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

Why Young Americans Should Work Overseas

postmasculine.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 111 posts

Re: Why Young Americans Should Work Overseas

#41

Post by bane »

resu wrote: post #2

Other than teaching English abroad, how else can recent grads find work abroad? The article really drops the ball on that one and the meager links provided are useless. I spent nearly two years abroad in undergrad interning abroad, but even then, finding a relevant (not teaching English) full time job in Asia or Europe when you're in North America is extremely hard.

In the U.S., a couple options:

Join the military - we have bases all over the world and chances are you might end up assigned to one.

Join a Federal Agency that does overseas work - State, Intelligence Community, etc.

Join a megacorp with a substantial overseas presence, apply only for jobs that are in countries you want to live in. They'll handle all the work visa nonsense.

The good news is that for most of these, there's lots of bonus pay/subsidized housing involved. Working overseas you can save unbelievable amounts of money.

Re: Why Young Americans Should Work Overseas

#42

Post by rayiner »

graeme wrote: post #36
rayiner wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was born in Bangkok, Thailand, lived in Bangladesh for several years, and have traveled fairly extensively in Asia and Europe as a child/young teenager.

What's the top 10% in Bangkok and Bangladesh? Having lived in one poor country (Cuba), I found your statement as incredible as the grandparent comment's author did. Bottom 10% in America is $10,500 according to Wikipedia. That doesn't get you much standard of living. Everything is cheaper in the developing world, so seemingly small amounts can go much further.

Cuba is a middle-income country. It has a GDP per capita 3x as high as India, and 5x as high as Bangladesh.

Re: Why Young Americans Should Work Overseas

#43

Post by seanmcdirmid »

newbie12 wrote: post #23
enraged_camel wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>Just a statement like "where the bottom 10% live as well as the top 10% do in developing countries" really shows you haven't been outside your home town. The real problem with that statement is that it misrepresents the problem. The fact that our poor live as well as middle class (or even upper class) in developing countries does not mean anything, because our poor do not compete for the same resources and opportun…

Why? Our "poor" have televisions, air conditioning, cars, and homes. There's so much food in America that obesity is a major health issue. This is a profound success and departure from the normal human condition of misery. Please put down the Marxist textbook.

> There's so much food in America that obesity is a major health issue.

Sort of stupid. It actually costs money to eat healthy, which many people can't afford in the states (fresh fruits and vegetables, grocery store far away, no car, just by crap at the convenience store then).

The US doesn't compare well to Europe on quality of life for those not in the middle class. Ya, they can afford some crap, but not what they really need to improve their lot (decent food, decent education, healthcare...). The libertarians don't really get that, and think everything is peachy perfect in the states (except for too much socialism).

Re: Why Young Americans Should Work Overseas

#44

Post by tptacek »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #39
tptacek wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's one way to say "Oh, I was wrong, I'm sorry", I guess.

No I don't think he was. You missed the entire point of the article, I guess.

You're incredibly ignorant. And then later, Just a statement like [his statement] really shows you haven't been outside your home town.

Wrong is wrong. I shouldn't need to spell that out, but I obviously do. Whatever point you're hoping to make, you do it an incredible disservice by yoking it to comments like the one I responded to above.

Re: Why Young Americans Should Work Overseas

#45

Post by graeme »

rayiner wrote: post #42
graeme wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the top 10% in Bangkok and Bangladesh? Having lived in one poor country (Cuba), I found your statement as incredible as the grandparent comment's author did. Bottom 10% in America is $10,500 according to Wikipedia. That doesn't get you much standard of living. Everything is cheaper in the developing world, so seemingly small amounts can go much further.

Cuba is a middle-income country. It has a GDP per capita 3x as high as India, and 5x as high as Bangladesh.

Cuba is a weird case, due to the socialist economy.

Monthly salaries are about $15-$30. No, I'm not forgetting a zero.

They get free education and health care (though quality of the latter varies) and they get a few cheap food as rations.

There are a few other benefits, but in large part they're quite poor.

Re: Why Young Americans Should Work Overseas

#46

Post by clicks »

tptacek wrote: post #30
fractalsea wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To me those images of New Delhi look 10x more exciting to live than http://abcdunlimited.com/ideas/images/suburbia.jpg for example.

Wild guess: that's because you take clean running water for granted.

I see what you're saying, but I think you/rayiner are still missing the point.

There are fresh graduates in America right now that can't find jobs. More clearly, these fresh graduates would be homeless/living in poverty were it not for a little help from their parents, either that or they're holding on to the last shreds of help that our welfare institutions provide. These folks could leave America and find jobs elsewhere that might give them a very, very nice looking income.

I have a friend who was a history major who couldn't find a job right out of college, he went to China with really no clear idea of what he would do there (besides being an 'English tutor', which his sister already living in Shenzen was)... and what do you know, some company decides to hire him to be their spokesman. It turns out businesses in China will pay white/Western-looking people some serious money for gigs like this. He's now in China, with a Chinese wife and it seems to me he's pretty happy with the decision he made. Opportunities like this do exist, and they're actually not that uncommon. Leaving America for a better life is now very much a viable option. Not for everyone, sure, but for some it could be the best decision they ever make.

Re: Why Young Americans Should Work Overseas

#47

Post by doktrin »

tptacek wrote: post #32
enraged_camel wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>Just a statement like "where the bottom 10% live as well as the top 10% do in developing countries" really shows you haven't been outside your home town. The real problem with that statement is that it misrepresents the problem. The fact that our poor live as well as middle class (or even upper class) in developing countries does not mean anything, because our poor do not compete for the same resources and opportun…

That is a nonsensical assertion. In exactly what way am I worse off simply because some rich tool has a private jet or a Bugatti Veyron? I still enjoy a standard of living beyond the wildest imaginings of my great grandparents, or, for that matter, for the vast rural poor of Asia. The problem of wealth disparity in the US is exclusively one of burden sharing: disparity is a problem when those of lesser means are requ…

>> In exactly what way am I worse off simply because some rich tool has a private jet or a Bugatti Veyron?

Measures of "happiness" and "contentedness" are tightly bound to our environment. Being at the respective top or bottom of a given social order has a meaningful impact on quality of life perceptions. Obviously, some Maslow'esque hierarchy of needs applies here, and no-one in the world is happily starving.

> But even when they're not, they almost never cost you anything; in fact, because the rich choose to soak themselves with Veblen goods, their extravagant purchases actually help you by driving the economy.

That seems to make the implicit assumption that conspicuous consumption is the most effective means of investment for those assets. It may well be the case, but I've never seen it suitably demonstrated.

Re: Why Young Americans Should Work Overseas

#48

Post by sliverstorm »

graeme wrote: post #34
rayiner wrote: post #7

I view with a deep distrust the new class of global capitalist that thinks we must inexorably become "global citizens." The western world didn't come from nowhere. People built it, and their successors should be able to reap the fruits of it, not have to flee to the developing world. I read an article the other day (it was in Forbes or maybe Business Week). Some American was talking about the investment opportunities…

>where the bottom 10% live as well as the top 10% do in developing countries. You clearly have never lived abroad. Money goes further. I once lived in Cuba, for an internship. I had housing and food provided by my employer, they paid the family $800. I had $500 spending money on top of that. I lived like a KING. I've never been that rich in my life. People made my food, cleaning my room, cooked for me, did my laundry…

It depends on what you consider wealth. In the developed world, having servants is a sign of wealth because labor is expensive. In the developing world, labor is cheap- but plasma TV's certainly are not.

Re: Why Young Americans Should Work Overseas

#49

Post by fractalsea »

tptacek wrote: post #30
fractalsea wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To me those images of New Delhi look 10x more exciting to live than http://abcdunlimited.com/ideas/images/suburbia.jpg for example.

Wild guess: that's because you take clean running water for granted.

Yes, I take that for granted along with many other things. It doesn't mean that I have a less enjoyable/more for-filling lifestyle without them.

Re: Why Young Americans Should Work Overseas

#50

Post by graeme »

rayiner wrote: post #38
graeme wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>where the bottom 10% live as well as the top 10% do in developing countries. You clearly have never lived abroad. Money goes further. I once lived in Cuba, for an internship. I had housing and food provided by my employer, they paid the family $800. I had $500 spending money on top of that. I lived like a KING. I've never been that rich in my life. People made my food, cleaning my room, cooked for me, did my laundry…

Much of my family is "top 10% in a developing country." Yes, they can afford people to make their food and clean their houses. That's just because of how poor everyone is, and there is a very negative aspect to that situation as well.* But if you look at their apartments, personal possessions, etc, their standard of living is comparable to people living in public housing in say the Bronx. *) My dad once asked one of…

Ok, interesting. I assumed top 10% was somewhat better off.

I also read 'developing' for 'poor', which made me take a broader reading of your point than I think was warranted.

Post reply on HN