Changez vs Jim

I found it interesting that Changez and Jim's histories are so similar, yet Changez fails where Jim succeeds (at least that's one way of looking at it). Perhaps by focusing on the wounded Erica, both as a romantic interest and a symbol of America's self-concerned worldview, Changez forgets to focus on the fundamentals of his job. On a strictly character/plot level, Erica distracts Changez from his work, thus making him a less efficient employee by causing him to lose focus. Symbolically, Erica helps Changez see that if he were to fully assimilate into American culture he would be disregarding the emotions and desires of other individuals, i.e. Third World countries, that are deemed unimportant by the U.S. Changez' own feelings resulting from Erica's rejection help him realize that he does not want to have such an impact on people's lives, and this influences his decision to leave Underwood Samson even though he knows that he will be replaced. The point is that Changez, even with the knowledge that his work will not be left unfinished at Underwood Samson, chooses to take a different path in life, and perhaps by writing "The Reluctant Fundamentalist," Hosin is encouraging readers to do the same.