I'm young. I'm done with college. I HATE my job...Recommend another country to move to...

[fujiyama]

OK, I've been wanting to work overseas for sometime now. And looking at how every indicator in the US seems so negative (crime, healthcare, economy, etc), I want to even more.

I've been working at a dead end job for over a year now since graduating. I've lived in the same town almost all of my life.

I need out.

Recommend a country for an English speaker with an engineering degree? Also, anyone have an idea how to get sponsored for a work visa in other countries?

I'm open to go just about anywhere (well, I'd prefer not to go to a war zone)...I think I need a kick start...an adventure of some sort...I had another thread a few weeks ago in the lounge asking advice on just "running away". Most people recommended it. I'm closer and closer to doing something similar...

[Beausoir]

1. No recs but oh how I envy you!

Choose wisely and ENJOY your wonderful life!

If I could, I would live in New Zealand.

[fujiyama]

4. Thank you...If I don't make MAJOR changes now, I'll come to regret them later...

I already have a lot of regrets, and at times they keep me up at night. Staying where I am (the state with the worst economy in the nation) isn't helping any.

I like encouragement. It reaffirms that I'm not just losing it.

And I agree that New Zealand sounds exciting - I'm a Lord of the Rings fan, so I fell in love with the place already!

[Beausoir]

9. I have a dear friend who lives down on the ice in Antarctica. She LOVES it.

She is on ice for about 6 months at a time. The other months, she visits all of New Zealand, Australia, and all the islands.

She loves it down there.
She works for a contracting firm and the base that she is at has a couple of hundred people. Internet access, health care, library, etc.

6 months on....months off.
She loves it.

[cobalt1999]

14. I did three years in New Zealand a long time ago.

Some school, some work, lots of hiking & camping.

I agree it is a fantastic place. There are websites that show what skills they'll accept.

[ruiner4u]

2. Theres always finland..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYWiOCNJ36M

[Fox Mulder]

3. I'm close to running away too.

The only thing stopping me is a lack of $$$ and a car. And I probably hate my job more than anyone here.

I would love to live in another country also. If I could, I'd move to Italy, Ireland, or England.

[fujiyama]

6. Cool...

I'm lucky. I have no major debt. And I've saved up a decent amount over the past year and several months.

The countries you listed sound cool...but would England be enough of a change? I keep getting the feeling that their own society is under even more surveillance than ours...

[PassingFair]

8. Seems like they are always hiring for everything in Australia.

I have two cousins living there now, by way of Scotland and England,
that are making BUCKETS of money, and are very happy.

(Just a skip and a jump to New Zealand if you make it that far.....)

:hi:

[Xipe Totec]

5. Pick any country, it doesn't matter

If it is english speaking, great. If not, they will still want you both for your technical skills, and for your language skills in English.

Two possible outcomes:

1).- You will love the place, stay for ever and thank your lucky stars

2).- You will hate the place, gain an appreciation for life in the USA, and come back with great stories and a new appreciation for your country.

No mater how you slice it, you win.

[skyblue]

7. Is there some sort of engineering society or professional association?

They might be able to help. ask at the library. they might know. What about an international engineering professional assoc? What about your school engineering department?

Good luck with what you are doing or if you choose some sort of career change. Altho' most people are stuck in their job and hate their job it may wind up not being the job that makes you happy just the life outside which makes you tick.

Btw, love your Carson quote.

[hedgehog]

10. How about Global Village Engineers?

http://www.gvengineers.org/faq.shtml

Or Engineers without Borders?


http://www.ewb-international.org/index.htm

[fujiyama]

11. Great links!

Thanks!

[midnight armadillo]

12. How about Ireland?

NZ seems like a bitchin' place but it's very isolated - if you want to go anywhere other than Australia it's a loooong trip.

Ireland is of course full of English speakers, excellent beer, and a beautiful countryside. The Continent is a very short trip away.

The Scandinavian countries would be a good choice. Many Scandinavian companies use English as the work language and nearly everyone speaks English at least to some extent. However, they have a very educated populace so demand for tech skills is not as high as some places. I just had a business trip to Sweden cancelled :cry: but I had intended on scouting the place out as a potential expat location. I had a thread in GD a while back on when it is worth giving up on the US as is seemingly swirls the drain in order to give my kids a better life.

What, you don't want to go do automotive engineering in MI? I can't imagine why not...

[Fredda Weinberg]

13. I heard nice things about Finland n/t

[Orsino]

15. Canada. Duh.

And I'll hope to join you someday.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

18. get over Canada!

I have been here since last July and I hate it here, I am at a complete loss as to what is supposed to be so fucking great about this place.

Canadians seems to be stuck in a constant state of materialist indifference finding the Vietnam level outrage of their generation to be high cell phone rates and consumer electronics being a few cents on the dollar more expensive than those in the US. Several Canadians are dying a week in Afghanistan and after a few seconds of the crying family and a stock clip of a maple leaf covered coffin comming off a freighter it is off to the consumer reporter standing at a shopping mall to grill the manager of Best Buy as to why a Wii is $15 more expensive in Canada.

While the body counts might be a little lower large Canadian cities have all the problems of large American cities, with most Canadian cities I have been to having a much larger homeless problem than just about anywhere I have been in the US. While I have seen fewer meth users - heroin addicts are everywhere.

As for Canada the liberal wonderland - the federal government is made up of a bunch of Bush groupies and like their Liberal predacessors they have been with their regional counterparts slowly demolishing the much lauded Canadian healthcare system for the last 20 years - it is more of a Canadian national myth at this point than some wonder-system like those in Europe.

And at this point is seems very likely that the Bush groupies will win a majority government in the next Canadian election as the Canadian left is in total disarray between the moribund federal liberals and the democrats who are just a bunch of blundering hipster douchebags who represent a few thousand people in Toronto and Vancouver and nobody else despite their christian democrat/labor roots that have faded in recent years.

What might come as the greatest shock to the Canada lovers is that while there are millions of Americans already living in Canada and they aren't a bunch of liberals who fled Bush - it is mostly business types and I would imagine Texans make up the largest single group among them.

[ironflange]

23. You sound like you live in Calgary too!

:hi:

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

24. I work in Ottawa and Calgary,

I can't say I like either - but Ottawa is the worst.

[rucky]

16. ...

delete...

the site I was about to recommend got hijacked.

google: teachers New Zealand

[TZ]

17. My pick would be Australia (although NZ sounds nice too)

Not only is supposed to be an incredibly beautiful country, but I think they are always looking for science and engineering folks.
Plus I am fascinated by their culture. Its much different than here. And the Aussie's I have met and chatted with are just the nicest smartest funniest folks I have met. Several other people I know who are native to this country but lived down under really want to go back there permanently......

[applegrove]

19. CANADA - unemployment is at at 33 year low.

[NMDemDist2]

20. Costa Rica or New Zealand n/t

[BooScout]

21. I live in Wales....

I moved here two years ago with my Brit Husband because he couldn't take Bush anymore and he missed home.

They speak English here (and Welsh when the mood strikes them). I can tell you the Welsh people are really great. As friendly and warm as back home in the American South.

The country is beautiful........the hills and valleys of Wales are green and lush.......sheep, horses and cows dot the hillsides. Pretty little villages to explore. Cardiff, the capital of Wales is close by with a great city centre, abundant shopping and numerous pubs. The Gower Peninsula is a short drive away with one of the most beautiful coastlines' you will ever lay eyes on. Great hiking trails are everywhere with the Breacon Beacons on my doorstep.

I don't worry about crime like I did back in Atlanta.....don't get me wrong.......there is rime here just as it is everywhere.....but it's not near as prevalent and you don't have to worry about being carjacked, shot or mugged. We have the National Health Service so you don't have to worry about losing your health insurance.

The continent is a short & cheap flight away......with history, culture, food, wine, beer or anything else you want readily available. Yep......I'm happy here.

can't help you with the Visa thing though. But I would suggest you look start here: http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/

[XemaSab]

22. Check out

www.urscorp.com

They work ALL OVER.

[Whisp]

25. I might recommend Belize

but it's been quite a while since I've been there and things do change drastically over little time.

[StudentLoanSlave]

26. Learn Spanish, got to Costa Rica and teach English there. n/t

[alcibiades_mystery]

27. No exit

Welcome to global capitalism, kiddo.

[Capn Sunshine]

28. Belize (dialup warning)

English is the National language, there are 50,000 + Americans living there, and there's always need for engineers in any central American country. Plus most of it looks like this:

[JCMach1]

29. UAE- they are building everything here... plus we are an airline hub

so you can get megacheap tickets to almost anywhere. for the many holidays you will have... Holidays, did I mention those...?

At least a month off mandatory paid vacation leave plus all of the religious holidays...

Oh yeah, and the jobs pay well too.

Over the Eid break next week, I am spending 7 days in Armenia. Airline tickets for 4 were less than $120 each.

[NewJeffCT]

30. Have you tried looking at other areas of the US?

Moving to another country seems to be a drastic step when you might need just a change of scenery.

The best way to move to another country is to get hired by a US firm that has overseas locations and see if you can get transfered there.