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Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?

181 points feraligators | 1 comments | 25 Jan 22 15:44 UTC | HN request time: 0.312s | source

I've long considered leaving this country for a multitude of reasons.

I'd be curious to hear some first hand experiences of those who've made the move to Europe and what you think of the process and considerations one should make.

A few questions to start the conversation:

- Where do you live?

- What's the biggest sacrifice you had to make (i.e. pay, housing, friends, etc.)

- What have you gained?

1. jakozaur ◴[25 Jan 22 17:07 UTC] No.30074417[source]▶
I moved to USA after studies and then I moved back to Poland. I live in the capital Warsaw, Poland.

One of the best decision in my life.

GAINED: Took advantage of having social network in both ecosystem. I went from engineer to director and growing office to 80 FTE. Being able to relocate can boost your career by many years and I was able to mix best of both worlds.

I like walkable and bike-able cities. High quality of food. Real estate prices and quality is so much better as well opportunity for geo-arbitrage. Plenty of green comparing to plagued by drought and fires California. I do not experience homeless people, do not see people taking drugs or car break-ins as in SG.

I feel also I add way more to ecosystem and helped way more people along the way.

WHAT I SACRIFED: California nature is unbelievable good and diverse. What in Europe will take long trips, in California you got it all in driving distance. Startup ecosystem and concentration of talent was top-notch pre-covid. I love forward thinking and level of intellectual debates. Customer service is way better as well as Mexican food.