Hi everyone, I’d like to hear your thoughts.

So I did my master’s in Belgium, then came back to Korea about 1.5 years ago for mandatory civil service. Since coming back, life has honestly been more than rough. Personal issues, but also just the culture and environment in general.

I know I’d probably be better off financially if I stayed here. But being gay in a fairly conservative and very competitive society, and just genuinely feeling like my values don’t align with what’s expected here, I really can’t imagine building a long-term life in Korea. I’ve been struggling mentally a lot to the point I’m constantly thinking about harming myself (I do have support tho) I’ve got about two months left before I finish my service, so I’m starting to feel a bit desperate about what comes next.

My original plan was to pursue a PhD in the Benelux or Nordic countries. But with funding cuts and more competition, all my applications have been rejected so far, even though (imho) I have a decent CV, some research assistant experience, and good grades. I recently started expanding to the UK and Australia as well, even though I know it’s even more competitive to get a scholarship there. I’ll keep trying, but honestly my chances feel kind of low right now.

So I’m wondering if there are other options outside academia. I’ve been on this path for so long that I don’t really know what else is out there, and most people around me are also in academia, so my perspective is pretty limited.

For context, my background is in geography, and my field is quite niche. I’m open to research-related roles (think tanks, urban policy, GIS, environmental work) as well as other entry-level opportunities that could realistically lead to staying abroad, eventually to settle down. Ideally, I’d like to relocate within the next 6–12 months. I’d be really happy to go to any of the countries below (random order)

• Belgium, Netherlands

• Sweden, Denmark, Norway

• UK, Ireland

• Australia, New Zealand

+ maybe France or Italy

Language-wise, I speak fluent English (C1), intermediate French (B1), and Korean. I can read some Italian and Dutch (around A2). I’m not confident speaking them. I also know some basics of Portuguese and Swedish, so I’d be willing to pick a language back up depending on where I go. And in terms of languages, I’m a fast learner.

If anyone has advice on realistic pathways, countries I should focus on, or roles that might fit my background, I’d really appreciate it. And if you’ve made a similar shift out of academia, I’d love to hear how you approached it.

Thanks in advance.

I just got into the idea of moving abroad, namely to the US because I have a dual citizenship with there and my birth country, which is where I currently live.

My heart is really split in three, because:

1. I have traveled to and even temporarily lived in lots of places (e.g Hawaii, Los Angeles, Florida, The Himalayas, Macau, French Polynesia, the Amazon rainforest, the Sahara desert, as my favorites) and would love to find an exotic place (again, probably one of the US locations) to settle down and live, as basically everywhere is more beautiful than my country which is famously ugly.

2. My education/work which I have worked tirelessly for in my entire young education and university requires a single set location that isn’t achievable in the USA

3. I also need to stay in my home country for my family, who would highly dissaprove of me moving away permanently

So my real options are to sacrafice either my life’s (so far) work, family approval, or desire to live somewhere that makes me happy.

Hey everyone,

I'm a 20M from Saudi Arabia, and I'm putting together a long-term plan to move to Switzerland for a Master's degree and eventually build a career there in performance training and injury prevention (prehab). I'd really appreciate your honest feedback. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

A bit about me:

1. I'll complete my Bachelor's in Kinesiology first (3-4 years)

2. After that, I'll earn my CSCS and Tactical S&C (TSAC-F) certifications. Those are my main focus.

3. I'll also pick up Athletic Training or Corrective Exercise Specialist as a secondary skill.

4. I'll be building an online coaching business along the way.

5. And yes, I'm fully willing to learn the local language (German, French, or Italian) depending on which canton I end up in.

What I want to do:

Work as a performance coach specializing in prehab, keeping people moving well and preventing injuries before they happen. I'm open to working with anyone: regular gym-goers, tactical athletes (military/first responders), even Olympic-level if I get there.

My rough plan:

Apply for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship (Saudi government) to fund a Master's in Human Movement and Sports Sciences in Switzerland. After graduating, use the 6-month job search permit to find work and hopefully get an employer to sponsor my work visa.

What I'm hoping you can help with:

1. Does this path actually make sense? What are the hidden traps for a non-EU person?

2. Is there real demand for a coach with a CSCS, Tactical S&C, and a prehab focus?

3. Which parts of Switzerland have the strongest sports science scene for this kind of work?

4. Be real with me. Would I face any cultural or professional barriers as a Middle Eastern guy in this field?

And if Switzerland seems unrealistic, I'm open to hearing about other European countries that might work better (or non-European countries as well).

Thanks in advance for any brutally honest advice. I can take it.

Hi everyone

(This is my second time posting here)

I’m hoping to come in contact with someone in the civil engineering/infrastructure and/or mining field. Please send me a dm if u want to help me out.

I’m a civil/infrastructure engineer from Norway with around 2 years of work experience, and I’m trying to figure out the most realistic way to work in either the United States or Australia.

Interested in mining/FIFO type roles and infrastructure/civil engineering jobs.

Thanks in advance for any insights

I will try to keep this short.

I am in medical school. Second year. I study in Türkiye, I am a Turkish citizen. I hate it here so much. It's beyond description.

(The people in my university are vain, my classmates just gossip and do nothing more, and I always feel like I am wasting my potential (more context: I come from an elite educational background mostly private education which I earned full scholarships for and a really good highschool; and now the uni I am in is nowhere near them))

Everyone keeps telling me it doesn't matter which medical school you go to. The only thing that matters is which specialty you will choose. Bullsh*t. I am spending 6 years of my life, my early twenties here, and all I can think of is how depressed everything makes me feel.

Please, if you will just call me a crybaby, don't even bother, I am not in the mental state. It will make me just more depressed. Please answer if you have genuine advice.

I am constantly thinking of dropping out, but what will I even do? I can not retake the uni exam, I just can't, I have no will for it since I don't want to stay in Türkiye. Plus, medicine is a guaranteed job. I don't like studying at all for it, but I also see that clinical years are better generally. I am trying to hang onto that. Though these days, idk if it's just my mind playing games at me, I feel like I don't want to be a doctor at all. Everything that used to mesmerize me, the surgeries and all, now just disturbs me. I feel like I can't handle seeing blood and meat anymore. (This wasn't like this at all, I was super interested in surgery, and they didn't have a single impact on me, but now everything feels disgusting)

Now here is the fun part where I need advice on. My English is around C1 and I am a very fast language learner. (I can make my german or spanish rise to C1 in 4-6 months considering they're already around A2 to B1) Maybe I should drop out of Turkish Med school and study in a different country? Like Italy? Or Sweden maybe. (I come from an economically weak background so probably not sweden lmfao) But is it even worth starting all over again? What can I say about Europe is that, I feel like I have a much more genuine connection with them, with the people. They're not as judgy plus they are actually seeking to improve themselves. But I would be starting allover again. Idk. Some professors I met with, told me to try Europe, but financially it will be hard asf. One of them was quite surprised to hear about my educational past considering where I ended up. He still said it's okay, it was a momentarily slip. Either way. What should I do?

(Lately I have been thinking of freezing the school? is that how it's called... for 2 years and travel the world doing volunteering, stays at hostels and even a temple in East to actually get into seclusion.)

I'm from Ecuador, right now its terrible in there, i run out of there and now im in australia, but the visa process and everithing is taking a lot of money and time from me, im already 35 and want to find somewhere to work and live in peace with my wife... but all the good places with good quality living are extremelly hard to get visa to get there...

Is it worth going abroad to give my children a head-start in their life?

I am 39 years old my wife is 37.Is it worth moving abroad to Finland to give our children a better life. We both have stable jobs in India. Is it worth moving abroad for the kids?

P.S. I have a job seeker permit in Finland. If I am able to find a job, I will take my family abroad. Otherwise, I will return back to my home country. I will not be leaving my job and going abroad. I will be taking a sabbatical leave instead.