5 ms·

Instead, I'd say come to Taiwan. All the same good food (or rather even more!), friendly people, great nature, multicultural society, technology everywhere, for

by imrehg 15y ago

Instead, I'd say come to Taiwan. All the same good food (or rather even more!), friendly people, great nature, multicultural society, technology everywhere, foreigners are treated well, entrepreneurial spirit, more customer protection (and people stand up for themselves) - and don't have to fight the Great Firewall and political decrees at every step. (Been here for more than three years and counting:)

paulhauggis 15y ago
I second this!
D_Alex 15y ago
I second that... also pollution is far lower.
tokenadult 15y ago
Been there. Done that (twice). My two three-year stays in Taiwan were some of the happiest days of my life, and both times led to new career opportunities when I returned to the United States. Taiwan is wonderful for immersion in an entrepreneurial, forward-looking culture of people who are happy to live free.
- ilamont 15y ago
  I did the same thing -- two three-year stints in Taiwan (separated by six months in China and SE Asia). I arrived in 1993 with a duffel bag and about $1000, and proceeded to make a life there. The learning curve was steep, but it was wonderful. I learned Mandarin, got my career off the ground, made tons of expat and local friends, traveled all over, and generally had a fantastic, eye-opening adventure.
latch 15y ago
any specific companies hiring or good places to check online?
- imrehg 15y ago
  You can check the Startup Digest in Taipei http://startupdigest.com/taipei/ http://startupdigest.com/taipei/ http://taiwan.startuplabs.org/sponsor/startup-digest/ http://taiwan.startuplabs.org/sponsor/startup-digest/ (I'm not affiliated, but met the guys quite a few times, and Yushan Ventures really do a lot of events to bring people and knowledge together in the field) In general, multinational high tech companies (like Acer, Asus, HTC) supposed to be always hiring, but there are a lot more opportunities, I think. Probably the best is to come for a while, immerse in the environment and see whether you like it, whether you like the people and connections here. It's really quick to make new local and foreign friends here.
saryant 15y ago
Would you happen to have any advice for new CS grads from America looking to get a start in a country like Taiwan?
- imrehg 15y ago
  Come, look around. You can stay for a couple of months (I think visitor visa is 2 months and renewable with a quick trip abroad and back). It's very quick to connect to people in the tech field, there are a lot of networking events where you can meet very interesting people and everyone's looking out for new opportunities. Startup Weekend, Mobile Monday, Geek Dinner (this last one organized by me), and many other. You can also check Startup Digest http://startupdigest.com/taipei/ http://startupdigest.com/taipei/ It's really a tech filled country, with many interesting but also weird characteristics, that definitely make it both tough and full of opportunities. :) If you ever come, just give me a shout (same username at gmail) :)
kahawe 15y ago
Can you only do the usual teaching-English gig or can you actually get decent and well-paying IT or managing jobs? How open are people to foreigners? Are you actually considered about "equivalent"? What about health care, social insurance, safety? What about finding a partner there? I know a lot of Chinese girls, especially here in EU, have to obey their families telling them to NOT be with a local European.

by imrehg 15y ago

paulhauggis 15y ago

I second this!

D_Alex 15y ago

I second that... also pollution is far lower.

tokenadult 15y ago

Been there. Done that (twice). My two three-year stays in Taiwan were some of the happiest days of my life, and both times led to new career opportunities when I returned to the United States. Taiwan is wonderful for immersion in an entrepreneurial, forward-looking culture of people who are happy to live free.

ilamont 15y ago
I did the same thing -- two three-year stints in Taiwan (separated by six months in China and SE Asia). I arrived in 1993 with a duffel bag and about $1000, and proceeded to make a life there. The learning curve was steep, but it was wonderful. I learned Mandarin, got my career off the ground, made tons of expat and local friends, traveled all over, and generally had a fantastic, eye-opening adventure.

latch 15y ago

any specific companies hiring or good places to check online?

imrehg 15y ago
You can check the Startup Digest in Taipei http://startupdigest.com/taipei/ http://startupdigest.com/taipei/ http://taiwan.startuplabs.org/sponsor/startup-digest/ http://taiwan.startuplabs.org/sponsor/startup-digest/ (I'm not affiliated, but met the guys quite a few times, and Yushan Ventures really do a lot of events to bring people and knowledge together in the field) In general, multinational high tech companies (like Acer, Asus, HTC) supposed to be always hiring, but there are a lot more opportunities, I think. Probably the best is to come for a while, immerse in the environment and see whether you like it, whether you like the people and connections here. It's really quick to make new local and foreign friends here.

saryant 15y ago

Would you happen to have any advice for new CS grads from America looking to get a start in a country like Taiwan?

imrehg 15y ago
Come, look around. You can stay for a couple of months (I think visitor visa is 2 months and renewable with a quick trip abroad and back). It's very quick to connect to people in the tech field, there are a lot of networking events where you can meet very interesting people and everyone's looking out for new opportunities. Startup Weekend, Mobile Monday, Geek Dinner (this last one organized by me), and many other. You can also check Startup Digest http://startupdigest.com/taipei/ http://startupdigest.com/taipei/ It's really a tech filled country, with many interesting but also weird characteristics, that definitely make it both tough and full of opportunities. :) If you ever come, just give me a shout (same username at gmail) :)

kahawe 15y ago

Can you only do the usual teaching-English gig or can you actually get decent and well-paying IT or managing jobs? How open are people to foreigners? Are you actually considered about "equivalent"? What about health care, social insurance, safety? What about finding a partner there? I know a lot of Chinese girls, especially here in EU, have to obey their families telling them to NOT be with a local European.