it's all downhill from here...?

CREATIVE!11 said:
Where are you living?

I think i'm going to end up doing this, need few more years of software eng under belt I think and then consider it.
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Moving abroad is one of the most exciting, fulfilling, life-changing things you can do. I moved to Hong Kong when I was 30, spent 3 years there, then another 6 years in Germany, before moving back to the UK for family reasons.

The only downer is you see all the problems and downsides of life in the UK that more starkly when (if) you come back. I think we'll almost certainly go abroad again in a few years.

Software engineering will get you work most places in the world. The HK job came about because someone I'd contracted with had gone out there and needed some people, I had literally one 60-minute phone call with him and his boss and I got the offer (good one too, at JPMC) and was on a flight with ludicrously heavy suitcase a few weeks later. Moving abroad can be very quick and easy if you land a job with a relocation package.
 
mid_gen said:
Moving abroad is one of the most exciting, fulfilling, life-changing things you can do. I moved to Hong Kong when I was 30, spent 3 years there, then another 6 years in Germany, before moving back to the UK for family reasons.

The only downer is you see all the problems and downsides of life in the UK that more starkly when (if) you come back. I think we'll almost certainly go abroad again in a few years.

Software engineering will get you work most places in the world. The HK job came about because someone I'd contracted with had gone out there and needed some people, I had literally one 60-minute phone call with him and his boss and I got the offer (good one too, at JPMC) and was on a flight with ludicrously heavy suitcase a few weeks later. Moving abroad can be very quick and easy if you land a job with a relocation package.
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I think im going to look to jump on something like this after my second job, i've got a year under my belt took whatever I could get (which was mobile). I want to focus on getting a job more web dev oriented now which is what I was actually good at. After that I'll accrue some experience in there and then probably look at make a leap before I get too old, i'm 37 next year and I feel like I want to have this kind of life experience. No kids marriage etc so im free to do so.
 
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CREATIVE!11 said:
I think im going to look to jump on something like this after my second job, i've got a year under my belt took whatever I could get (which was mobile). I want to focus on getting a job more web dev oriented now which is what I was actually good at. After that I'll accrue some experience in there and then probably look at make a leap before I get too old, i'm 37 next year and I feel like I want to have this kind of life experience. No kids marriage etc so im free to do so.
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I moved then I was 35, now 40. Never too old to make the jump :)
 
malachi said:
I moved then I was 35, now 40. Never too old to make the jump :)
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Well, there are some practicalities to consider, depending on the country you want to go to. Visa requirements (being older counts against you some places).

Pension. Definitely understand this one. I cashed out my HK MPF pension when I left (probably a mistake, but it was only a couple years). I was in Germany long enough to qualify for the German state pension which I'll now receive in addition to my UK one. I do have a big gap in my national insurance contributions in the UK still, but I still have time to buy back some of those years......although tbh the value is questionable as I don't expect to retire early so could be wasted money.
 
mid_gen said:
Well, there are some practicalities to consider, depending on the country you want to go to. Visa requirements (being older counts against you some places).
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Yeah, I think Australia is of them but I dont think anyone is moving there for STEM jobs.

mid_gen said:
Pension. Definitely understand this one. I cashed out my HK MPF pension when I left (probably a mistake, but it was only a couple years). I was in Germany long enough to qualify for the German state pension which I'll now receive in addition to my UK one. I do have a big gap in my national insurance contributions in the UK still, but I still have time to buy back some of those years......although tbh the value is questionable as I don't expect to retire early so could be wasted money.
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Thats one thing I still pay towards when I left. Thankfully I dont have a gap. But I was born in the 80's, if I ever get to retire with the UK pension. It will be a privilege not a right :(
 
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throwaway4372 said:
Kid a definite no due to not passing on medical condition.
I might date for the right person but I've been single so long I'm used to it and don't particularly need or want another person around.
Crappy childhood too, so I never particularly had the desire for family to begin with.
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Okay, totally understandable.

Would you be able to apply for genetic therapy / genetic modification for your kid if you were to have one? You might also be able to stop passing on the trauma to your next generation with good parenting. Not trying to change your mind, just curious.

If you've reached chubby FIRE or fat FIRE, perhaps you can devote to contribute to open source projects?
 
voidshatter said:
Would you be able to apply for genetic therapy / genetic modification for your kid if you were to have one?
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Not applicable for my condition afaik. Very little research due to rarity and there being no money in it.

voidshatter said:
You might also be able to stop passing on the trauma to your next generation with good parenting. Not trying to change your mind, just curious.
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Yeah I probably could, I have considered that, but just because I could doesn't make me want to.

voidshatter said:
If you've reached chubby FIRE or fat FIRE, perhaps you can devote to contribute to open source projects?
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I can't see anyone doing those tiers in the UK. If I was in America I'd get paid double, then maybe I could have done it, but in the UK I think it's only ever normal or lean fire that are achievable. I'm just trying to get out of the rat race asap, luxury isn't really something I need anyway, I just want the stress gone.
 
throwaway4372 said:
I can't see anyone doing those tiers in the UK. If I was in America I'd get paid double, then maybe I could have done it, but in the UK I think it's only ever normal or lean fire that are achievable. I'm just trying to get out of the rat race asap, luxury isn't really something I need anyway, I just want the stress gone.
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How about relocating to the US? The Labour Party will soon do another tax raid, maybe even more so on the autumn budget pension tax relief.

It's still not too late to catch the machine learning gold rush?

The UK has no place for hard working people.
 
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throwaway4372 said:
And even if you manage that it only lasts 5 years.
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I got the following from ChatGPT:

A person born in the UK has an advantage in obtaining permanent residence (a green card) in the US, particularly through family-sponsored and employment-based visa categories, compared to those born in China, India, Mexico, or the Philippines. This is due to country-specific limits on the number of immigrant visas issued each year. Applicants from high-demand countries like China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines often face longer backlogs for both family-sponsored (e.g., F1, F2B) and employment-based (e.g., EB-2, EB-3) visas. In contrast, individuals from the UK are less affected by these backlogs, resulting in faster processing times.
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CREATIVE!11 said:
Might go throw my luck into the hat I guess, i'd relocate to the US for a proper salary in software any day.
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If you want a job in the US then just start applying at a tech company . To be eligible for an H1B visa you just need an undergrad degree and a a few years experience.

There is a load of nonsense online about companies needing to prove no US citizen can do the job but this is complete ********. The only requirement is the job is available for US citizens and that the job was properly advertised for Americans and were not purposely rejected purely based on citizenship.

The attorney costs to get an H1B visa are pretty modest compared to TC for a software developer and since the employer knows you are unlikely to move companies within 3 years, more likely 5-6 then the cost amortized to a rounding error.

Still, at the moment most US tech companies are laying off loads of people so there is a lot of competition and not many openings.

Also, it sounds like you have a medical condition so health insurance is likely going to be mind blowingly expensive .
 
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