Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Americans are an unimpressive, vain and ugly people - who admittedly know how to sell things Replace Americans with any other nationality and see how offensive this sounds.
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Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?
101–110 of 474 posts
Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?
#102Moved to Oslo, Norway in 2019. By far the biggest sacrifices are family, friends and social network. However, the opportunities for growth and learning far outweigh the cons. Staying connected with people in different time zones can be challenging, but technology provides so many solutions. For example I use FaceTime to talk with family. It doesn’t cost anyone anything (if they are connected to WIFI) and I don’t have…
Are you seeking permanent citizenship there (or did you have it by birth)? If you’re an American citizen, are you able to access the Norwegian social benefits? Did you move there to work for a specific local employer, or did you find a position after moving?
Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?
#103I did the opposite and found the us much better. Pay and opportunities are infinitely better, people are friendlier, having a car is much easier and more convenient.
> Pay and opportunities are infinitely better ...if you're lucky enough to be among the privileged.
> ...if you're lucky enough to be among the privileged
That applies in every country
Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?
#104I'm sure others will cover the shorter-term aspects. I'll add that, particularly if you're not young or have a family, it wouldn't hurt to consider the fact that you will probably have a great time for the first N years, but there might be a slump when you realize that you will probably never really integrate and will have a smaller social circle because of it, in a place where people seem to have smaller casual grou…
What do you mean by integrate? As in, it's harder to find friends? Or that there's cultural issues barring you from being as close friends as you would someone from the U.S.?
Not the GP, but I think you might find in Switzerland (I lived there) that it's not so easy to make friends. When I'm in America, people will just straight up come up to me and talk, so the culture seems to be a bit more open. In Switzerland, socializing is quite different. For a start, there's a local language that isn't the one they teach you in language classes. It also appears much of the socializing happens around existing institutions, eg your school friends, or the rowing club, all things that as a newcomer you won't have a history with.
Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?
#105Not from the US but from another country in the Americas. Here is a non-exhaustive list of things to take into consideration: - Social life. Yes, modern technology makes it easier than ever to keep touch with friends from across the globe, but you need to expect to lose some relationships there. Not all friendships can survive the distance. The time zone difference also makes it annoying to keep in touch (e.g. you wi…
Question about healthcare. You mentioned getting private healthcare. What is the purpose of that if public healthcare is available for free? Do you get to cut in line for appointments?
Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
One thing expats definitely have to do is readjust their expectations about cost of living and relative expenses. While the payroll for your average European tech guy is nowhere near the stellar heights of the SV bro's, the buying power in Europe is at a level higher than you might expect. Whereas, for a single night out in SoCal I'd spend $100 - $150, dinner movie and drinks - here in Vienna I'd get through just as…
> You won't be buying million-dollar mansions on a European programmers salary You won't be buying any decent apartment/house unless you move outside of city, buy a car and let go of all the benefits that comes with living in a European city.
Not true, I bought a house in Vienna for less than a quarter of what I would have paid for an apartment in Los Angeles. Okay, its not in Vienna (the state), but its close enough to not make any difference to my commute across town to work.
Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?
#107I did the opposite and found the us much better. Pay and opportunities are infinitely better, people are friendlier, having a car is much easier and more convenient.
> Pay and opportunities are infinitely better ...if you're lucky enough to be among the privileged.
Living in America is by definition a privileged position. Largest military in the world guarantees either the country survives anything or the world undergoes nuclear Armageddon (and even then the tax man is still coming to your door).
Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?
#108Earlier quoted context omitted.
How does LA and Vienna compare to Australia?
Australia is a different dimension altogether - you have a lot of the trappings of Western (US/European) culture, but none of the advantages of access to a free market. Personally, I can't stand Australian culture, nor American either these days - which isn't to say I'm launching into an adopted German/Austrian stance, just that .. being away from these lands for a decade at least in each case, I started to see the s…
I'm not sure if this is intentional but in all your comments you just come across as a hateful, angry person.
Re: Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?
#109Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Pay and opportunities are infinitely better ...if you're lucky enough to be among the privileged.
True. But if we're talking software engineering, everyone posting here is probably "privileged" in that regard. Let me just take this moment to say, holy shit what a fascinating time we all live in and what a happy accident it was that I stumbled into software engineering in this particular era. I'm not aware of a recent time in history when you could get what amounts to a doctor's salary without the lengthy schoolin…
What if you get that salary precisely because this field is free of the sort of inefficiencies and government regulation that drag on healthcare and doctors.