That's because you didn't born in Argentina. It is way worse.
Ask HN: Help. I need to go away from here
101–105 of 105 posts
Re: Ask HN: Help. I need to go away from here
#102Re: Ask HN: Help. I need to go away from here
#103As an Italian expat myself (now an American expat to Europe), having been in the same situation you are now, I'd like to give you my opinion, based on my experience and life (with all the caveats that those two imply).
It sums up in a few steps:
1. Save some money for at least two months of surviving (not living large.. surviving). 2. Pick a city among London, Edinburgh, or Amsterdam. Find a cheap place to sleep & eat. 3. Book a ticket. 4. Pack your bag. 5. Move. 6. Apply to any job in your field. Do start with internships or entry level jobs. 7. Get better at the craft. 8. Repeat from step 6, optionally step 2, till you are content.
In short, it's all up to you, so just do it. Seriously.
You are young and in a field wide open. You live in a first world country surrounded by more first world countries. Today is so easy to emigrate that it's ridiculous. By the way, you'll find out that the grass on the other side is not that green.. but that's something that will take time.
I'd like to add two more controversial opinions:
. It's really hard to be an expat. No matter where you're from and which country you go.
. Forget the USA for now. Is not what it used to be, and this coming from someone who went to the US, and is now an American. Go to England or the Netherlands. Germany is good too!
Cheers.
Re: Ask HN: Help. I need to go away from here
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
What oppressive part of the world are you living in?
Argentina. Spiraling down on oppression with the current government :/ (the same family is ruling as presidents and biggest party since 10 years ago).
Why not jump over to Chile? They have some exciting stuff happening with startups there.
Surprisingly, I didn't expect you to say a country like Argentina, but now that you mention it, I can understand why they have a dislike for dollars.
Re: Ask HN: Help. I need to go away from here
#105I'm from Italy and I'm in my third year of CS as well. I think you're exaggerating your situation. Sure, Italy's a bad country to be a programmer and there's no other country like the US for us but I think you've read too much HN and how life is at companies like Google and Amazon and then compared it with yours.
Nobody is going to hire you in the US with no experience just because you say you're passionate about algorithms. If you're lucky to get an interview and get hired it's another thing but your best shot is to build things and acquire experience. As an EU citizen you can go to any country in Europe you like. After you gain some professional experience, get to know people and make connections then it would be much easier to move.
As far as education is concerned, I don't share the same sentiments as you. With the new legislation (which you are a part of) the materials are much more 'hands-on' to get students ready for the job market. Again, don't think all US universities are on the same level as Stanford and MIT.
I, too, am scared shitless about my future but try not to despair :-)
What software have you built thus far?