society. The study contributes to the existing body of literature in migration research by offering a nuanced insight into motivations, identities and values of modern highly skilled migrants and providing new ways of understanding their decision-making processes on migration and settlement. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:06:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-912b6f9cfcdd45349b96aaa34f6aaf02 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2300-1682 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:06:12Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw, and Polish Academy of Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Central and Eastern European Migration Review |
| spelling | doaj.art-912b6f9cfcdd45349b96aaa34f6aaf022023-08-06T17:14:30ZengCentre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw, and Polish Academy of SciencesCentral and Eastern European Migration Review2300-16822023-06-0112120122410.54667/ceemr.2023.02Mixing Different Traditions and Picking What’s Best’: Characteristics and Migration Experiences of Polish High-Tech Professionals in Silicon Valley Marzena Sasnal0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0035-6990Stanford University, United States, University of Wroclaw, PolandGrowing demand for a highly skilled workforce in a knowledge- and technology-based economy stimulates the recruitment of international professionals, resulting in their increased participation in the total volume of international migrants. However, little scholarly attention has been paid to their integration strategies and migration trajectories. Drawing on 46 interviews with Polish high-tech professionals, this article explores their characteristics and migration experiences in Silicon Valley. Grounded theory, a biographical method, a transnational approach and the concept of social anchoring guided my data collection, analysis and interpretation. The study results indicated that high-tech professionals were well prepared for immigration to the United States and were able to integrate effectively into the multicultural environment of Silicon Valley by adopting the rules of the host society ‘only as much as necessary’ without rejecting their previous cultural affiliations. Working at the level of competence and professional experience from the moment of arriving in the United States facilitated their structural adaptation to American society. The study contributes to the existing body of literature in migration research by offering a nuanced insight into motivations, identities and values of modern highly skilled migrants and providing new ways of understanding their decision-making processes on migration and settlement.http://www.ceemr.uw.edu.pl/vol-12-no-1-2023/articles/mixing-different-traditions-and-picking-what-s-best-characteristics-andmigration of the highly skilledhigh-tech professionalspolish migrants in the united statessilicon valleytransnationalism |
| spellingShingle | Marzena Sasnal Mixing Different Traditions and Picking What’s Best’: Characteristics and Migration Experiences of Polish High-Tech Professionals in Silicon Valley Central and Eastern European Migration Review migration of the highly skilled high-tech professionals polish migrants in the united states silicon valley transnationalism |
| title | Mixing Different Traditions and Picking What’s Best’: Characteristics and Migration Experiences of Polish High-Tech Professionals in Silicon Valley |
| title_full | Mixing Different Traditions and Picking What’s Best’: Characteristics and Migration Experiences of Polish High-Tech Professionals in Silicon Valley |
| title_fullStr | Mixing Different Traditions and Picking What’s Best’: Characteristics and Migration Experiences of Polish High-Tech Professionals in Silicon Valley |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mixing Different Traditions and Picking What’s Best’: Characteristics and Migration Experiences of Polish High-Tech Professionals in Silicon Valley |
| title_short | Mixing Different Traditions and Picking What’s Best’: Characteristics and Migration Experiences of Polish High-Tech Professionals in Silicon Valley |
| title_sort | mixing different traditions and picking what s best characteristics and migration experiences of polish high tech professionals in silicon valley |
| topic | migration of the highly skilled high-tech professionals polish migrants in the united states silicon valley transnationalism |
| url | http://www.ceemr.uw.edu.pl/vol-12-no-1-2023/articles/mixing-different-traditions-and-picking-what-s-best-characteristics-and |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marzenasasnal mixingdifferenttraditionsandpickingwhatsbestcharacteristicsandmigrationexperiencesofpolishhightechprofessionalsinsiliconvalley |