Happier Abroad Forum Community

I am an Asian-American. Also, does anyone know how much harder it would be for me to obtain a technical-related job in Asia (ie Taiwan, Korea) vs America, considering that I have a BS degree in a technical field and have some programming skills in C++? I know very little Korean, no Mandarin, and can only speak English fluently. If its too hard for someone like who can only speak English then I would be content with an English teaching job

Welcome Luoldeng9. I'm also Korean American. There are some other Asian American posters on HA besides Winston, like Repatriate, Momopi, Maninsiam, and Falcon that have either moved abroad or have foreign girlfriends. You will find their posts to be very helpful. I am also in a similar situation such as yourself--having graduated with a bachelors degree in Business and have applied to several teaching jobs overseas. So far...I haven't received any confirmations--only telephone interviews and chats.

The recruiters have been telling me that so many Americans have been applying that there is currently a backlog for jobs. Being knowledgeable in a foreign language is not entirely necessary--though it can be helpful if you plan on living in or working in a foreign country.

Hi Luoldeng9,
Well me, Falcon and Repatriate are Happier Abroad Asians. See Falcon's trip reports in Mexico, and Repatriate's reports in Thailand by doing a search for their posts using the search box at the top.

Here is my story:
http://www.happierabroad.com/MyStory.htm

I'll ask Momopi about your job question.

delete

Hi luoldeng9, welcome to the forum. Thanks a lot for sharing your story. Like Winston, I am a Taiwanese American who had successfully found love overseas.

In high school, I was much more introverted and shier. People will often say it's all because of your own personality, but I would say your social environment definitely does have a lot to do with it. For instance, see this thread: Anglo Emasculation - Insecurity, Paranoia, and Puritanism. This video says it all.



I then went off to college and started visiting Mexico regularly. The people there were extraordinarily friendly, lively, and down-to-earth. The entire social environment down there was much more relaxed than that of America's. For more info, see Everyday social culture in Mexico.

Now here's a typical example of how uninhibited and happy Mexicans are when having a good time.



As you can see, it's really hard (at least for me) to remain shy and introverted in such situations! Depressed, lonely nerds are virtually non-existent in rural Mexico due to this kind of social environment.

After those trips to Mexico, I started to grow some balls. No more Anglo emasculation. I looked more manly, got a girlfriend for the first time, made plenty of wonderful friends, and saw myself become a different person altogether. In Mexico, my self-confidence shot way up, and I showed far more extroversion than I did back in high school. But whenever I go back to suburban America, I feel stifled and unable to express myself as much.

Winston also saw his personality "come out" once he went to Eastern Europe and the Philippines. Quoting Grunt in viewtopic.php?t=6692 ,

Grunt wrote:If anyone feels they "come out of their shell" when overseas, try to keep something in mind. That person you are overseas is the real you. The person you are in America is a prisoner, nothing more.

I still prefer to live in the U.S. mostly because of the educational system. I interact with immigrants and non-mainstream folks in America, and visit foreign countries once in a while for R&R. But if you do want to move abroad, Singapore and Malaysia would be excellent places for English speakers with technical backgrounds.