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ComicalMayhem @lemmy.world

How do I realistically get out of the US?

Preferably into the EU. I speak some Spanish and I'm set to graduate with an Associates this semester. Hoping to get CompTIA certs sometime soonish and would like to continue schooling to get a bachelor's in Compsci. Most notable work experience is 2 years in an office setting making collection calls and processing payments. What resources are available to me? Who or what agency/department can I contact to get more information? What's the pipeline look like?

I know I could look most of this up, but there's a lot of information out there and some(a lot) of it I find somewhat confusing. Plus, I don't really even know where to start.

122 comments

  • Getting a student visa is easy and an excellent way to both get valid credentials and a feel for the local culture.

    As to where you should go depends on what you're interested in, you'll almost certainly be able to make a home wherever, so pick something that seems interesting and go (you can always use your mandated vacation days to explore the rest of EU).

    For language, in almost all the major cities people will be able to speak English, although typically you'll want to learn the local language sooner rather than later for social reasons.

    If you know Spanish go Barcelona, beautiful city, vibrant in both culture and industry, and with values not too shockingly different to the US. For more info, either visit the Spanish consulate nearest you or look up their online presence.

    If you want to keep to English, consider Ireland, they've also had a booming IT industry for all the giants needing a foot in the EU.

    Mostly you can't go wrong anywhere in the EU. Biggest culture shock would probably be the Nordics or Slavic countries, but not necessarily in a bad way.

    All of them have tons of info about student visas at each university, the degrees are standardised throughout the EU and most universities are good, and typically outstanding in a couple areas.
    For more info you just contact their international coordinator, or their closest consulate.

    Most countries also have dedicated Web pages that outline the process, steps, and how you move toward permanent residence and citizenship if you'd want that.

    Moving is typically the hard part, but if you start as a student, you'll have a lot prepared for you (student accommodations, stipends, social activities, part-time job offers, recruitment fairs, incubators, etc.)

  • Get a working visa in AU's or Canada, stretch it out and in the 5th year when the concentration camps and gas chambers are in full swing, there should be a refugee visa available.

  • iirc we're right in the middle of hiring season for college students who graduate in May.

    • look for job fairs. these are events to recruit college students. sometimes they're held online. Check out your school's career center to see what job fairs are scheduled. if you're at a small school, look at the schedule for nearby larger university. back when they were all onsite, you could usually sneak in, dunno about virtual.
    • once you get to a job fair look for big international companies. ask about opportunities to work overseas. emphasize your CompTIA certs and ability to speak Spanish. it'd be easier with an undergrad but an associates is doable.
    • consider going to Latin America, since you know Spanish.
    • wait, did you say your grandfolks were Venezuelan? check out the Latino alumni club of your college. If your college is too small, check out the club of the nearest large university. If they have a "diversity lounge" with counselors go there and ask for an appointment. a lot of times companies make contact with those counselors for referrals. (I know a lot of companies are closing their DEI efforts but fam this is a cycle that happens every 5-10 years and the Latino/Black/etc people who work in those companies still make an effort to ensure fair hiring even if we have to review resumes in our spare time.)

    Anyway, this is something to try alongside the schooling approach.

  • Some countries are easier to get into than others. Start researching which ones have a path that could work for you.

    Most are pretty strict but some are more open. If I recall correctly the Nordic countries may be a little easier, but don't quote me on that. It's been a long time since I accepted that this country had successfully trapped me here.

  • People focus on citizenship but you could just relocate in a EU country, stay as much as you can, then switch country: Portugal, Spain, France, Italy are more than ok, Croatia is growing.
    The most important thing to focus on, to me, is what kind of work you can do

122 comments