Comment by Broken_Hippo | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Broken_Hippo | Hacker News Reader

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I'll give you what I know:

I moved to Norway almost a year ago from the midwest US: I absolutely love it here and have no plans on returning to live. I can't give much career advise as I'm not working, but there are tech jobs in oil and naval industries from what I can gather. Being from the US, you will need a job before you move. I didn't have many moving expenses because honestly, I decided it was better to give my stuff away than to ship it plus I moved for marriage, so I had less to consider. Schools are good and higher education is free as well. The process seemed simple to get my residence permit: The most difficult part was waiting. I don't get permanent residency until a minimum of 3 years: until then renewal each year, mostly a process of a form, an interview perhaps, and some waiting. We do rent, as do most people here - I think we are paying around 8,000kr ($1300USD) and that is on the cheap end - though I'm in Trondheim and housing is cheaper outside of the city. Everything is expensive - I gave up trying to convert to USD and just learned the economy like I would a game. Though the actual cost of living is more here, the quality of life I have is greatly improved. I can walk everywhere safely. Public transportation is excellent - not having a vehicle is definitely not all that restrictive. Healthy food is the cheap food and healthcare is universal. I'm not fluent yet. It is important to learn (I start language classes next month) but isn't always required in some industries. Eating out is a rare treat because it is always expensive - but on the other hand, a good latte is cheaper than a bus ride. Yes, I do choose to walk with coffee instead of riding a bus at times. Nature is absolutely free - it is almost too bad I wasn't more of an outdoors person. Some of these I'm sure carry over to other countries: I imagine most people don't have dreams of living in the arctic, which comes with its own advantages/disadvantages depending on viewpoint.

I moved to Norway recently myself, but from New York City, where I am originally from. It is something I wanted to do for a long time, in part because my grandparents came from where I am now. All these points are true (cost, permit, etc.), but it is not a shock to me when living in Manhattan in terms of prices. There are some things that are quite expensive. My wife would compare food costs to buying stuff at Whole Foods.

Summertime in Norway is holiday time. People can take up to the whole month off. There is this thing called feriepenger where the government mandates that 10.5% of your salary is saved for vacation. It really stinks for the first year. :)

Shops close on Sundays (except gas station stores and Joker) and there is one government-ran store for wine/liquor/"strong beer". I just came here a few months ago, and I sort of miss having a nighttime. These are little things though. Of course though, YMMV.

I have been pursuing new job opportunties here. Most software development jobs tend to show up in Oslo, Stavanger and Bergen (three cities I am not in, I am in Southern Norway.) It is easiest to get a job in Oslo, particularly if you follow FINN.no when you try to find dev work. So, I'd probably suggest one of those three cities if you want to come here. (Haven't been to Stavanger, but Bergen is the prettiest, but seriously rainy).

Of course, YMMV anywhere. Just remember, despite what people write in the US media: Scandinavia is not a socialist paradise. :D

(EDIT: one other thing, I love banking here. Internet banking in the US still is sort of a novel idea. I had to pay by check for my rent; now I just do it through the bank site, along with other bills. There is a bunch of things I wish I saw in the US that I see here when it comes to banking.)

>>Summertime in Norway is holiday time. People can take up to the whole month off.

As a fellow Scandinavian I should clarify this:

Despite all the jokes about spending an afternoon in bed sleeping off a hangover and missing the summer, the summer is longer than one month.

I should also say I loved Bergen, the little I've been there. Despite the weather. I see a suitable job there, I'm going to apply for it.

The biggest point for me about this vacation time is how slow things are when you need to find work. I got a lot of "we'll be recruiting after the summer vacation." Oslo is probably different, I bet.

Regardless, I am securing work now with a company.

Oslo was not that different. I was told at my company to take July off as little business would be done so there was no point being in the office.

I found that a little disappointing as I would typically travel abroad or holidays and would much prefer to leave mid winter for a month and have a break from the darkness.

I'm now back in my home country Australia but not sure it was the right move. Weather is much better for lifestyle but life seems more complicated and to have more pressure/stress. In Norway you knew the government would look after you and while I've never used that support, nor expect to it was nice knowing it was there.

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