> - You're a web worker
All my adult life I've dreamed about doing this. But how many people actually do that? It sounds practical, but in practice, there is really no substitute for presence.
Do you mean "unplug from reddit" or "unplug from the news"? Because while I know doing the latter would make me feel a lot better, I wouldn't want to live in a place where I'd have to do that to feel better.
Reddit is an extreme example of showing the world at its most negative. Sometimes you need to remind yourself that despite the corruption, the insanity, the maliciousness, and the violence of our globalized society, everything continues to function! Despite the best efforts of many, worldwide standard of living increases every year and you can start to see the system we live in as bringing about positive change, despite its imperfections. Try and look at the biggest picture and not the monthly debate about civil liberties: realize the debate itself is what keeps your civil liberties mostly intact.
If you're looking for a different, more serious, more pro-globalization news source, try the CFR. They are our friends, I think. http://www.cfr.org/
Sometimes you have to realize there are by far worse things out there. Having been in the military and seen what real fucked-up circumstances are like in other countries, I much prefer what we have in the States over anything else.
And have you considered that the bickering, the analysis, the corruption, the this and that is part of the evolution of our republic and culture? That the introspection is required and Reddit being the lens is only one part of that? The only other thing that can make you feel better, albeit still hollow, is voting. Aside from that all you have left is to be personally involved in politics. I dropped what I was doing and bought a ticket to join the Ron Paul protest and rally. It made me feel better.
To avoid broad generalizations, I will just talk about countries I have personally visited, in the last 5 years. If you think the rest of the world is more fucked-up than the US, you are incorrect.
There are much safer and cleaner, less stressful places to live in the world. A few I have seen with my own eyes are Denmark and Japan. I am sure there are others.
Gosh that's negative. I simply haven't yet worked outside the US, and thought perhaps some countries with national languages other than english might have english-speaking workplaces. Since News.YC has such an international following, I figured that others could answer (and they have). Sheesh.
"I simply haven't yet worked outside the US" is much different than "I'm sick of the US"
You're asking about leaving the US to supposedly start a company. This is much different than looking for the change of scenery and experience of exploring a different country.
You're in the BEST place in the world to start a company. Not recognizing that fact and wanting to start a company shows, to me, a level of immaturity and short-sightedness that is somewhat frustrating.
Sorry if you didn't like my post, I write what I feel.
I shouldn't have mentioned the politics stuff in my post. That confused the issue for some. The top reason for me asking is that I'm just ready for a change. I know every place has its downside, but without ever living anywhere else - how can I know for certain what is important to me?
Well, hang on. The USA is probably the most hospitable environment for business in the known universe. Not only is it harder to start businesses in most other countries, but expats face additional restrictions on business activity in most places. So if you want to start a business, stay in the USA. If you still want a change, the USA is a very diverse country, you can find all sorts of cultures just by moving a couple of states in any direction.
Challenges can also be found by giving yourself some handicaps.I knew a guy who was a moderately successful programmer, who sold all his belongings and hitchhiked across the USA.
If you want some sort of adventure that will test your sense of yourself, try someplace very different. India, Africa, China. Best handled with a buddy traveler, but they are not so hard to find.
Extreme short term, you can try Burning Man, that's on in a month and it will definitely stretch your imagination.
If he really wants a change, going to Europe might be good: way more diverse than the US in a relatively small space, and relatively "safe" (personal safety, health care, etc...). Agreed, though: "see something new" is a great reason to go abroad, but "start a company" is a great reason not to.
Very negative. Curious as to where you get your expertise. From my (admittedly limited) research, immigration for skilled workers is easy if not encouraged. Take for example, NZ, which lists hundreds of "qualified" jobs on their immigration site that will get you fast-tracked toward 2+ year documents.
Some countries, at least the UK and Australia have a points system whereby if you qualify it's relatively easy to move over. Most countries require you to have lined up a specific job (i.e. not starting a company) that couldn't be filled by a local. Understand that "relatively easy" means, "a huge amount of effort, waiting and frustration, bordering on traumatic".
Moving away from the US is a huge amount of work. I have done it and I have to say that I agree with the negative tone here -- if you're not completely determined to do it, and haven't done the due diligence to have a strong desire to go to a specific place and really dig deep into their immigration requirements, then it bodes ill for your scheming. It's just not something you can do on a whim.
As for workplaces, some are in English, especially in international firms, but usually to feel comfortable in a place you'll want to learn the local language. Aside from it being necessary for building up a social circle, say, when you go to the doctor, or need to get your utilities set up, or have to fill out your tax forms, that will naturally all be in the local language.
Setting up a new business, without a local co-founder, would be next to impossible without speaking the local language ( aside from the fact that in most countries you wouldn't be allowed to do so anyway). You need to put so many things -- taxes, incorporation, insurance, contracts, banking -- and again, naturally all of those things will happen in the local language.
And then, to top things off, for doing a startup, the US is the most convenient place to be. You can do it elsewhere, and there are a couple hot spots -- Tel Aviv, London -- but it seems best to focus on where you want to be, figure out if you could possible get there, and then figure out if there's a startup scene. Keep in mind that if you start sorting this out today, it'll probably be 6-12 months before you could move.
Note, I didn't say that immigration is impossible. All immigrant needs is to be profitable for the country he wants to move to. If he has really good skills in a priority area and if purposed country has a lack of qualified workers in that area, he has a chance to get a work permit. In this case all depends on his skills. And it's not "pessimistic" point of view, rather it's realistic.
Actually I don't know much about NZ immigration policy, but in some countries(CZ for example) you can find a job on the spot, in other countries(for example in Australia) you have to prove your skills via some tests and only after you have appropriate number of points you get a work permit.
NZ immigration policy is points based like Australia. There aren't any tests that I know of except English language tests, which are waived for native english speakers.
