Helsinki Relocation Package: City as a Service

Post by klipt » Fri, Nov 06, 2020, 5:44 AM UTC

tclancy wrote: post #196

refurb wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You work in Silicon Valley, have good insurance and you’re worried about medical bankruptcy? I was in the same shoes as you and had zero concerns about it (yes I realized that a very lucky position to be in). Even if I had something horrible happen my max out of pocket was like $4k for the year with no limit to coverage. If I lost my job, had zero income and no insurance I’d qualify for Medi-cal.

How did it go when you had a really serious medical situation? My eye opener was my first programming job when one of the owners had twins with really serious health problems at birth. Turned out a million dollars was the cap the insurance was willing to cough up for them.

Post by vulcan01 » Fri, Nov 06, 2020, 5:45 AM UTC

timsally wrote: post #240

trevyn wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Frankly, it it not a coincidence that Silicon Valley and companies like SpaceX are in the US. They are direct results of the military ecosystem that has developed there. The classic reference is Steve Blank's "Secret History of Silicon Valley": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTC_RxWN_xo

> Frankly, it it not a coincidence that Silicon Valley and companies like SpaceX are in the US. They are direct results of the military ecosystem that has developed there. SpaceX is the direct result of a South African who studied in Canada and came to the US because that's what he wanted to do. The idea that the US "military ecosystem" could claim "direct" responsibility for what Elon has achieved is an insult to hi…

Post by deanclatworthy » Fri, Nov 06, 2020, 5:48 AM UTC

vulcan01 wrote: post #248

deanclatworthy wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I cannot use it to communicate and I speak English & French (not for some years though). I can get by in restaurants and supermarkets but I stopped studying a year or two after moving here as I realised very quickly that I was spending my day's at work and my free time studying. If I had not done this, I would have definitely moved back home as I wouldn't have had time to appreciate the things I enjoy in life here. T…

> The courses at university are hard to get into and in demand and there's not intensive courses shaped around the realistic work/life schedule of technology professionals. Sounds like a market ripe for disruption :) "Finnish for Tech Professionals"

Post by deanclatworthy » Fri, Nov 06, 2020, 5:54 AM UTC

rebuilder wrote: post #246

deanc wrote: post #190

Overall my experience in Helsinki has been hugely positive. I’ve been here now over a decade and have settled with work and family life. Work life balance is great, there’s a beautiful outdoors to enjoy all year, and the people are warm and kind, if not difficult to start with. All that said, there’s a lot of bullshit and hot air here in this thread: - public healthcare is great until you have something difficult to…

As far as language goes, my advice for learning a new one would be the exact opposite of what you say. Force yourself to use the language all the time, everywhere. Otherwise people will just default to English with you, and you'll have a hard time learning the local language. It'll be very stressful for a few months, but, in my experience, will get you conversing in about half a year.

Post by Dig1t » Fri, Nov 06, 2020, 5:57 AM UTC

deanclatworthy wrote: post #243

cactus2093 wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like you’re in tech, what range of salary have you seen for software engineers? I know London, Paris, a lot of expensive European cities pay a small fraction of what the Bay Area does so a lot of engineers would have to compromise quite a bit on disposable income and lifestyle.

I can only speak for those in the web tech industry, but salaries go from 4-6k euros. Take-home pay would be in the region of 2.5-4.5k most likely. I've seen a lot of whining about the high taxes here, but honestly this is not a European way of thinking. You are safe here. You have a safety net if things don't go right in your work or health. Taxes are also super simple. You tell the tax office your predicted income,…