Howdy HN,<p>I’m sure I’m not the only person considering leaving the US in the near future, but I’m struggling to make a short list of countries to explore.<p>I have friends that are starting the process for New Zealand, but their tech industry looks to be almost exclusively consulting driven. If like to end up at a place that’s more traditional. So where in the world should I look at?<p>Thank you!
Don't pick a country to work there. If at all possible get a location independent career or sufficient passive income that you don't even need to work except when you want to, and pick a country based on whatever you decide is most important, be that cost of living, lowest taxes, quality of life, cultural, social or political fit, whatever.<p>Nobody knows you as well as you know yourself and after many years travelling and seeing what the world is actually like in practical day to day life this becomes even more true and you know even moreso what is important to you.<p>When I left Australia well over a decade ago I had no idea that I would value the things I learned to love only by having access to them on a regular basis and realising that they were readily available as options. If I'd gone only to where my idea of what I wanted would lead me to believe at the time, I'd have missed out immeasurably.<p>Figure out the logistics for a quick recon of practically every locale that isn't a hard no, and while figuring out those logistics expect to add liberally to the hard no list, and build from those experiences.
So, I have a dual citizenship, US and Poland(EU). This allows me to basically work anywhere in the world.<p>US is still one of the best places to earn a high income as a software dev. I work for non-tech as a full stack dev. Good salary but not FAANG levels. My income is higher than a surgeon in Poland.<p>If you want to move I would optimize for income. Just grind leetcode and try to get into the highest paying companies. If you earned $300k+ while living way below your means that money would go REALLY far in some of the European countries.<p>This is my goal anyway. As my net worth reaches somewhere around $3-4 million, I'm going to most likely move back to Poland and buy a house somewhere in the mountains and maybe do some remote dev work for a US based company. Plus, since I am basically more American than Polish and have a good understanding of culture I could do some consulting for Polish companies looking to sell their product in the US.<p>I guess it really isn't the answer you are looking for. Also, keep in mind most countries have policies and laws that are often not popular with the people.
Canada.<p>I've been here for a decade. Best decision I've ever made.<p>How do? Get a job up here. At least that worked for me, but that was in the before pandemic times. And it also depends on how old you are and other such demographics.<p>That said every country has its plus and minuses.
Few folks have mentioned it, but you should really plan considering your age and needs for next few years. You did not mention your family situation either. Are you planning it alone or with a partner and kids? Kids, as usual, complicate the matter even further :)<p>Dollars stretch a lot in most places and depending on what you want to spend your time and money in, it would make a lot of difference. Personally, I have decided to do something like 4 months of travel and 8 months of recuperation. Luckily, my current job allows me to do it and while it is a bit of a burden on family, it is doable.
Do you know another language and/or are you willing to consider learning a new one?<p>If you’re English only that really affects the proper response to this question.
It may partly depend on what you want to do when you get there. Will you work in the country in which you live or continue to work for companies in the US? If it is the latter, living in Europe or the eastern edge of those time zone ranges might allow for work to overlap US business times. But, instead of free evenings, you have late mornings and early afternoons to do other things. A mail forwarding/scanning service will let you keep US ties for banking. Living in a generally lower cost area such as, for example, the republic of Georgia, lets you earn at a higher US rate while living at a lower cost. That difference may allow you to travel more and explore other areas.
It'd probably help to narrow the terms a bit. What's consulting-driven mean in relation to what you're looking to do, and what does more traditional mean to you?