I've been thinking about my want to move abroad a while now and have been more worried about committing as time goes on, so I wanted to get some thoughts on those who actually live in the country to help see if moving would be a good or bad decision for me.
As it stands I live and work in the US in software at a multi-national company. They have offices in Japan and I thought about transferring to one of the offices as I get more solidified in my role. I have 3 years of experience and joined my current job in March (I'm currently 25 years old). I've had the idea of moving to Japan since I was a teen and started learning Japanese seriously since 2019 (around N3 now), so this seemed like a natural step in my life.
However I've had a lot of concerns come up as I think about the logistics of me moving.
My biggest concern overall is finances. I already knew Japan would pay significantly less but the recent reduction in value the Yen has had is concerning to me. I'd literally be halving my income by moving alone and while I'm okay with that since the cost of living is cheaper, I'm concerned about how it ties into my overall finances.
Here in the US I heavily push into my 401k, ETFs, and bonds; which make me feel tied down to the US. I anxiously feel that if I do move, it's like economically shooting myself in the foot for no reason. Like the work I put in while living in the US is for naught if I stay long term in Japan. Breeding the fear that I have to stay in the US because I'm building a nest egg here, even if I want to move abroad.
However I still have the thought to move even if on paper it seems like an awful idea. My only line of reasoning as to why, would be that I never envisioned my life staying in the US long term, I always felt like moving abroad would be an "inevitability". Throughout the years I kept reconsidering moving because I've had friends in college who lived abroad and didn't advocate for it, I also never hear anything good about Japan in the news, and overall I have the disparaging feeling that it's future seems like it's only going to get worse.
So I reached out to therapists to help with my anxiety surrounding this issue, and my analysis paralysis. Multiple told me that because I had such a long-standing interest in the country and learning the language that I should make the jump there and move, despite my anxiety with it. I had deep conversations with them about it, and an emotional part of me wants to go, but my logical side is holding my back due to all the financial and career risks.
I know this is a deeply personal decision, but my question for those living there is, is this bad decision for me? How did you decide to move, what things did you have to give up to make the move?
by thechief120