Expat Community > Switzerland

theworldisnotenough
Joined 2018
Posts: 1

US > Switzerland/Amsterdam

6 years ago

CitizenShip: US

Current Location: DC/NOVA

Age: 29 (apparently easier to move if under 30)

Education: Bachelors (Social Sciences) - graduated summa cum laude with honors (doubt that matters but hey).

Profession: Cloud Devops Engineer (Tech) - 3.5 Years Systems Administration, 1+ year of Devops

Certifications: netw/sec+, vca-dcv, CCNA/CCNA Security, AWS CSA

Language: English, a little spanish, learning Mandarin and French (would learn German of course).

Budget: Pretty open as long as I can find a good job.

Concerns: Health/Housing I do have severe asthma allergies, which are terrible in the DC area (originally a west-coaster). Finding a good, newer, and clean place to stay with good medical care is VERY important to me.

Main post Hey All! I've been reading expat forums here and elsewhere, listening to podcasts, and decided it was time to ask some questions.

Here's the gist of it, I moved to DC a few years ago for work, and planned even before coming here to be out in about 5-7 years max. So I've been building my skillset to that end. I think I'm in a good spot to move, so I need advice on actually doing the move! I am single, and intentionally have stayed very minimalist in-as-far as what I own, so moving would not be difficult.

My ideal place is Switzerland, and I've heard alot of tech's move there, but it does seem like it is very difficult to get in. Given my current experience, is it likely I would be able to get in now? I have applied to a couple places, and got called back from one, but they were looking for someone with more seniority. What can I do to make myself more likely to land a job there? Having a master's really doesn't seem beneficial to my career field as much as experience, but I do still see many places that list "computer science degree" as a requirement. Most places here will take experience over that. Is this something I should consider pursuing? If so, is there possibly a way I can apply for both a job and graduate program there so that I would be more likely to be hired and could work on my degree over there?

My Second choiceis finding somewhere else where I would enjoy living/working until I have what I need to move to Switzerland. I recently had an interview for a job in Amsterdam, where it is apparently incredibly easy to get a work Visa. The downside is that the job would not involve using a huge portion of the skills I would like to maintain and grow in order to keep my edge. Don't get me wrong, it sounds like a good job, but maybe not the best. Does it make sense to take a pay-cut and even step backwards in my career to move to Amsterdam? Would this actually make it easier for me to get to Switzerland? Note that money really is just utility to me. I have significant health concerns that are find as long as I maintain them, but I do need enough economic stability to maintain them. Otherwise just not putting myself in a bad place career-wise is important.

Reasons For Moving Obviously, I want to travel! It seems like Switzerland would be a great place to travel from. I also think Switzerland is just a beautiful country (I'm originally from oregon, so I can appreciate all of the mountains, hills, and outdoor activities). It also sounds like they tend to have a better work-life balance. Don't get me wrong, I'm a hard worker and I love my work! But if I can have both work and more time for life, I'll take it! I'm much more into outdoors and wholesome living than partying etc, so that does play a role in where I want to move.

Job Search I've mostly been looking at glassdoors for job positing, are there better places to find tech jobs in Switzerland?

In Summation What more/else should I be doing to get where I want to be? Would having a Master's be significantly helpful? I want to move sooner than later, does it make sense to move to Amsterdam first?

Anyway, thank you all, looking forward to your responses!!!

Edit - I've heard that Germany might also be a good option. Opinions?

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