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:
- Find another job in Sweden and try hard to integrate into society. Not sure if it’s a good idea in the long run?
- Go back to India and work on something interesting. Friends/family support and Indian food/culture is always beneficial.
- 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!
Having a language gap is quite difficult to adjust to (my cousin and her fam lives in Sweden and she had to learn Swedish).
My suggestion is you have to decide where your happiness lies. Is it with your career progression or with your pass times.
Of its with career both India and Sweden should be good? But if you feel you are giving up by going to India, something is holding you back try a little harder to fit in before you do. Learn the language, try and make friends, find circles such as Indians that live there to feel more at home.
If its pass time after work that fuels you then it’s better to go back home where you can relate to your culture.
Just a warning, speaking the same language won’t necessarily close the culture gap. Every country you go to will feel alien the first few months or years. Your adaptability is what will make it a success.