Moving out of country - USA to somewhere else?

Scandinavian countries are just so damn expensive.

Way down the line I will consider moving to Spain. I love that place.

kudos said:

Don't know if you consider China a 1st world country (3rd world to me) but that would be an easy international job with your networking ability + being an American (they prefer whites though).

Any of the Scandinavian countries would be my choice. I just don't know how they are nowadays with the sand people running around stabbing people in the streets and raping the women.

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China is "first-world" (In the modern sense of the term. Not the communist/capitalist sense) if you stay within the major cities.
Shanghai is pretty much New York but bigger and better. I'd recommend you at least spend a good year or two taking Mandarin classes once you are there. I can speak it but FUCK READING IT... god. Moonspeak.

I'd avoid Beijing and Tianjin for now. The pollution is out-of-control but it's one of the top issues Xi Jinping and his government are dealing with right now.

My wife and I plan on retiring to Shanghai eventually. We have property their which her parents are leaving to us in the Pudong area.

Are you colored (Based on Kudos comment)? If so I'd avoid Asia in general. Racist as fuck.

I lived in Costa Rica for 6 years, was a great place to live as an american; was pretty cheap as the conversion rate from US dollars to colones was very favorable. Have heard that Belize is just as good, if not better since they speak English and the US dollar is accepted as currency.

Have you ever spent considerable time abroad (even in a 1st world, European country)? It's one thing to travel for vacation and enjoyment, and completely another to live in a place for an extended period and do day-to-day activities. Even in countries that might seem great on paper, such as some Scandinavian places, there will likely be lots of small cultural things that you wouldn't even think of until you're confronted by them in your daily life. I'd never move anywhere that I hadn't spent a fair amount of time trying out beforehand.

Whether or not it is for you really depends on who you are. I moved to Norway for work about 8 years and it was the best decision I ever made. It is unlikely I will ever move back to the States.

However, another American colleague apparently hated it here and left after 2 years... and yet another got married and started a family... so who knows? The only way for you to know is to try, and I very much recommend giving one of the Nordic countries a try, especially Norway.

I would really take a look at your Cisco Networking career though. If a country is going to hire a foreigner for a job like that, they are typically going to hire an Indian / other Asian to do the job for a fraction of what you would be paid. Indians are just as qualified and work for far less than an American. Just be realistic about your career goals before you make a big move.

That said, I am American and have worked overseas for the last ~17 years from London to the Middle East. Hit me up with any questions you may have.

Living in a different country is a great experience, and I think everyone should do it. Imo, just consider it a 1 year experiment. You can put up with pretty much anything for a year.

Most of the difficulty is really social, since even if you're able to meet and get along with great people, there's going to be a pretty big gap that has to be bridged. However, if you're a basement dwelling neck-beard like the rest of us on here with limited need for social contact, then that's not really a problem at all.

For most places that you'd probably want to go live, you'll probably come to find out how surprisingly cheap and easy lots of things are in the US. Some things are certainly cheaper and/or easier in other places, but just for a broad "being able to do what you want, when you want, without spending a ton of money", the US is surprisingly good on average. It's probably worth living abroad for a while just better appreciate that.

Just start applying to things in any country that you'd consider. It doesn't hurt to chase a few offers and see what's actually available. Some countries/industries are quite eager to hire foreigners for certain positions due to a lack of local talent. If it's a non-native English speaking country, and they're posting job ads in English, then they really want you to apply. Some companies will even have their working language be English.

Alternatively, find a US-based job that will let you work remotely, then move to a new country every 3 months.

Maybe the new country will result in a better life for your kids. Although that typically means moving to the US from elsewhere. But I don't think it's a bad thing to raise more cultured kids instead of Trump supporting fucktards.

What languages do you speak ? As Control said - social barriers are going to be your biggest problem, and picking up a foreign language is not something you can do in a year (well, if you don't do anything else and have no responsibilites) That said, most of the younger generation speak english, so being terrible at the local language isn't a showstopper in a bar, but can be at DMV ... Then you have all the paperwork and legal hoops. You might be from the USA, but changing residence is something completely different to travelling. As an EU citizen, I can just pack up my shit and go live in Portugal if I want to and don't have to fill out anything. Then there are dumb things like weather, daylight, natural disasters...

I don't want to discourage you, since lots of you here could use the experience to wisen up a bit, but it's not something you can take lightly. I want to do it too, but I have been planning it for several years already and it's just a country next to mine. Your social network can stay somewhat intact thanks to the internet, but you will have to build a local one from scratch, any connections you made before moving help tremendously.

No matter what the media make you think, EU is still by far the safest continent and has free healthcare/universities everywhere. Downside is that you will pay a lot more taxes and everything is more expensive (but if you do the math, it's actually not that bad) and we got mandatory 4+ weeks of vacation. It's also a lot more condensed, so even if you stay just for a year, you can see most of it.

Cad said:

I think moving to Japan or China for a couple years would be really interesting, not in a "I want to live my life there" kind of way but just because it's so different. Culturally those places are EXTREMELY different than the US and it'd show you a different way of life.

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Wife and I are going to retire to China if it's still inhabitable in 30 years. Have a condo in the Pudong district of Shanghai.
I much the culture of Shanghai to that of the united states.

I speak Mandarin (been taking classes for 5 years now) at a semi-decent level and can read at a very basic level.

What about your children