I just discovered Happier Abroad (Thank God)

Post by **jamesbond** » June 1st, 2013, 6:50 pm

Welcome to Happier Abroad scott529, glad you found our forum.

xiongmao · Post by **xiongmao** » June 1st, 2013, 7:37 pm

I also work in IT.

It's possible to find work online. I'm doing some on oDesk. But remember you're competing against Indians who will work for $3 an hour.

Of course $3 an hour code looks like $3 an hour code, but fixing $3 an hour code is keeping me busy!

Best thing if you're in IT is to get a good job back home, save up $$$$ then go and have a damned good time living off your savings for a while.

scott529 · Post by **scott529** » June 2nd, 2013, 8:40 am

@Rock, thanks for the info on D.R.! I know what you mean about safety, but at this point I have a handful of friends in Santo Domingo who keep me moving in the right direction when I visit. And if I do choose D.R. as my destination to live/teach during 2014, then I'll probably live in either the University Zone or Colonial Zone, both of which are relatively safe. But I am interested to learn more about your time in Asia. How would you compare those experiences to D.R. in terms of social dynamics?

@E Irizarry, I'm a web & user interface designer. I discover work through corporate recruiters who find me contracts that are 6-9 months in duration. When the contract is over, I take my 6-9 months' worth of savings and then travel as much as possible...I then return to the U.S. and repeat the process. No corporate ladder, no promotions, no dreams of a corner office. To me, work is just a paycheck, a means to a greater end of traveling abroad.

@Xiongmao, as I was saying above, I completely agree with you. The "work, save, and travel" strategy has worked great for me. So now I'm ready to make the "travel" portion much longer. The goal is to aggressively save during 2013 so that I can spend an entire year (or more) living in either Brazil or Dominican Republic. I'm actually seeking some advice in deciding between these 2 locations, but it's been difficult for me to find someone who's visited/lived in both countries.

E Irizarry R&B Singer · June 2nd, 2013, 6:52 pm

@Scott529,

Oh alright. Well I work with XML/XLST/Internet file-streaming handle proceses, Workflows, client-sided object model of Sharepoint 2007 (MOSS) and SP 2010.

I haven't dwelled into SP 2013 yet. SP 2010 is still the norm and has a lot of Business Intelligence capabilities and a very robust BCS capability for loosely-coupled legacy systems.

I go through Indian recruiters that call me over VoIP from India (LOL) (hell that is how m0st IT recruiters are nowadays stateside). And no, I do not program in VB.NET. I code in

C-sharp (C#) when coding Web Parts, BCS web services, and LINQ for data-structural query-retrieval and manipulation.

Array9 · Post by **Array9** » June 3rd, 2013, 12:58 am

Welcome to the board Scott. I am also in the IT field

Although I have moved down South, my family still lives in Queens. Dominicans are very nice looking ladies who are all over Manhattan(Washington Heights). IMO, the most beautiful women in NYC are the Puerto Ricans in the Bronx. There are nothing but bubble butts all over the place especially the Fordham Road area.

If you should choose Brazil, the economy is strong, the weather is nice and the women are gorgeous. I wish you the best on your upcoming move abroad.

ringspun · Post by **ringspun** » June 3rd, 2013, 4:03 am

I figure try to own 3 properties by retirement and rent all out allowing you freedom of travel to all these countries.

I am in Sosua, Dominican Republic for the first time in early September, should anyone be around?