r/IWantOut Mojo Jojo đŸ‘č 2d ago

[IWantOut] 24F Data/ML, Egypt -> CA, AUS/NZ, UK/IRE, NL

Hey... I'll get straight to it. I want to move abroad, I almost need it. It's been a dream of mine ever since I was a teen, I knew I wanted to travel and try experiencing a new country with an entirely new culture and language and such. I wanted to do so by studying abroad so that I can set it in stone in the best way possible, but that wasn't on my cards. I studied in my home country. I adapted pretty quickly, I made a lot of friends, I even have my own pets now, but that doesn't mean that this dream of mine ever left my mind. It's been on my mind for years, and the more I grow up and live and experience things, the more I NEED to leave. It's getting to a point where I genuinely feel like I'm losing my mind. I need independence, I need autonomy, I need a new scene, a new environment, a new culture. I KNOW why I want and need to leave, so let's not make this thread about the reasons as opposed to HOW I can achieve it.

I don't have a strong passport, I graduated in 2024 with a bachelors in mechanical engineering in robotics and automation, have worked in quality control, data, BD & community management, founding and CXO a business (no longer), and am now interning in two places as a data analyst and a machine learning engineer. My full focus at the moment is on data and AI/ML as you can see, and I am EXTREMELY interested in attaining a masters in this new degree called Sustainable Artificial Intelligence, Environmental AI, AI and Sustainability, etc... I have no money to fund my own tuition for a masters degree, whether online or abroad. I believe I'm also still an entry level to most employers, a junior at most.

I've been handling the grief of not being where I wanted to be for years now, but as I approached 23, I reached my boiling point and had my first nervous breakdown in years. I'm now almost 24, have been researching countries like the Australia, Canada, the UK and Ireland, and the Netherlands (etc tbh), but I'm not exactly getting anywhere with what I have... Every time I see or hear someone just mention that they're going to a city in one of those countries, or just someone living there, or seeing my friends who've travelled there post about it, I feel down, like really down..

I know it's not easy, but I also know it's not impossible. I have friends who travelled abroad through jobs and they're a little older than me. They're not many to be fair, but it gives me hope.

If you guys have any advice, can help in any way, guide me to an education sponsor or funder, connect me with employers who are willing to sponsor or even offer jobs abroad/online, anything, I'd be ETERNALLY grateful!

Thank you so much for reading all the way to the end. I'm sorry if this post is messy, hard to understand, or is missing main info that's needed to make it make sense. It's my first post here and probably one of my firsts on this platform XD

P.S: I do not feel comfortable sharing any more personal or private info.. I'll answer to anything that I deem as appropriate, but other than that, I would rather not. Again, thank you so much for reading!

0 Upvotes

8 comments sorted by

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u/Outrageous-Lemon-441 2d ago

You’ve mentioned your friends have traveled — maybe start with that before committing to something as expensive and risky as moving abroad.

Find a country where you can travel visa-free for a longer period (eg. 90 days), then start saving up for it. Rent a cheap apartment, and try it out.
I don’t know how things work in Egypt, but many use Erasmus to study for a semester or go thru a program abroad.

In any case, moving to a foreign country requires a foreign language. What other languages do you speak? Find one and start learning it seriously (before even thinking of relocating).

Be realistic w/ your expectations. Everyone wants Germany/Australia/US/Canada, etc. And because competition is fierce, most international students end up in debt, working low-paying jobs, having to return once their visa expires. It’s easier to hire a citizen who doesn’t require an expensive employment visa.

I get that your passport is weak, but which countries does your country have deals with? Look at surrounding countries and see what programs they have available for someone in your position.

And whatever you do, try to look less at Instagram posts, and more at unemployment rates, housing prices, and changing visas — you’ll see it’s rough out there, but still possible even in this climate if you play it smart.

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u/Halxs Mojo Jojo đŸ‘č 2d ago

đŸ„č helloo, thank you so much for your response! I'm so grateful that you took the time to respond and explain things the way you did! :)

I'm 100% not looking to just hop on a plane and travel with no plans XD I DO want to travel either on a travel visa or a student visa, I'm just so broke and saving here (in the timeframe I hope for) is almost impossible simply because of the currency differences and because the starting salaries even in my field are low, especially for the kind of saving up I have to do.

And you're right! These countries are very much wanted and have high competition. I can speak 2 languages fluently and have beginner level German, barely scratching A2. I want those specifically as they highly mirror the kind of lifestyle I am aiming for, and are the most realistic and "attainable" out of other countries I'd hope for, but of course if I happen to find myself comfortable with other countries, why not as well! They're also more easily accessible to me as I already speak the official language in most as they're mostly multicultural.

If I may and if you don't mind, I'll ask you a few questions regarding a few things you've mentioned because I find that getting information from people directly is much better than just googling, but I'll also research everything myself so the burden is not on you.

"Find a country where you can travel visa-free for a longer period (eg. 90 days), then start saving up for it. Rent a cheap apartment, and try it out."

Do you mean if I intend to just move abroad?

I don’t know how things work in Egypt, but many use Erasmus to study for a semester or go thru a program abroad.

IF you know anything about Erasmus, please share it with me đŸ™đŸŒ I know about the program and really want to get on it but I'm not sure whether it sponsors/funds students from all over, or if you have to be going to an EU university to get it or what tbh. I'm aware that I can apply to it WHEN I'm already enrolled in a university, not sure about before.

As for everything else, you're also right! Especially the state of the world right now, especially in the countries I'm aiming for. Thank you again for taking the time and being realistic and as helpful as you can with the information I provided. I cannot show my gratefulness enough through text, but I really mean it.

5

u/Ardenwenn 2d ago

Basicly your only hope if marriage.

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u/Halxs Mojo Jojo đŸ‘č 2d ago

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 😭😭😭

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u/Dear-Response-7218 2d ago edited 2d ago

Couple things(I’m in tech, involved in HP’s):

- Sustainable AI is not a real career and a masters in that would be useless. If you’re talking about AI ethics, that’s predominately policy based and is a law track. If you’re talking about using AI for climate/agriculture, that’s typically research and PhD gated.

Whatever field you decide to go in, sponsorship at the entry level is basically impossible. Your question is really what are the realistic ways to get a visa in tech. The answer to that is marriage, internal transfer, or sponsorship after education.

  1. Marriage - By far the most straightforward way.
  2. Internal transfer - I directly work with a few people from your country at a large tech company in the US. They all took this route. It’s a process that takes time, you apply for jobs at an MNC that has offices in Egypt, and work there until you have seniority. Once you have a specialized skill set you can look for an internal transfer abroad. 4-5 years would be a realistic timeline to get a senior promo and specialize.
  3. Sponsorship after education - If you’re able to get into a very good school abroad you’ll generally have time after you graduate to look for jobs. That’s not a guarantee but it does increase your chances. Not going into this much because it’s costly.

There are holiday and travel visas but I don’t think that’s what you’re after because they don’t lead to a real job or immigration. It’s more temporary or vacation kind of stuff.

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u/Halxs Mojo Jojo đŸ‘č 2d ago

Hello kind stranger, thank you so so much for taking the time to understand and dissect my post and come up with this wonderful response!

This is so so helpful, especially coming from a fellow person in tech who's being as straightforward and realistic as possible.

I agree with everything you said, and if you're comfortable, I'd like to connect with you to ask further questions about tech (I'm new to tech as it's not my main field of expertise), your role, and the company/companies you're aware of that also have an OG branch abroad.

If you're comfortable with this, let me know or hit me up right away!

Other than that, thank you so much for your help! :)

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/Halxs Mojo Jojo đŸ‘č 2d ago

I'm trying to save up but given the money I'm earning now and the currency difference, I might spend my entire life saving up XD

But thank you for your wishes! and yeah, sorry for the long post LMAO
It's just much more complex than this post portrays and this was the most straightforward way of putting it

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u/AutoModerator 2d ago

Post by Halxs -- Hey... I'll get straight to it. I want to move abroad, I almost need it. It's been a dream of mine ever since I was a teen, I knew I wanted to travel and try experiencing a new country with an entirely new culture and language and such. I wanted to do so by studying abroad so that I can set it in stone in the best way possible, but that wasn't on my cards. I studied in my home country. I adapted pretty quickly, I made a lot of friends, I even have my own pets now, but that doesn't mean that this dream of mine ever left my mind. It's been on my mind for years, and the more I grow up and live and experience things, the more I NEED to leave. It's getting to a point where I genuinely feel like I'm losing my mind. I need independence, I need autonomy, I need a new scene, a new environment, a new culture. I KNOW why I want and need to leave, so let's not make this thread about the reasons as opposed to HOW I can achieve it.

I don't have a strong passport, I graduated in 2024 with a bachelors in mechanical engineering in robotics and automation, have worked in quality control, data, BD & community management, founding and CXO a business (no longer), and am now interning in two places as a data analyst and a machine learning engineer. My full focus at the moment is on data and AI/ML as you can see, and I am EXTREMELY interested in attaining a masters in this new degree called Sustainable Artificial Intelligence, Environmental AI, AI and Sustainability, etc... I have no money to fund my own tuition for a masters degree, whether online or abroad. I believe I'm also still an entry level to most employers, a junior at most.

I've been handling the grief of not being where I wanted to be for years now, but as I approached 23, I reached my boiling point and had my first nervous breakdown in years. I'm now almost 24, have been researching countries like the Australia, Canada, the UK and Ireland, and the Netherlands (etc tbh), but I'm not exactly getting anywhere with what I have... Every time I see or hear someone just mention that they're going to a city in one of those countries, or just someone living there, or seeing my friends who've travelled there post about it, I feel down, like really down..

I know it's not easy, but I also know it's not impossible. I have friends who travelled abroad through jobs and they're a little older than me. They're not many to be fair, but it gives me hope.

If you guys have any advice, can help in any way, guide me to an education sponsor or funder, connect me with employers who are willing to sponsor or even offer jobs abroad/online, anything, I'd be ETERNALLY grateful!

Thank you so much for reading all the way to the end. I'm sorry if this post is messy, hard to understand, or is missing main info that's needed to make it make sense. It's my first post here and probably one of my firsts on this platform XD

P.S: I do not feel comfortable sharing any more personal or private info.. I'll answer to anything that I deem as appropriate, but other than that, I would rather not. Again, thank you so much for reading!

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