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So doing the winter batch in California seemed like one of those rare cases where the self-indulgent choice and the ambitious one were the same. There is nothi
by abalashov 15y ago
So doing the winter batch in California seemed like one of those rare cases where the self-indulgent choice and the ambitious one were the same.
There is nothing more heavenly, more sublime than that rare situation in life in which the self-indulgent choice and the ambitious choice align. There's a keen insight to be had there.
Unfortunately, those moments are very rare.
For instance, at least, in terms of my personal temperament and disposition, I have found that I most enjoy life, from a "human" perspective, in places that are terrible places to do business, and may, in fact, have very dysfunctional local economies, high amount of corruption, etc. I'm the kind of person that has the most fun in the colour of Greece, Italy, southern Spain, Portugal, Argentina, etc. I can appreciate the comparative orderliness and clockwork of Teutonic and Anglo-American civilisation, but it doesn't make me happy, and yet I need that whole universe in order to sustain my livelihood in any practical sense. But everything else about it doesn't make me very happy.
I wish there were some way to reconcile those two. I haven't found any place that has an optimal intersection of cowbell on the one hand, and practicality on the other. Maybe it exists, but I haven't found it. However, my natural sense is that there is a inherent, perennial tension between the two.
That's why that particular phrase really got me. I wish dearly for such a Shangri-la.
- juliennakache 15y agoThat's the reason I actually moved in NYC. For a French 20 something, it's a great city to live in, it's not too far from Europe and the tech scene is booming. My next stop will probably be Brazil. I've travelled over 45 countries and Brazil seems to have that unique combination of "human" perspective, a work culture and a growing tech ecosystem. You should give it a try :)
- abalashov 15y agoAcho também que o Brasil seria ótimo! :)
- GuiA 15y agoI'm also a French 20-something, currently calling the San Francisco Bay Area home— my next stop will probably be Berlin or Amsterdam. What a great age we live in!
- olalonde 15y agoI'm a French-Canadian 20-something. You guys should give a try to China or Hong Kong. (see previous comment)
- dustin 15y agoThat phrase struck me too, and I couldn't agree more with the geographical tradeoffs that usually hold true. I guess quitting the 9-5 to work on startups might qualify - there's always sacrifices though :)
- southpolesteve 15y agoMadison, Wisconsin
- simon 15y agoI work here in Madtown :-), but I'm not sure that I would describe it as a start-up hub. Sure, there's the university and that has lots of energy, but tech start-ups? I'm curious what you see that I don't. (Perhaps it's because I only work here and live an hour out of town, that I don't see it.)
- barry-cotter 15y agoBarcelona, Catalonia, Spain Ticino, Switzerland Slovenia
- forcer 15y agoYes, Barcelona has great tech/online sector. + you have Andorra only 2 hours drive which is a tax heaven :)
- BerislavLopac 15y agoCroatia
- skrebbel 15y agoWait, Croatia has a well-functioning local economy and little corruption? Well, that went fast!
- BerislavLopac 15y agoTouché! ;) And actually, corruption is not really much of a concern right now, it's more of radical incompetence on all levels. At this point, no amount of bribery will help you go smoother.
- nl 15y agothe colour of Greece, Italy, southern Spain, Portugal, Argentina, etc. I can appreciate the comparative orderliness and clockwork of Teutonic and Anglo-American civilisation, but it doesn't make me happy, and yet I need that whole universe in order to sustain my livelihood in any practical sense Maybe try Hong Kong? I haven't lived there but it seems colourful (in the Asian rather than Southern European sense) and yet still has the British history.
- olalonde 15y agoI was about to suggest the same. I currently live there (and Shenzhen) and it is indeed colorful. I just wish there was a stronger startup culture. The entrepreneurship culture is definitely there but for low-risk, traditional business. I personally prefer Shenzhen to Hong Kong although it is difficult to function in English.
- psycho 15y agoI know some people that try to build kind of YC for emerging markets so maybe time for Hong Kong will come.
- olalonde 15y agoSounds like a good idea for China. However, I wouldn't call Hong Kong an emerging market given it has a highly developed economy and is ranked 5th country in terms of GDP (PPP) per capita (above the US, according to the IMF).
- cgag 15y agoFor you people who talk about bouncing around working abroad, what do you do? Are you running your own company or freelancing? Or just moving to another country and then looking for work? I'd love to work abroad but I don't really see how to go about it.
- abalashov 15y agoIn my case, running my consultancy (call it freelancing if you like). But the work can pretty much be done from anywhere that has reliable connectivity, though this is a privilege whose existence I have hitherto ignored.
- MaysonL 15y agoBerlin?
- sneak 15y agoBerlin makes a lot of noise about its startup culture, but it's vanishingly small. The winters are absolutely horrible. Also, the city is full of Germans. (I've lived here for four years.)
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- Lucadg 15y agoJust been there. Great city with a grest variety of interesting things and everybody is complaining how horrible the winter is.
- davidw 15y agoChile seems like it's doing well lately. Other than that, set yourself up so you can live somewhere you like and work remotely. Also, Italy is very different from north to south. The north is still not a great place to do business, but it's a lot better than the south.
- abalashov 15y agoYeah, but settling in Chile when Buenos Aires is right there is like setting up shop in Yonkers or Jersey City, the lights of NYC taunting you from across the river. :-)
- fosk 15y agoTo tell the truth northern Italy alone is one of the most developed, wealthy and productive areas in Europe. The industrial density is extremely high and diversified.
- pron 15y agoTry Tel-Aviv.
- rms 15y agoUm... how about Berkeley? It's mostly a terrible place to do business, has a dysfunctional local economy, but is part of Greater Silicon Valley despite its weirdness.