A decade ago, Bradley Krae left the United States to teach English in Shenzhen, China. He spends less money and says the has found his own version of the American Dream there.
I’d prefer not to say it because the situation gets unique enough where I might start to become identifiable, but the process was long. It took 10 years to get a permanent residency, and I won’t lie - until that point, work visas linked to employers were in many ways humiliating and exploitative. But on the other side of it was freedom, good societal benefits, and a culture with respect for community and connection. I’d say the trade was worth it.
My advice in my case, and it might be relevant to anybody else looking to do the same, is that it’s a mistake to try to find a position overseas that matches your career in the US dollar for dollar. Unless you are EXTREMELY lucky, that just isn’t going to happen. The US pays higher salaries because the costs of living are higher, and going to another country, in many ways you’re going to be under-performing compared to natives, just because you’re unaware of cultural cues and language subtleties. Basically, the best thing you can do is be ready to accept a few steps down the ladder. Most career professionals just aren’t willing to do this. I was, and it made all the difference. I’ll put it directly - I took a 75% pay cut to get out, and I’ll absolutely never reach that same income level again. But compared to back then, I’m not constantly surrounded by vile business practices, I’m not constantly compromising my integrity to deploy bad, rushed code to make money that gets taxed to bomb poor countries while I fight my insurance company to cover a tooth extraction… I wake up in a quiet town of nice people and do work that makes me feel fulfilled on my own terms. I eat good food at reasonable prices. My happiness isn’t linked to how well I can satisfy some rich jackass - my destiny is mine.
It’s not a path for everyone. It was tough and there were times where I second guessed my choices so hard it crushed me. But I’m now doing pretty well for where I live, with potential for more down the line, and I’m doing it all on my terms. To me, that’s worth everything I sacrificed.
I’m not from the US, but I’ve had similar experiences in half a dozen or so countries all over the world. I couldn’t even imagine my life if I’d never moved away from where I was raised, nor do I ever wish to go back to that time or place. The world is so goddamn full of excitement and opportunities. I never tire of new experiences.
I may get responses to this post saying “must be nice to be rich,” but I was raised poor. I literally just got on a plane after giving away whatever was in my apartment. A day later I was working a job making the equivalent of 300 usd a month and having a fucking blast. I met my future life partner quite literally the next day.
I have so many good friends from my childhood who are drowning in money or stress issues, yet when I try to entice them to make a significant change, each of them finds reasons why it’s “impossible” while continuing to complain about their lives. What I’ve come to realize is actually impossible is convincing anyway to step outside their comfort zone.
I’d prefer not to say it because the situation gets unique enough where I might start to become identifiable, but the process was long. It took 10 years to get a permanent residency, and I won’t lie - until that point, work visas linked to employers were in many ways humiliating and exploitative. But on the other side of it was freedom, good societal benefits, and a culture with respect for community and connection. I’d say the trade was worth it.
My advice in my case, and it might be relevant to anybody else looking to do the same, is that it’s a mistake to try to find a position overseas that matches your career in the US dollar for dollar. Unless you are EXTREMELY lucky, that just isn’t going to happen. The US pays higher salaries because the costs of living are higher, and going to another country, in many ways you’re going to be under-performing compared to natives, just because you’re unaware of cultural cues and language subtleties. Basically, the best thing you can do is be ready to accept a few steps down the ladder. Most career professionals just aren’t willing to do this. I was, and it made all the difference. I’ll put it directly - I took a 75% pay cut to get out, and I’ll absolutely never reach that same income level again. But compared to back then, I’m not constantly surrounded by vile business practices, I’m not constantly compromising my integrity to deploy bad, rushed code to make money that gets taxed to bomb poor countries while I fight my insurance company to cover a tooth extraction… I wake up in a quiet town of nice people and do work that makes me feel fulfilled on my own terms. I eat good food at reasonable prices. My happiness isn’t linked to how well I can satisfy some rich jackass - my destiny is mine.
It’s not a path for everyone. It was tough and there were times where I second guessed my choices so hard it crushed me. But I’m now doing pretty well for where I live, with potential for more down the line, and I’m doing it all on my terms. To me, that’s worth everything I sacrificed.
“Tons of options, like me”
“Oh, what did you do”
“Took 10 years, not for everyone, it was tough”
Great post. Thanks a lot.
I’m not from the US, but I’ve had similar experiences in half a dozen or so countries all over the world. I couldn’t even imagine my life if I’d never moved away from where I was raised, nor do I ever wish to go back to that time or place. The world is so goddamn full of excitement and opportunities. I never tire of new experiences.
I may get responses to this post saying “must be nice to be rich,” but I was raised poor. I literally just got on a plane after giving away whatever was in my apartment. A day later I was working a job making the equivalent of 300 usd a month and having a fucking blast. I met my future life partner quite literally the next day.
I have so many good friends from my childhood who are drowning in money or stress issues, yet when I try to entice them to make a significant change, each of them finds reasons why it’s “impossible” while continuing to complain about their lives. What I’ve come to realize is actually impossible is convincing anyway to step outside their comfort zone.