WildfireV2

Hi all,

Just to give you all a bit of background, I am 25 years old, I graduated with a BA Hons Degree in Accounting last year, and I am currently working for a local accountancy practice to gain relevant experience.

No my dream is not to be an Accountant, I suppose I never really had dreams of being in a certain career, maybe something along the lines of working with stocks but who knows. I just sort of fell into my degree because I thought "What would be the best safety net & still give me the most mobility"

Anyway, my aspiration was always to live in the US or Canada, & seen as the US seems virtually impossible to get into, especially within the next 5 years (yes I wanted to live there while I was early -mid 20s and beyond ideally). I am looking at other options, Canada seems possible but I am very wary of sacrificing 24 months (Ideally I really would want to do 2 IEC back to back) or 12 months and not being any happier. I live in a small town in the UK, all my friends left years ago to pursue things in other cities, but I have always thought globally & not locally & I hate living in the UK, especially a small town.

I live with grandparents so my existence right now is go to work, be bored all day, come home & be happy for 5 hours playing video games, a habit I will die with because it is and always was my biggest source of enjoyment.

My dad lives in Spain and has done for 7+ years now, he speaks fluent Spanish & I have been there almost every year for the past 6 summers. I do have a few business contacts over there from a volunteering thing I once did, these people range from CEO level, to PA level & even auditors. And as far as I know, going living in Spain would be a simple case of a flight, knocking on my dads door & then looking for work.

My issue is this, my heart was always set on being across the atlantic, & while I enjoy visiting Spain I really have no idea whether I would want to live/work there. I am 25, but I feel as though I am always losing time or, always behind trying to catch up, as though I should already be a professional right now, in a relationship thinking about kids or something.

If I went & lived in Spain for say.. 12 months, & got work experience there too, and probably learned the language somewhat as I am fully aware you cannot completely learn a language in anywhere close to 12 months... would it basically be saying bon voyage to the whole "living/working in Canada/US" thing... would it be a silly sacrifice to make, leaving the UK to risk it in Spain? Would I be wasting more time pursuing this or pursuing IEC than just staying in my mundane life in the UK with the "hope" of becoming chartered (My work have a study package with ACCA)

Sorry for all the questions... I know this is not a psychological support page, & probably most content is not even relevant, but I figured maybe this would be a good place to get knowledge on the risk/reward & chasing "happiness" factor of emigration.

Thanks

Edit: Apologies in advance for the essay, I also forgot to mention that I thought most people my age focus on getting away from parents... I have lived with grandparents since I was 15, & while moving in with my dad would be more like a roommate (He's a musician & more like my best friend than anything), wouldn't it be bad to not be living more independently?

Dxf

Hola

If you read other threads on this forum the answer will become clear; DON´T DO IT. There are no jobs in Spain and you´ll never earn anything like what you will earn in other countries.

Davexf

amideislas

The old sayings still ring true.

Spain is a good place to HAVE money, not a place to MAKE money.

If you want to be a millionaire in Spain, bring 2 million with you.

MikeJ

I would say, if your Dad will support you, go for it - it sounds like you are borderline depressed and could do with a gap year. If you learn a good bit of Spanish and still want to cross the pond then your language skills open up most of the South Americas (and a good bit of Hispanic USA too )

As others have said, don't expect to make a living but if you can do some intern work with your Dad's contacts then you will pick up a few life skills which you won't learn on a computer and, who knows, meet a senorita or two. Others might tell you to 'get a life' - I would advise go out and grab one, only you can make it happen!

Moses2013

You're 25, so still have plenty of time. I wouldn't focus too hard on the US/Canada though, because of visa requirements and often you're not better off over there. If it has to be the US, get a decent job at home, save some money and then travel to the US (working holiday or just a year off). You might even be able to work for a company that could transfer you to the US later on. Depending where your father lives, Spain might be an option, if you can live with him and save some money. It always depends what you want in life, but most people end up doing what you said:
"go to work, be bored all day, come home & be happy for 5 hours playing video games" If it's not the video games, it might be TV or kids

EsuriJohn

chopera

Sounds like the OP is stuck in a rut. As long as you're not desperate to get rich, a year spent in Madrid teaching English is usually a year well spent. You probably won't pick up as much Spanish as you'd expect to, but it'll still be a worthwhile experience (provided you are genuinely open to teaching that is). And if you like it you can always stay another year...

IamStu

Clearly you´re unhappy where you are so don´t be afraid to try something new! Try never to look back and think "I wish I´d done x,y or z"
Try these things whilst you´re still very young. Take a year off and explore. You´ll hate me for saying this but at 25, you´re just starting, and nothing in this life is permanent!
What ever you decide, good luck!

Leper

Listen to me screaming, Wildfire. Don't Do It! Read my lips, forget about Spain until you are retiring.

TheLostPhotographer

Go for it!

You're still young. You may feel the pressure to 'move on', or something now, but you are actually still very young. Plenty of time to enjoy making mistakes.

I grew up in very small town in England. Narrow streets, narrow minds, fighting and drinking at the weekend and all that. Barely travelled before I was 27. 20+ years later after, New York, Berlin, London etc as a professional person I still consider the almost accidental move I made to Spain to be the best move I ever made. If you can learn to live happily with a very low income you will enjoy it. If you crave big earnings and financial security it is still possible, but far easier elsewhere - if you want The World and good money head East.

You know you can play video games anywhere? Why exactly are you considering Spain? Spain is a country all about outdoors culture and living with your neighbours. It isn't about locking yourself away from the real World.

All that said... moving to Spain for a year is in no way going to handicap any chance you have of working and living in the US, or Canada. If anything it will help you evaluate your own goals, desires and missions for wanting to live abroad. Moving here is much easier than moving to the US, or Canada, but it will help you guage your own expectations.

If you really want what you think you want - you go and get it. Nothing wrong with looking for advice on the internet, but...

Good luck with which ever path you choose.

rosstoward

Just do what you want, your only here once, if you don't one day when your old you will say "I was gonna..........."

Carpe Diem....

CasaMadrugada

I'm a similar age and would kill for the contacts and familial links you have established, so I would primarily say milk those for all they're worth and get in there with your Dads' work first, then work out the rest of it after.

As for the video games, ditch them, they're as productive to your wellbeing and growth as smoking or gambling, they're a bad habit when abused, I bet they're enjoyable sure, but they're also a way to escape the world, you won't need that if you're starting anew in Spain.

You can get a good way in 12 months with the language living there if you immerse yourself in it, say, start watching your favourite films with ES subtitles, and often.
Spanish is the worlds' secondmost spoken language, growing thanks to migrants in North America (CA or USA). If you did end up there, oh look, you've got Spanish in the bag should an employer mark that as the string to your bow that other applicant don't have.

dfjordan

Stay where you are and get yourself a decent qualification that's of use in say the US. A degree doesnt get you anywhere. You could invest a few years abd get the CA qualification and maybe with that, get yourself a two year transfer to one of the US offices of the company you qualify with. There is a possibility that from there you could get yourself a visa. The two year transfer would also give you the chance to see that the US is not the dream you think it may be!

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

angiescarr

I have to agree with this. That old saying...If you always do what you've always done...Then you'll always get what you've always got. If you have your dad's support take it one day at a time. You can certainly learn Spanish in one year but right now, this minute wean yourself onto a good language learning course in place of half of your video gaming life. Nothing wrong with an hour of relaxation a day but any more and you have clearly made a choice and it's not to 'get a life'. It's a good time in your life to fight back against depression, rather than go with it. I know, I had it throughout my late twenties and thirties). Which would you rather... Pills and video games or a crazy new adventure? Normally I'm with the 'don't do it' crowd. But at your age with no commitments and few possessions to lose I'd say "go for it!" You can sell your games machine for a trip back if it all goes wrong. I work with a guy who runs a branch of an English school. Five years ago, at approximately your age, he got on his bike and cycled from England through France and down to southern Spain! He had no idea where his journey would take him. The challenges of real life are greater than Video Gaming. But the rewards are real! Oh, Don't imagine that it will be all smooth and easy and that you won't fall out with your Dad at some point. You probably will ;-) You're really on your own...with a bit of support that you should appreciate but can't rely on.