Overseas opportunities - IT

[Leonidas]

Cguy might be the perfect example of why someone in South Africa should go and work overseas.

But I want to add another factor, that no-one has touched on, as a condition of achieving success overseas:

First let me start with a quote. It's a feminist quote, the general idea may not be directly applicable here, but it is still interesting nonetheless:

In 1977, Bella Abzug, the former congresswoman and outspoken feminist, said, “Our struggle today is not to have a female Einstein get appointed as an assistant professor. It is for a woman schlemiel to get as quickly promoted as a male schlemiel.”

In other words: women will truly have arrived when the most mediocre among us (women) will be able to do just as well as the most mediocre of men.
​

The point is, if I know I am someone of average intellectual ability, the last place I want to go to is overseas. If you are average over here, you'll be average over there. And I'll much rather remain average over here.

On the other side; if I were smart like cguy, then I WOULD want to go overseas because since he was in the top 1% over here he would rightly and inevitably end up in the 1% over there ... which would be awesome.

 

[cguy]

Cguy might be the perfect example of why someone in South Africa should go and work overseas.

But I want to add another factor, that no-one has touched on, as a condition of achieving success overseas:

First let me start with a quote. It's a feminist quote, the general idea might not be directly applicable here, but it is still interesting nonetheless:

In 1977, Bella Abzug, the former congresswoman and outspoken feminist, said, “Our struggle today is not to have a female Einstein get appointed as an assistant professor. It is for a woman schlemiel to get as quickly promoted as a male schlemiel.”

In other words: women will truly have arrived when the most mediocre among us will be able to do just as well as the most mediocre of men.
​

The point is, if I know I am someone of average intellectual ability, the last place I want to go to is overseas. If you are average over here, you'll be average over there. And I'll much rather remain average over here.

On the other side; if I were smart like cguy, then I WOULD want to go overseas because since he was in the top 1% over here he would rightly and inevitably end up in the 1% over there ... which would be awesome.

I would say it's a trade off if you're "average" and may not be able to get your cake and eat it too: Even if you're going to take a lifestyle hit, it may still be worthwhile to move to a lower crime area, or have convenient access to what you like doing (maybe going through mainland Europe by train), or have a safe suburban lifestyle for your kids at a good school, or clubbing in NY till 5am, or saving in a far higher value currency while intending to move back later, etc.

 

[cerebus]

The point is, if I know I am someone of average intellectual ability, the last place I want to go to is overseas. If you are average over here, you'll be average over there. And I'll much rather remain average over here.

It all depends on whether the standard of living an average person overseas can have is better than the standard of living for an average person here. An average American can afford luxuries that almost nobody at any point in history but the very richest could have had, and can take them for granted.

My goal for instance isn't to become wealthy, it's to retire early and live a simple life. That's what I want and will make me happy. I know I can do that much easier in the States than I can here.

 

[reactor_sa]

Cguy might be the perfect example of why someone in South Africa should go and work overseas.

But I want to add another factor, that no-one has touched on, as a condition of achieving success overseas:

First let me start with a quote. It's a feminist quote, the general idea may not be directly applicable here, but it is still interesting nonetheless:

In 1977, Bella Abzug, the former congresswoman and outspoken feminist, said, “Our struggle today is not to have a female Einstein get appointed as an assistant professor. It is for a woman schlemiel to get as quickly promoted as a male schlemiel.”

In other words: women will truly have arrived when the most mediocre among us (women) will be able to do just as well as the most mediocre of men.
​

The point is, if I know I am someone of average intellectual ability, the last place I want to go to is overseas. If you are average over here, you'll be average over there. And I'll much rather remain average over here.

On the other side; if I were smart like cguy, then I WOULD want to go overseas because since he was in the top 1% over here he would rightly and inevitably end up in the 1% over there ... which would be awesome.

It's not difficult being average in SA, the bar is generally quite low. But with BBBBEEEEE, being above average is somewhat of a necessity as it's the only hope some have of getting immunity to BBBBEEEEE requirements.

The way I see it is if I'm well above average here, if I go to the first world I will be average there since the standard is higher.
Is this incorrect??

 

[cguy]

It's not difficult being average in SA, the bar is generally quite low. But with BBBBEEEEE, being above average is somewhat of a necessity as it's the only hope some have of getting immunity to BBBBEEEEE requirements.

The way I see it is if I'm well above average here, if I go to the first world I will be average there since the standard is higher.
Is this incorrect??

It depends on location - in a place like Silicon Valley (or Seattle, NY, etc.), you have a lot of strong competition, but elsewhere I would say that the standard is very much similar (and probably actually worse in some of the outback areas, but there, being "first world" is debatable).

 

[Leonidas]

It depends on location - in a place like Silicon Valley (or Seattle, NY, etc.), you have a lot of strong competition, but elsewhere I would say that the standard is very much similar (and probably actually worse in some of the outback areas, but there, being "first world" is debatable).

That's sort of my point actually.

Actually my point is (maybe it's the same - I don't know, I'm intellectually just average), it's difficult to compare your lifestyle in an equivalent way with your possible lifestyle in another country.

 

[Garson007]

It depends on location - in a place like Silicon Valley (or Seattle, NY, etc.), you have a lot of strong competition, but elsewhere I would say that the standard is very much similar (and probably actually worse in some of the outback areas, but there, being "first world" is debatable).

This is what makes the USA so amazing. The place is so massive, that nowhere is it quite the same as everywhere else.

Finding the perfect city for you, might be hard - but at least it is possible.

 

[HavocXphere]

One thing I've notice is that its a lot easier to save money in a high salary + high living cost environment even if the resulting lifestyle is comparable.

As a over-simplified example: If I'm feeling stingy and skip buying a cappuccino in SA thats ~20 ZAR saved - here UK side that would be 60 ZAR saved. Takes the same willpower either way.

Also cerebus - just check out the medical aid costs if you're planning on contracting US side...I'm told that part isn't fun.