Hey guys, not sure if its the right channel but here we go, its a bit of a privileged question I guess, but at-least some of you might be facing this existential question of whether to continue in India or move abroad. This is especially tricky if you have a remote job that pays well (most of us here) since there is no financial motivation to shift. My problem is that most of my friends circle has moved abroad, I shifted to my hometown due to covid and basically feel like I'm stuck with no friends/social life. I've been contemplating moving abroad but its hard to do as a remote employee for long term without proper employment visa. For context I'm 27/single so feel like I'm wasting my best years being stuck in a small Indian town, not to mention I could be on the path to PR/citizenship in another country which will pay off in future. I feel like at-least some of you have considered this question, what answers did you come up with?

+1 interested in this, kinda in a very similar situation. Facing the same thoughts for last few months. To give more context, I am 25 turning 26 soon and have build a big portfolio in stocks and crypto doing really well in last few years, enough to last me a few years anywhere in the world

Yep. Still figuring out. I think it really depends on what your situation is. Do you have any family obligation here ? Is there anything else keeping you here ? Regardless, you should at least start traveling around and see what it's like to live somewhere else. Pick a few of your favorite places and live there for few months at a time. See How are people, what's the culture like, if you’d like to live there, etc. you get the idea. I think once you've done that, you'll have a better understanding of what you want to do.

Dont have family obligation, parent have 5-6 year till their retirement and my younger brother lives with them and planning on continue to do so. I’ve spent last 10 years living away from them anyways until covid hit and I moved back. The travelling advice is good but most countries where people would like to settle in like Uk or Canada, are not exactly the ones where one can get few months visa for traveling etc.

I’m also trying to figure out how can I stay longer in lot of these countries. I think being able to get residency somewhere in europe would open lot of possibilities to travel long term everywhere in europe.

I used to think it’s expensive but turns out Its not that expensive actually

@wide-bird-58527 Have you stayed in Europe for more than a month before?

You can get MBA or MSC in 1 year with 10-12L and get guaranteed 2 years additional visa post study even without a job

For context I'm 27/single so feel like I'm wasting my best years being stuck in a small Indian town, not to mention

if you move outside, its no different, except now you're in foreign soil with an alien culture, no understanding of language and lot more paperwork and bureaucracy 🙂

yeah makes sense, exactly why I think it’s important for people to travel first before making any decision to live somewhere

You can work part time while studying and full time after that

I’ll update you when I have few! My only strategy right now is to somehow get a residency permit somewhere in europe and stay in few of the countries I “think” I would love to live in. Will see from there

How exactly are you planning to obtain these residency permit?

I’m 24. I don’t really how to get one yet, but I’m collecting resources

Instead of moving, have you considered spending extended periods of time (2-3 months) working/traveling? What has worked well is to have a base for at least 2 months which becomes your home and then travel around on weekends. Europe is perfect to get started with.

+1 @modern-table-48211 and @calm-noon-73911. Try living abroad for a few years, keeping options open to be back. it is a polarizing topic. Check out r2iclubforums.com (many more if you google "back to India" ) to see reasons why a lot of people want to be back. Maybe some of those would resonate with you. In short, grass is always greener on the other side lol.

Hey thanks guys for sharing these, I guess I forgot to mention the main reason for my FOMO is my friends circle from college, so moving to Europe will allow me to be close to them (probably share an apartment), also I really appreciate the point that we always tend to think grass is greener on the other side. For now I think I'll travel for a few months and see what I feel after that. Thanks everyone ✌️

Here are some thoughts: I have lived in USA for 10 years and then in France for 6 and now in BLR for another 6. Pros of USA: it's great for folks wanting to startup, great for new ideas and support for entrepreneurs is awesome (not just in SF but also in smaller cities). Cons: lots of them: visa hassles, weather is cold is many places and most of the stuff has to be done indoors, if you have kids: tough to find good schools and day care. I wouldn't go back to live there. France: pros: great weather, folks are very helpful and open, healthcare and childcare support is awesome, cities and surroundings are beautiful. Cons: language, language and it's tough to find jobs unless you have a EU degree.

Living like a baller is always a choice whether it's here in india or in some foreign country. Try moving to an urban city in India and build a social circle. Otherwise it'll be the same here or there.

Regarding being alone and social circles: as long as you are into some activity like sports, running, art, culture etc, you will find folks to meet and hang out with. I found some awesome tech folks who were also into other things like running and we used to hang out. This is easier in Europe since they have a better work life balance.

I find myself in a similar place (if not more complicated). I am not quite sure why is moving to a bigger city being suggested... That simply magnifies small town problems. That being said, I would ask you to dig a bit deeper into your "Why?", and what is it that you really want right now. It might be worth going to a different country and then returning if you don't like it as much. A decision making process might help. This decision tree helped me. I highly recommend starting with writing stuff down, your thoughts, to work towards a decision. Make yourself familiar with the concept of sunk costs. And because you say

I've been contemplating...

I must remind you, not making a decision is a decision in itself. When I asked myself about moving out, the answer was a strong yes for various reasons. Feeling like misfit, quality of life, socio-political scenes here and better place to raise kids (if I ever have any) were the top reasons for me to decide on moving out. I recently took a trip to Europe, and I am realising fitting in, having really close friends or a community in Europe might be even harder, but right now that's a challenge I would prefer. Although an important one, it's merely a decision I have made. I have a plan, but let's see how that goes. I know I haven't helped much with your question, but let me know if I can help with the decision making.