Career growth in the US vs quality of life in Spain

Posted by Imaginary-Ad3548@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 35 comments

I’m 30, American/Colombian. I live in the US but spend time in Colombia. Two years ago I finished a master’s in data analytics but never landed a job in the field, so I’m currently working a remote call center job I honestly hate. All my experience is in call centers. I’m fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. I’m also not a fan of US hustle culture and would eventually want to move out.

Now I’m at a crossroads:

Option 1: Stay in my current remote job, apply for a nomad visa in Spain, and after 2 years get nationality and try to break into analytics there.

Downsides: I’m only making \~$2k/month, I hate the job, and I know the EU/Spain market is tough, and I’m honestly afraid that after getting the nationality with my current experience I’ll just end up landing more call center jobs.

Option 2: I was recently offered a spot in a data analyst development program at a big US bank in NY. It’s in-person and last around 3 years, but a huge step up career wise by the end I could be making 5x more money and finally get out of call center hell and have real experience.

Downsides: I’d be 33 when I finish, and I’m unsure how realistic it is to get a remote job to move to Europe or get EU visa sponsorship after.

What would you do ? Would appreciate any perspective, especially from people who’ve made a similar switch or moved to the EU later in their career.

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Sufficient-Job7098@reddit

It depends on your definition of “hustle”

In my opinion, for an American citizen, working in Colombian call center, then obtaining digital nomad visa, with hopes of getting Spanish citizenship, and THEN hopefully get an actual employment in Spain will require way more hustling

than just getting a normal job in US, settle into comfortable routine, focus on your hobbies.

I feel that if you were to carefully look around you would discover that there are many Americans who are choosing not to hustle because they don’t feel like it.

(I am European, naturalized American. English is not my native language so there is chance I don’t understand what Americans mean when they say “hustle”)

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GlobalCurry@reddit

Hustle in America basically just means your entire life revolves around a job/career and making money instead of hobbies or past time. Many people glorify live to work over work to live in America.

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SeanBourne@reddit

This is like if you’re in a tech startup, investment banking, law, consulting, early part of medical training, etc.

Beyond that a full-time job is just a full-time job. Sure, there are a few more hours than you’d get in Europe, and vacation allowances are initially low/ have to be built up with tenure, but a data analyst training program for a big bank is very unlikely to be a ‘sweaty’ gig.

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carnivorousdrew@reddit

This is only partially true. When I lived in the US, but maybe because it was Oregon, I would see most of my colleagues do hobbies and activities off work, go to parties, concerts, events, etc... The managers seemed the ones with almost no life tbh, but even then not all of them, there was one manager, who was not my manager unfortunately, who was such a nice and cool dude. I think the overworking thing is true only to a certain point and only to some people, it's more of a stereotype.

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Uncle_Richard98@reddit

It won’t be much different with his life revolving around immigration and trying to stay legal until he reaches the passport in Spain

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Sufficient-Job7098@reddit

How does it call when someone structure their life around immigration? Is it not hustle if it takes a lot of work, free time, money, resources that could had been used for hobbies?

Int3lligent-Pen1s@reddit

two things people seem to miss on threads like this. your colombian passport unlocks the 2-year naturalization path, which is genuinely huge and almost nobody else gets it. but spain's nomad visa wants about 2520 eur/month and you're at 2000, so you don't actually qualify yet without a raise or a second client.

moving later with an eu passport is likely the saner play. data analyst salaries in spain are roughly 30 to 45k eur for someone with 3 yrs us experience, which sounds painful until you also remember you won't pay 3k a month for rent and a bronze health plan. the real risk isn't "i'll be 33", it's "will i still want to leave the us after 3 years of the salary i've been chasing." some people do, some really don't.

also 33 is not old. half the americans landing in málaga lately are in their 40s with kids. nobody at the airport is checking your driver's license.

Papewaio7B8@reddit

The Spanish digital nomad visa requires, among other things, about 2750 euros per month. Your current job due not pay enough for this requirement.

Imaginary-Ad3548@reddit (OP)

Sorry, I forgot to include this in the post; I currently earn 2k by voluntarily working part time, for option 1 I would be able to request full time to earn basically double and meet digital nomad visa earning requirements.

rocksteadyrudie@reddit

Are you sure you would be able to work your remote job from Spain? I know a few ppl who get caught by vpn tracking location and get fired.

Then that requirement may be covered.

You should have check the other requirements. The one about social security is a frequent source of headaches. You will probably have to work as autonomo (freelance) in order to fulfill it. You would have to see if your employer is ok with it, and furthermore it would be advisable for you to see how being an autonomo works in Spain (it is a bit more complicated than being a salaried employee).

I am not saying that you should take this path instead of the US job, that is for you to decide. I am just making sure that you understand the full implications of the digital nomad visa (it is not as straightforward as it may look at first, as other people have realized after applying for it).

ArtUnable2331@reddit

The NY program honestly sounds like the clearer path. Three years of real analytics experience at a proper institution changes the conversation completely when you go to Europe later... whereas starting now with call centre experience puts you in a tough spot trying to break into a competitive market in a second language.

I totally get the fear about ending up in more call centre jobs after getting nationality, that's a really valid thing to think through before committing two years to it. But coming out the other side with a proper analytics background from a US bank is just a much stronger position to negotiate from. What area of analytics is the program focused on?

tnvoipguy@reddit

NYC job. You gotta break outta Call Center. AI replacing that job daily.

FoggyPeaks@reddit

US job in a heartbeat. Struggle sucks.

Take the US job - having that will increase your optionality significantly.

First the big US bank will be a recognizable name on your CV - which will only help with moves.

Additionally, 3 years of experience clears a lot of hurdles for roles (vs. just a degree, which without an internship, really can leave you in limbo as you’ve experienced).

As you’ll be in a big bank’s data analyst program, you won’t feel hustle culture like if you were at a tech startup. It should be a reasonable, full-time job, with the need to stretch periodically because you are still learning/developing.

It will probably be easier to pivot to Spain after 3 years of actual experience, possibly even via an interoffice transfer with that same US bank - a native Spanish speaker with data skills could reasonably be expected to be high on the list, and they might well prefer you (someone they’ve trained/ know the capabilities of) vs. a Spanish grad with no experience (or experience they don’t have a lot of faith in).

mango89001@reddit

Option 2. Lived in a bunch of expat hubs, met a lot of expats. It’s a good decision if you move already loaded, or with a business you can run online. But if you’re dependent on a local job, stay in the highest paying country: it will buy you a better life. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met in Portugal and other expat hubs that moved following the expat trends but didn’t think of the finances and ended up stuck there for years in misery, unable to make enough money, then stuck and not able to leave.

PassaTempo15@reddit

Option 2 definitely, once you acquire experience in data and a higher salary the immigration will be much easier if you still feel like doing it later, and 33 is still young nowadays, median age in Spain is almost 48 now

Tardislass@reddit

Take the NYC job and retire in Spain. The only really happy expats I’ve met in Spain are American retirees who don’t have to worry about jobs.

siriusserious@reddit

Look at it this way, you could move now, barely make enough money to qualify for the visa, working a job you hate with subpar career opportunities later on even if you become a citizen.

Or you do the New York grind for a couple of years, build your work experience, save as much money as you can (don't fall into the NYC spending trap) and then move to Spain in a much more comfortable positon, either:

With a high paying US remote job, not with a call center job
Good EU job offer and visa sponsorship
Or at the very least with a cushy 6 figures of savings

ChetoChompipe@reddit

Stay in the us. I am Central American and live in Germany. I am a mechanical engineer and have a German passport and degree. I cant find a job in Spain and I’ve tried hard. In Germany jobs come to me and if I get active I can find a job fast and well paid.

Ok_Blacksmith6985@reddit

33….GTFOOH. Easy decision, 33 is still very young

botella36@reddit

Salaries in Spain are low and housing in Madrid and Barcelona is quite expensive. I would take the US job, you can vacation in Spain and eventually retire in Spain.

PaulusDeBoskaboutert@reddit

Spain is more than Barcelona and Madrid…

Of course, but much fewer jobs for data scientists in the smaller cities.

With the current climate in Europe I wouldn’t be surprised if the Spanish government will stop the current DN visa in the near future. At the moment Spain experiences a huge influx of expats and the locals aren’t gonna tolerate that for much longer with the rising housing prices, overtourism and gentrification of cities, turning Spain into some sort of Disneyland…

phb71@reddit

You're super young - just focus on the cool work experience and the career opportunity for now. You've got time to chill in Spain.

WaterPretty8066@reddit

Option 2 is a no brainer and youd be crazy dumb not to accept that

phileat@reddit

Option 2, it’s not even a competition.

conceptalbums@reddit

I don't have any advice on Spain specifically, of course I've heard the job market is tough. But wanted to point out that I worked US hours in CET timezone (so like from 3pm to 11pm) and I wouldn't want to do that for more than a couple months. Yes it's nice to keep a US salary, but you'll be working in the time when southern Europeans are most free and social and it'll be harder to integrate into Spain working US hours. So I would consider that aspect of it too.

Hot_Catch6440@reddit

US job. Getting experience in the field you studied will open more opportunities later on.

No_Suspect_3462@reddit

I personally would take the US job. Making and saving money (in accounts that makes interest), making those career connections and putting in a serious innings with regards to a career you actually want to work in can open up so many doors in the longer-term. You're going to end up being 33 regardless, which decision is going to put you in the most beneficial position for a later stage of life?

I say this as someone who only started really working on their career at 32 and am now making up for 'messing around' and taking low-intensity jobs in my 20s.

KayT15@reddit

You have 2 really good options. Moving to NY opens lots of doors for you. Moving to Spain would open lots of other doors for you in a completely new day. Depends on if you are done living in the US or not. You can always just kinda work remote in Spain and just play around. You don't even necessarily have to live there permanently. Maybe working from Spain and living a more relaxing life while you job search might be just what you need. But you might also fall in love with NY? Part of me wants to recommend the leap to NY just for the experience. But if you are done with the US and don't want to live there anymore, it really doesn't make sense to waste anymore time there. It sounds like you have a big decision on your hands! Doesn't sound like you can go wrong either way, honestly. It's just one of those "crossroads." Good luck!