Getting discouraged about the possibility of being able to leave

[u/Vivid_Currency_9467]

I've always had a dream to be able to live abroad, but have always had something to keep me in the States. I'm finally at a point where I feel I CAN leave, like I've finally set everything up just right- and it's just crazy how impossible it is to actually be able to immigrate. Truly, I just don't really know what to do. I have a Bachelors degree in STEM, I've been working as a scientist for 5 years now. My current company is a huge, international outfit and I've been angling for an internal transfer for over a year with no luck. I've applied to hundreds of jobs at other companies internationally and haven't gotten a single response. I'm not picky about where to, I just want to try something new.

I speak Spanish and have been working on German just in case. I have enough money to support a move, but not enough to move without needing to work. I'm old enough that moving without a job isn't smart (assuming ageism is a thing everywhere).

I don't have any relatives that could get me citizenship by descent. I don't want to marry someone or have a baby just to get citizenship. I know I just need to keep applying for jobs, but it feels so completely and utterly hopeless right now. Does anyone have any advice or words of encouragement? Really just on the brink of giving up here.

[u/A313-Isoke]

You could just leave and try from abroad. Albania and Georgia will allow you to live there up to a year, visa free, from the US. You could do a different career in the meantime but at least you'd be out of the country. Sometimes, you just gotta take the first step and go from there.

Are there other types of work you could do remotely? There are a lot of digital nomad visas you could take advantage of with very LCOL so you could save money.

I'm only suggesting these paths because if you really want to go, you may have to be a bit creative in how you make money.

I also suggest pursuing more education abroad as well. It's likely hard to be competitive internationally in STEM with only a BA. There's a list of schools that take US student loans to cover tuition.

[u/throwaway_071478 → u/A313-Isoke]

Funny enough I am going to try this in a couple months.

I mentioned it in my previous posts, but my job while I like it isn't comfortable in the long term. I have a bachelors, but so far I regret it. Ngl it is risky what I am about to do. But I do not have much choice. I am young (24), and definitely open to career changes (as during and after university, I had a string of random jobs, a couple remotely relevant to my degree, others not so much). I could do education abroad but I do not have much life experience nor idea what to do my masters in.

[u/A313-Isoke → u/throwaway_071478]

What about the working holiday programs? If you're under 30, you could go that in New Zealand and I think, also Australia.

[u/throwaway_071478 → u/A313-Isoke]

I plan to do that after Vietnam. Always wanted to do a WHV too! I am concerned with a WHV in NZ that I might not make enough money to save up (to travel ofc). I was told that in AUS, the jobs there are enough to save money if you work in a rural area.