Hi everyone! I’m an Indian citizen, 27M single living in Sweden for past 3 years. I came here for my master’s and finished it, and I worked for a year in my field before switching to another job recently and I resigned from it. I now have 90 days to look for a new job or move back to India. I am contemplating if I should continue living here in Sweden or move elsewhere/India.

A bit about me:
I am quite introverted and reserved, but I open up when I find something interesting. Computer programming was my interest a few years ago, but ever since I realised that being just a programmer in some company will not really help me in starting my own company. I don’t have any specifics about what kind of company I want to start, but I want to be around people who run their own businesses. Given my current situation, starting a business is not in scope at the moment. Also, I don’t have issues with climate, or Swedish food. Furthermore, I want to get married sometime in the next few years, but do not plan on having any children.

Current concern:
Although Sweden is a great country, I clearly see it is not working out at all(unable to plan a life here). The thing hitting me the hardest is inferiority complex and language. I think these two would be the same no matter where I immigrate to. Although I find Swedish to be a bit easier to learn compared to other EU languages, I would highly prefer communicating in English. Even typing on the Swedish keyboard sometimes gets on my nerves.

I would really like to move to the US, but I see gun violence as a huge issue, which is far beyond my control. UK seems like an option, but given the fact that they are out of EU and the market is probably not so great right now, I am unsure of this option. Also I will have to apply for jobs first to set my foot in the UK. Not sure about Ireland though?

My current options:

  1. Find another job in Sweden and try hard to integrate into society. Not sure if it’s a good idea in the long run?
  2. Go back to India and work on something interesting. Friends/family support and Indian food/culture is always beneficial.
  3. Go to some other country(ex: Netherlands, UK, Ireland etc) and try to integrate.

My biggest concern with living abroad is that no matter how much I change and accept things, I will always be an outsider. I wonder if this feeling will ever go away?

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions on which option I could choose, and thank you for reading the post!

  • Apprehensive-Cap6063@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Let me be honest, Sweden is kinda very meh. It’s pretty but very underwhelming. Look into the UK? The UK is very business forward in Europe. Also no matter where you go, you will always remain an outsider, esp in Europe. The only country I didn’t feel like an outsider was the US. The US is great for starting a business but there is very limited visa support unless you’re extremely loaded. So maybe first get in the US as an employee and explore, also getting a Green card for an Indian citizen is the worst experience.

    • abstract_explorer@alien.topOPBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      I remember looking up something like you need 1M$ or so to be eligible for an EB-5 visa or something. Also you can’t really earn from a side hustle while on H1B. TBVH it feels like the US simply set up the H1B visa only to bring in cheap labour and keep them tied up for as long as possible(very true in case of Indians).

  • fjaoaoaoao@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Gun violence is an issue for everyone in the US but there are ways you can be more removed from it such as moving to much safer counties or simply having more money.

    The biggest help to not being an outsider is to find like minded community. I can see how that can be harder for you specifically in Sweden but in other places like UK and US you should be able to find that in certain areas.

  • BikesBirdsAndBeers@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Unless you’re actively out committing crime you will likely never see gun violence in the US. You’re probably very rarely going to even see a firearm. Despite what gets said, few people actually have them and those that do are 99% of time wearing it concealed. Even in Texas.

  • tiganisback@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    You are a programmer, you can go pretty much anywhere. I’d suggest Netherlands - at least the big cities are way more international than Sweden so integrating should be easier, salaries are amazing, infrastructure is idyllic.

  • NPR_is_not_that_bad@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Come to the US. The US has issues, but it’s among the most friendly, innovative, diverse, stupid, lovely, challenging, beautiful and everything in between.

    Meaning, what you seek is in the US somewhere… I guarantee it. You just have to find it. A lot of people mentioning NYC-type cities, but don’t discount other cities too. You can be a bigger fish in a smaller pond if you find the right fit.

    Places like Philly, northern Virginia, Chicago, and many west coast cities have large Asian/Indian communities that could provide you with familiarity. Certainly not everyone is blonde/tall in most of those communities or even close to it. The US has tons of diversity and you can find your pocket. It sounds like you’re talented, and that’s exactly what US businesses look for

  • LudicrousPlatypus@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Personally, it sounds like you already know you won’t be happy living in Sweden and don’t want to do so long term, so why prolong your unhappiness?

    Try looking at jobs in English speaking countries, like the US, UK, Australia, etc. If you can’t find anything, you can always move back to India.

  • binyshoi7@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I would say a move to the UK would be your best bet. Still in a similar region (but English speaking), you’ll have more access to the start up/entrepreneur scene and it’s so cosmopolitan. Being Indian as well you may have a more favourable visa situation with the UK than some other countries too.

  • RidetheSchlange@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    OP: if you’re finding Swedish easier to learn, but you’re not learning it, then you have no shot in another EU country unless you look at Ireland. Not only that, how are you not having an easy time in Sweden on English?

    You’re talking about going to another country and trying to integrate, but you’re already in one European country and not learning the language there. Integration means leaning the language.

    The other issue that’s becoming very conspicuous are Indians flooding into Europe, but as skilled, educated workers. The problem is they’re all moving to one neighborhood, then spilling over into the next ones and they refuse to mix with the countrypeople and refuse to learn the language. This is causing friction in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, NL, and other countries, despite these people being educated.

    • abstract_explorer@alien.topOPBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      The only reason being way too many Indians have gone to the US. It was my dream too, but I dropped realising I will not get a chance at the GC, and will spend many years if not decades in the queue. Hence I decided to give EU a shot. I guess other Indians also had the same in mind and hence moved to EU.

  • Life_Lawfulness8825@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    From a American perspective the gun violence is a problem in high crime areas. Almost everyone is a gun owner in this country. Most rural children can load, clean and reload a shotgun. America is a immigrant country so many languages are spoken here. I don’t think you would have a problem finding a job and friends. The key is to do it the legal way so you won’t get deported depending on who is currently running the government.

  • CABGX4@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    You could aim for the USA. Starting a business here is always encouraged and the American Dream still exists, especially if you’re educated. America is vast with so many cultures and climates. Head for a big city in the Northeast and start a business.

  • SensitiveDonkey5784@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    What is your priority? If it’s starting a business then India is the place for you, because it is not only work, but also networking, and being in a country that is full of entrepreneurs and business-minded people (If my perception of India is accurate, then this is the case there)

    Sweden has people setting up their own businesses but not as much as India.

    It is also something that consumes a lot of time, energy, and spirit, but so does being a foreigner in a foreign land. These are competing life experiences and maybe you can “have it all” but maybe you need to choose one and not the other to fully succeed in either of them.

    You could spend 1-2 years investing everything in learning Swedish and trying to integrate and have a good enough life there, and then move back to India knowing that you gave it your all and then set up your business. But I don’t know what your timeline is. If you want to set up a business soon and have no particular interest in being a foreigner in Sweden then I think the answer is more straightforward.

  • B0NSA1@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Ok, try something different. Serbia.
    It’s an IT hub recently, tons of Russian top IT companies moved. Tons of IT startups growing. A different perspective to think about.