I’m excited to write about this. Finally, we’re moving to US, 4 years after I got my Australia passport, 10 years after I came to Australia. It’s been a long journey. It happened too late. I could have been to US earlier if I stay focused on this goal. But as the old saying goes: the best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago; the next best time is now.
What happened
In short, I got contacted by my previous employer, asking me if I’m interested in getting back but working in US. After a few chats with 3 prospect teams I chose one and accepted the offer. I’m now applying the E3 visa with the help from a employer provided law firm. I submitted my resignation 2 weeks ago and my last working day is 8th May. If no surprise 🤞, I’ll be flying to US mid of June. My wife and son will join me later, probably 1 month later - after packing and renting out our house. The destination is Seattle, WA.
Why I decided to go to US
I’ve always been curious about US. Its culture, politics, and tech industry fascinate me. The main reason I become Australian citizen is to get its passport so it’s easier to travel and work in US. As a software engineer, US provides more opportunities. Silicon Valley is the holy place that I believe every software engineer should work at once in their lifetime. It’s the Hollywood for actors and Wall Street for bankers. Yeah, i’m not going there this time. But Seattle is a lot closer to Silicon Valley than Sydney and thus is my next springboard.
That’s why as soon as I was eligible to apply for citizenship in 2019, I applied. Then you know what happened. Covid start and international travel halted. In 2022, I got married and my parents were here and my wife got pregnant. In 2023, our son was born but later that year, all big tech companies started hiring freeze and even laying off people. Everyone was worried about getting laid off because no one knows how bad the situation was going to be. I started feeling bored with my job and changed my job in Sep.
By then I almost gave up - or forgot I should say - the idea of moving to US. I mean I have a house(with a big loan in a high interest environment), a decent job, and a happy family. I love Sydney and there are so many things I want to do here. It’s a great place for rising children and spending time with our parents. Life is very relaxed unless you choose to work for non-Australian companies. This is all I would’ve wanted a decade ago. Things have just started to turn around and now I’m thinking to leave? I don’t blame my parents for not understanding because even myself struggle to make sense of it sometimes. It’s not something that can be explained by rationality. It’s something I feel I have to do.
What I expect to get out of this
First, it’s the money. The new salary amount drops 10% but since I’ll be earning USD(approx. 1.5 AUD), it’s about a 40% pay rise. You need to consider tax and cost of living for a full picture but my rough estimate shows we can double the saving with current lifestyle. This is important because it means we could put more money into investment.
Second, career development. My new job is at the company headquarter. This means more opportunities and closer to core of the business. Of course there’re also good opportunities in Sydney office but I think it’s easier to find one in US. Working in US also means easier to collaborate since most colleagues will be in the same time zone. My aspiration is to get promoted within the next 2 years and that means I can earn even more.
Third, life. I set a goal last year that by 2026 I want to travel to US for 2 weeks. This will be crossed off without sweat. The new job requires 3-day in office which is not best but still one day less than my current job. I plan to rent apartment closer to office so there’ll be less time wasted on commute. I plan to travel more often in US to explore natural beauties and historical sites. To be fair I haven’t exhausted the Australian wonders or that the Australian ones are worse. Embarrassingly, I haven’t even been to Great Barrier Reef or Uluru after 10 years in Australia. It’s mostly due to a lack of interest and prioritization in the past. But I decide to change that and will appreciate more of what the planet offers in the future.
What is next
I will spend the next few weeks preparing for leave and enjoy the remaining time in Sydney with my family. I also want to meet a few friends before I go. I’m considering visiting places on my wish list(e.g. Great Barrier Reef) but it’ll depend on my time and cost. I will definitely write about it if I pull the trigger.