Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Help. I need to go away from here

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 105 posts

Re: Ask HN: Help. I need to go away from here

#11

Post by rwissmann »

The easiest short-term solution is to work for or intern with a great company in Europe for a while, most likely in London. Your best options are a brand name tech company - Google, Palantir, Microsoft, etc. - well connected start-up - Spotify, GoCardless, Transferwise, etc. - or a technology-driven hedge fund. If you are a really good programmer there will be plenty of people happy to hire you. We have a real shortage of tech talent here. You can always transfer to the US later or get hired at a US company happy to sponsor a visa based on those credentials.

It might be worth talking to some good tech recruiters in London. Depends a bit on your background and how much of your university course you have left.

Re: Ask HN: Help. I need to go away from here

#12

Post by seffignoz »

Italian here as well, graduated few months ago from a MsC., I feel your pain. Was for a full year in USA for an internship, I can say that it has changed my life, and my view on work.

I refused hundreds of Job offers from Italy (even with a decent salary), to chase something abroad. Now I am happily working at one of the top tech companies, in Dublin.

I had a hard time at university. The italian university are broken, seriously, They focus on a lot of theory and zero to no practice.

My personal advice is, to believe in yourself, develop yourself, study new technologies and skills required by the market, find your perfect 'career' path. You won't find hard finding a really good job in Europe or USA if you have the right skills.

P.S. don't accept ANY of the Italian initial offers, look outside, practice with spoken English and send Resumè's abroad (Don't be scared about the big companies, they need you more than everybody else, and they are hiring like crazy.)

Don't start working in Italy in a typical "consultancy" job, or you will be stuck forever with a low-wage low-experience job.

Re: Ask HN: Help. I need to go away from here

#13

Post by onli »

eps wrote: post #10
weddpros wrote: post #4

Alternatives : - send your resumé to uk/ireland/switzerland to get a good paying job where you can sharpen your skills (it's easy to relocate inside Europe) - start your own business if you're living at your parents AND if you feel like you can be an entrepreneur... focus on international users (so you can host your company somewhere else easily later). It's only risky to start a business if you have something to los…

Probably not Switzerland as it's not in EU.

No, Switzerland should work fine. It may be a bit more cumbersome than a real EU country, but as far as I know, it is still not that hard to move there (if you already have a job). Nothing compared to the US.

Re: Ask HN: Help. I need to go away from here

#14

Post by alphabetam »

You don't have to go to San Franscisco to get into a startup. There are a lot of them in London and Berlin, and you - as an EU citizen - will have zero issues with the visa there.

Besides, university is not about getting ready for a job: it's about learning how to learn.

Re: Ask HN: Help. I need to go away from here

#15

Post by PaulRobinson »

You're an EU citizen. You shouldn't have a problem getting work in Berlin or London.

There is a ton of work in the UK at the moment, not just in London but also up in Manchester and Leeds. Plenty of people will be happy to pay you a decent living wage if you can show you can work hard and know your stuff.

Good luck.

Re: Ask HN: Help. I need to go away from here

#17

Post by macca321 »

seffignoz wrote: post #12

Italian here as well, graduated few months ago from a MsC., I feel your pain. Was for a full year in USA for an internship, I can say that it has changed my life, and my view on work. I refused hundreds of Job offers from Italy (even with a decent salary), to chase something abroad. Now I am happily working at one of the top tech companies, in Dublin. I had a hard time at university. The italian university are broken…

The theory is good. You'll get plenty of practice later.

Re: Ask HN: Help. I need to go away from here

#18

Post by aragot »

edent wrote: post #6

There are lots of options - but it's up to you to make them happen. * Speak to someone. I know you feel like you're alone - but you're not. Find a local tech group and speak to the people there. If you're feeling really down, speak to a mental health professional. It's a great feeling to get something off your chest. * Find a job in London - or any other UK city. You seem to have good written English and you're a Eur…

+1 London +1 Day job that you reduce to 7hrs a day or less. You'll have to be brave, and you'll probably feel alone until 2 years after you settle in any city. Don't overwork. Once you're there, say yes to all social events. Keep overviewing all the new frameworks, Backbone, RequireJS, Play Framework, etc. Your OP was awesome.

Re: Ask HN: Help. I need to go away from here

#19

Post by davidw »

I'm an American in Italy, so while there are things I don't like here, I don't feel 'trapped' - I can always go home.

Go to London or Berlin or something. There are tons of Italians in both places working in tech.

Where do you live in Italy? There are good companies here and there if you look hard.

Say hi if you're ever near Padova, where I live. Offer goes for anyone on HN, for that matter.

Re: Ask HN: Help. I need to go away from here

#20

Post by scotthtaylor »

aragot wrote: post #18
edent wrote: post #6

There are lots of options - but it's up to you to make them happen. * Speak to someone. I know you feel like you're alone - but you're not. Find a local tech group and speak to the people there. If you're feeling really down, speak to a mental health professional. It's a great feeling to get something off your chest. * Find a job in London - or any other UK city. You seem to have good written English and you're a Eur…

+1 London +1 Day job that you reduce to 7hrs a day or less. You'll have to be brave, and you'll probably feel alone until 2 years after you settle in any city. Don't overwork. Once you're there, say yes to all social events. Keep overviewing all the new frameworks, Backbone, RequireJS, Play Framework, etc. Your OP was awesome.

+1 on London, we have a vibrant startup scene with a lot of support. I know quite a few Italian developers that I could introduce you too that have moved here. Shoot me an email through the link in my profile.
Post reply on HN