I've just got a proposal to get hired and relocated to SF. The proposal is valid for me and my team (we're 5).
Difficult choice : be an entrepreneur in Strasbourg or a software engineer in SF.
Have you ever encounter a similar choice ? What did you choose ? Any advices ?
Going to a different country will teach you things both about the place you move to, and about your home. It will give you new perspectives and experiences that you can't get any other way. You will be a better person for it.
And if it doesn't work out, you can always move back.
This is something I've thought about a lot, partially because I feel fortunate in the opportunities in my life presently, so when there's a chance to up and go some place I'm forced to weigh opportunity cost. Correct me if I'm wrong, but to me it sounds like you're saying that the opportunity to work in another country is almost always a greater opportunity?
Of course there is an opportunity cost, and if you have family and kids it might be too high, but if I was in that situation, I'd try to take my family with me. I have other friends and acquaintances that lived elsewhere for a few years as a kid, and all of them only had positive stories to tell of it.
The cornerstone of intellectualism is the ability to imagine the world from different perspectives, to realize that not everyone is the same, and nothing teaches you that like traveling or moving to a different country, and it will make you a better person.
for the last several years of my life since I did it, it's been one of my cornerstone experiences.
Being an entrepeneur is not only about being the boss of your own company. I think many people get this wrong. Entrepreneurship should be in the blood. The hunger, the curiosity, the will to change the daily-job status quo.
I used to run my own 2 companies with 2 partners, but I decided to change something and try another approach. Currently I have a well payed job which allows me to save money for peronal business experiments. The main reason why I decided to give up my previous 2 companies was that I did not like the enviroment. Don't get me wrong, my partners were good guys, but I felt no chemistry and no inspiration.
My suggestion: go for it. Being a software engineer in SF will open new gates for you and if entrepreurship is in your blood, you can not fail. ;)
I moved from the UK to Japan nearly two years ago (with g/f of 7 years). Sometimes being away form home sucks, as does the frequent feeling of isolation and knowledge that if the work life sucks you have to leave the country. Sometimes its amazing - I love the country (and my work) and the people I have met. My overriding feeling is that even though I really miss a lot of my UK life, (including the company I worked for on the odd occasion) I am glad I took the leap, for no other reason than I got to experience this.
YMMV
Long: How many times can this happen? Honestly?? How big is the startup? How much press do they get ON A DAILY BASIS? How much equity would you get? How big is their market?
You can always come back to (beautiful!) Strasbourg. You won't have many other similar opportunities.
It's always a good opportunity to save money and see in 3 years where you are and decide which way to go (continue to SF or come back in France). It could be a good stimulant for your entrepreneurship and intellectual skills as well.
But your current position has a lot of good points too.
I'm always thinking about what I want in my life, this is what is really important here.
Choose what you think is best for you..
We didn't speak about visas ATM.