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Ask HN: Help me solve a dilemma, study in the US or take a job in the EU?

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81–90 of 107 posts

Re: Ask HN: Help me solve a dilemma, study in the US or take a job in the EU?

#81
> I've read many European developers lament how they could effectively retire and return after working for just a few years if they could work in the states

You can project this to European (or even US) remote job + your place. Just charge top European or US rates, not the "local market rate".

Re: Ask HN: Help me solve a dilemma, study in the US or take a job in the EU?

#82
Take the scholarship. It's a much higher probability outcome.

You will have more control over your destiny. EG if you work hard in your studies and pursue side projects you will prosper.

In contrast, you can do everything "right" at the startup and still end up unemployed due to forces outside your control. In a foreign country with no qualifications.

Re: Ask HN: Help me solve a dilemma, study in the US or take a job in the EU?

#84
> The traditional wisdom that I'd read repeatedly until last year was job experience triumphs college and the opportunity cost is not worth it which is why I took the job

That is with the assumption have to take out a lot of student loans for tuition.

> Would you say this is still the case considering the events of last year? Does the compensation and tax differential across the pond make the investment worth it to join the US labor pool down the line?

A lot of people say yes, including Europeans.

I am an American and from what I heard American degrees are very valuable across that small pond. Get your education. A bachelor's is the basic minimum. If your college offers a masters in some tech with a similar ride, take it as well.

Re: Ask HN: Help me solve a dilemma, study in the US or take a job in the EU?

#85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is honest an American centric attitude. to flip it on it's head. If you get ill or injured in the us you could be more than the $20K in debt for hospital bills. Whereas Europe has healthcare that will not take away everything you have. Also there is the fact that America is extremely anti-immigration at the moment.

You'll struggle to see a doctor in a lot of Europe. The NHS in England has wait times of years for doctors visits. The Tory government are trying to move England towards a health insurance scheme.

> You'll struggle to see a doctor in a lot of Europe.

My experience is limited to living in Spain and Sweden, but neither have had issues with having medical personal available for me when needed, even for relatively minor issues. I'm sure it differs a lot across the continent.

Re: Ask HN: Help me solve a dilemma, study in the US or take a job in the EU?

#86
post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Echoing on "a bad job market is the perfect time to go to school". The bad job market will rebound. Don't fall into the AI destroy jobs narative, it will create more jobs, just different. Others mentions about good US education opening doors to the US job market. That is true and definitely warrants over working in EU just by itself, but the other priceless benefit to a good US education is the network of people to s…

To compound on this, four years at a college is a perfect time to build social connections to people who will be all over the industry in various ways. A T200 school may be a bit more limiting to a geographic region, but you'll still have contacts.

True. Forgot to mention that you don't get the network being passive. You have to actively seek it. A soso/poor geographic region will limit the network, but it's still there if you actively seek it.

Re: Ask HN: Help me solve a dilemma, study in the US or take a job in the EU?

#88
The only negative of studying in the US is that it is becoming close to impossible to stay long term after your degree to work due to the outdated work visa process.

But your other option is to move to Germany, which you can still do after getting a US degree. So you seem to belong to one of the rare categories that I think should study in the US - globally mobile and not super tied to staying in the US after getting their degree.

The only other category is if someone are genuinely brilliant i.e. companies would fight to keep you even if that involves dealing with a crazy visa process.

Re: Ask HN: Help me solve a dilemma, study in the US or take a job in the EU?

#89
Developer based from Austria here - I'll counter what most are saying.

Europe has a much more stable / less volatile job market, mass layoffs are subject to union negotiations (see Google's debacle in France) and your life will generally be much more stable. Citizenship is also, comparably, easier to obtain in the long run compared to the bureaucratic mess US naturalization presents.

If you are at all willing to learn the language and are someone who prefers a calm life with a social safety net over just "more money", I'd recommend a salaried job with pension in Germany any day over an overpriced US college.

Added bonus: University is actually free as in free beer (even for non-EU citizens it is 10-20x cheaper than US based institutions)

Re: Ask HN: Help me solve a dilemma, study in the US or take a job in the EU?

#90

The us is the greatest country in earth for risk taking, failing and then succeeding. If you see yourself having that in you, by all means us is the only way. If you want to just chill and not have high highs but just let the govt take care of you, go to Europe.

This is honest an American centric attitude. to flip it on it's head. If you get ill or injured in the us you could be more than the $20K in debt for hospital bills. Whereas Europe has healthcare that will not take away everything you have. Also there is the fact that America is extremely anti-immigration at the moment.

> Also there is the fact that America is extremely anti-immigration at the moment.

In what way? Compared to which countries? If OP is coming to the USA for school, I don't think this is a concern esp in the short term.

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