Chapter 3

[boltnrun]

How about a situation like the company I work for? Headquarters is in the UK but it has branches in several countries including the US. If I wanted to transfer to Brazil, for instance, I could. Of course it wouldn't be as simple as just moving over there but the company would handle the transfer. And one of the engineers in my department is originally from the UK and transferred here to the US. The company took care of all the required paperwork. (Disclaimer: I don't know how long ago he transferred from the UK to the US). 

Perhaps that might be an option for you. 

[dias]

2 minutes ago, boltnrun said:

How about a situation like the company I work for? Headquarters is in the UK but it has branches in several countries including the US. If I wanted to transfer to Brazil, for instance, I could. Of course it wouldn't be as simple as just moving over there but the company would handle the transfer. And one of the engineers in my department is originally from the UK and transferred here to the US. The company took care of all the required paperwork. (Disclaimer: I don't know how long ago he transferred from the UK to the US). 

Perhaps that might be an option for you. 

Yes this is an option. The obstacle here is to get a job at a company that has branches in the US. Well, the last company I worked for in the UK had a branch in the US, I was contemplating to apply for a job in the US branch at some point....that is before I was kicked out. What am saying is, it's not that I am the only one choosing the companies I work for, they have to agree to that too hahahaha

[boltnrun]

Oh yeah, of course. But it seems you have a skill set that employers would find attractive. 

[dias]

I started looking for a job in the UK again. I haven't followed the news, it seems there is a recession because the job adverts for Data Engineers are not even 50% of what it used to be a couple of years ago. I can also see the salaries have decreased substantially. Hmmm not a good period for the IT industry. I am not worried, I will figure it out, as always 🙂

[dias]

I have an interview tomorrow with an American company, it opened offices in Athens and they are looking for people. I am only considering this job because it offers (potential) relocation to the US. I have prepared, let's see how it goes, you never know what they will ask.

I also emailed the start-up outside of Liverpool that offered me a job back in February. We will have a chat again mid July. Hmmm, I need to play my cards right. 

[Jibralta]

Good luck! 

[boltnrun]

5 hours ago, dias said:

I have an interview tomorrow with an American company, it opened offices in Athens and they are looking for people. I am only considering this job because it offers (potential) relocation to the US. I have prepared, let's see how it goes, you never know what they will ask.

I also emailed the start-up outside of Liverpool that offered me a job back in February. We will have a chat again mid July. Hmmm, I need to play my cards right. 

🤞

Good luck!

[dias]

I skim Alex's thread about dating. Although it's true what most members mentioned (that the guy wasn't interested enough from the beginning) I don't think the advice given is very helpful. The reason I am saying this is because you don't know how the person behind the screen looks like and behaves in real life. 

First, not everybody finds the right guy/gal in their life. This is simply not true. There is a chance you won't ever find find this person. Second, let's hypothetically say some members are attractive, they won't have the same experiences with men like gals who are not as attractive. Period. It's a completely different ball game. The reality is only pretty girls have limitless options (and for a certain period of time of course). 

Well, I my stance on advice is don't listen to anyone, everyone is different, you need to figure it out on your own. 

[Jibralta]

10 hours ago, dias said:

The reality is only pretty girls have limitless options (and for a certain period of time of course).

Not limitless. But more options, I grant you. I suppose that stacks the odd in our favor, but it doesn't guarantee success in finding the right partner. There are too many other variables involved. Also, the attention you get as a pretty girl is often unpleasant. There are plenty or creeps, pervs, and bullies bombarding you. Those aren't exactly "options." It's a lot to manage, and tricky to manage. Over the last 15 years or so, my looks have steadily declined. If I don't wear makeup and dress sharp, I hardly get a passing glance from most guys. I find that I don't miss that attention (or the ulterior motives lol). I enjoy being treated as a person more than as a conquest or sex object. 

[dias]

I am struggling with routine, I am having a very hard time coping with boredom. It's not that I am not doing things, it's that everything is more or less the same everyday. The dopamine from the trip wore off. I don't have annual leave left until Christmas. I don't know what to do, I go through the motions. Aside from the YouTube videos, there is nothing to anticipate in the immediate future. Childhood friends have drifted apart, my only communication is with my colleagues.  At least, the company hosted a nice beach party which was fun. That was something but having one fun night every two months is not enough. 

I had a few interviews, no results as of yet. I had my performance review in my current job, I was told it was positive. In the UK it was stellar, in Greece it is only positive hahahaha. I would be offended in any other case but I acknowledge it's not a stressful or difficult job most days so this is a walk in the park compared to my previous job. I can't really complain. Although some of my colleagues claim it's very stressful and they work overtime....most people would believe what you say in the end so I get it....I doubt they work 3 hours completely focused and without getting flustered. 

No friends, no interesting dates, no interesting job...I miss travelling soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much. Sigh......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................I need adventures..............................................................

If I continue like this I will explode at some point.

[dias]

I like this guy, he has cool songs. 

 

[dias]

Uh oh.

Hmmm my parents argued last night, my mother went to the hospital due to a panic attack, my father left the house and he is not answering not even my phone calls. Bro is coming from the US for a few days. What a mess. Bro was certain he has an affair and I now I believe he is correct. I knew my father would bang a random chick now and then but I didn't believe he would develop an affair. Nonetheless, his attitude relieve something else. There will be a come to Jesus moment in the next few days. Tough days ahead. 

[Jibralta]

Uh oh.

[dias]

I came to a cafeteria by the beach today to work. It's so relaxing and I am even more productive. Got to be the breeze. I should do it more often.

[boltnrun]

You're lucky. I work for a company that does confidential government work and we have to get approval in advance to work in a remote location. I moved to a new apartment and had to provide the address so the company network access could be granted. If it's an unapproved location I could potentially be denied access to the company server. 

The location where you're working looks beautiful. I'd love to visit Greece and enjoy the beautiful scenery and the delicious food.

[dias]

Eventually I had this interview at the American company. To my surprise they got back saying they were impressed by my technical knowledge. The funny thing is, I would give myself something like 6.5 out of 10 which is not that great given the salary I asked. Anyway, the final interview was with the project manager which never happened because he chose another candidate. I was disappointed because the technical interview is the difficult one and most importantly it was one of those companies which provided sponsorship. There are not many around like this. Ahhh.......life

 

I have a feeling though. I have a feeling something good will happen in August. I don't know what but usually my instinct is correct. Fingers crossed 🤞 

[Jibralta]

🤞

[dias]

Usually in life all good/bad things happen altogether at once. Whether it's dating or work or whatever, it still applies. 

I said I have a good feeling. I believe this week we will know the answer. I will make sure not to screw up!!!!

Fingers crossed!!! Fingers crossed!!!Fingers crossed!!!Fingers crossed!!!Fingers crossed!!!Fingers crossed!!!Fingers crossed!!!Fingers crossed!!!Fingers crossed!!!Fingers crossed!!!Fingers crossed!!!Fingers crossed!!!Fingers crossed!!!Fingers crossed!!!Fingers crossed!!!Fingers crossed!!!Fingers crossed!!!

[dias]

F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!F*******CCCKKKK YEAHHHHH!!!!!

 

I KNEW IT. 

[Jibralta]

Hopefully a good thing happened 🙂

[dias]

6 hours ago, Jibralta said:

Hopefully a good thing happened 🙂

Good is an understatement. Something G-R-E-A-T happened. A wish came true!

It was a hell of a week. On Wednesday I had an interview with the start-up outside of Liverpool again. I reached out and asked them if they have any interesting projects going on. They also hired a former colleague from the last company I worked at, it was nice to talk to Steve again. I could practically asked for anything, work remotely from Greece, work as an employee, work as a contractor, ask for more money...they would accept my terms. But I didn't like the projects, no matter how much money you give me (to an extent of course) if I don't like what I am doing I won't do it. The last question was "Are you coming back to the UK?" and I am like I don't know I haven't decided. I find it hard to go back to the rain, I would be miserable. 

On Thursday, I met with an new acquaintance I was introduced by some colleagues. He is an account manager (salesman) in the IT industry. I asked him if he would be interested in a start-up. I liked his vibe as a person and he isn't the typical slimy sales person. Unfortunately, he brought a friend of his who has a consulting company that helps start-ups to scale in order to give us some advice. First, this guy is as slimy as you can get, typical salesman basically, I didn't like him from the first second. Second, someone who has a consulting company who helps start-ups to scale is basically a hustler, he would have been rich already if he knew how to scale a company. For me he is a scammer. The thing is, the first salesman that I liked became partner of this guy's company so he is not really interested in starting a business with someone else (me in this case). Bottom line, nothing came out from this. Damn, slimy people make me want to puke. Slimy and hustler, can't get any worse. 

Now to the fantastic part of the week. By fluke, by a moment of pure serendipity, the American company reached out again. They told me there were some new openings and we booked an interview the very next day. Yesterday I received the offer. It was 55K euros (which is the max you can get as an engineer in Greece) for a Senior Engineering position which is fully remote. On top of that, as I mentioned before it's one of the few companies that you can work for a year or two and if you are good you can apply for relocation. It has offices basically all over the planet. As you know I am interested in relocating to the US. I mean, how can it get better than this? This was my wish. Senior position, maximum salary, fully-remote and potentially with the relocation option to the US. The market is quite small in Greece compared to other countries so you can imagine the odds. Fingers crossed the work environment would be good. 

I did prepare for the interviews, yes, however, I have to acknowledge there is a lot of luck involved. If they offer me relocation to Austin in a year or so I would start believing in dreams again. 

 

[Jibralta]

Woo-hoo! Sounds like you are on a great track 😀

[dias]

I don't want to get overexcited until I sign the contract and work a few months to see if it fits me. So far the communication was pretty good.

I have a good feeling about the future. I believe my thirties will be quite awesome in general. 

[dias]

Looking so Greek right now 😆 

Chilling at a cafeteria by the ⛱️  with bro drinking coffee. Can't get more Greek than this.

[dias]

Damn, I had some intense dreams yesterday. I don't usually have dreams. Must be the gyros, I ate 3 big ones. I am being sloppy this week with food. I was too lean for quite some time. At some point my body gets tired with the low body fat and I need to put a couple of kilos to recover. I never stop working out so it's relatively easy to lose weight. 

I did see the Mexican girl I met in New Orleans in my dreams. Strange. I guess I really liked her. Too bad nothing will ever happen in real life. 

I have become friends with some of my colleagues, mainly two girls that we go out for a beer after work sometimes. They are just friends, there is no interest for anything more from both sides, but I do like spending time with them because I can be myself and we laugh a lot. It's so rare to find people that you can be yourself with them. Anyway, one of them brought her cousin when we had a company event as I told her I am on the market. She was an ok girl but we didn't click. I know I must appear so fussy and picky. If I met her on a dating app I might played the game for a little bit just for sex but now it would jeopardize my friendship. 

I don't believe I am that picky, ok I am to a degree but I think it's mostly that I don't go out a lot to actually give myself a chance to meet people. It's so boring going out alone to bars for the only purpose to meet people like I am going hunting. 

Hmmm I might be fussy I don't know, maybe I have become so complacent being alone that I am too lazy to take on this part time job.