7 pointsby Slaboli7 hours ago9 comments
  • yodsanklai7 minutes ago
    As other pointed out, it's very difficult to answer as we're not you...

    Ideally, I'd try to talk to people who made similar decisions (e.g. Turkish migrating to Portugal or similar) so you can perhaps add new information to your options.

    Regarding the financial weight: this money is lost already, so shouldn't be taken into account for the decision.

    Living abroad is aways a valuable experience. On the other hand, if you have a low income and little opportunity for growth, this can be a frustrating on the medium term. If you go that path, maybe try to think ahead to see what will be your next step. Suppose you don't like Portugal, could you fall back to your option B after 2 years?

  • ggm7 hours ago
    These kinds of multivariate decisions are extremely hard and what decision support systems were designed to work with. Typically you construct a model with all the qualitative questions, and a process which weighs each of them against each other drives something like a weighted centroid outcome.

    The problem with asking strangers is the lack of investment and consequences to decisions. So if I say Portugal it has zero context to how your emotions will cope with e.g. sudden deterioration of your parents health, or racism, or language issues. If I say turkey it's based on outsider sense of place as a visitor with no exposure to the political risk.

    Decision support is part of operations research. A good oversight (obviously they push their own model but they explain a lot of the systems)

    https://www.1000minds.com/decision-making/what-is-mcdm-mcda

    for context I made the decision to up sticks and move to another economy in my late 20s almost 4 decades ago and have never regretted it but it does carry bitter pills, breaking of links, parental death and related family tensions, emotional turmoil. Nothing is easy, but my path was easier than yours given the same language both points of my migration journey, and a different world economy

    • Slaboli7 hours ago
      Thank you for the perspective. You’re right that strangers lack the emotional context. I think my paralysis comes from over-optimizing the variables and ignoring the 'bitter pills' you mentioned. I am currently trying to build an MCDM model as you suggested, but I find myself biased toward weighting 'safety' vs 'career stability' differently every day. Did you find that your priorities changed once you actually arrived at your new destination, or did your initial weighting hold true over the decades?
      • ggm6 hours ago
        My priorities changed massively, as I partnered up with a local.

        My weightings definitely changed. One thing to bear in mind is that legalisms in migration often penalise age. It is possible your window to migrate is closing.

        Also, your asset in Turkey may be an income stream. AirBnB?

        • Slaboli6 hours ago
          Yeah, I receive rent from the apartment in Turkey. I also have some savings and similar income streams. They’re not amounts that make me rich, but they make me more or less comfortable. I live above average in my hometown. I worked in humanitarian aid NGOs for years, but with funding cuts, jobs are extinct.

          I also want to start my own family (by finding someone first lol), so I have lots of conflicting criteria, which makes it difficult to come to a decision. Trying Portugal seems logical at first, but then again I ask myself how many years I would live with such (entry level basic) job opportunities and whether I would regret not being a CPA at age 50, for example. Thank you man!

  • aristofun3 hours ago
    It’s wiser to invest in independence of any external circumstances. To get some valuable skill, for example. To be flexible enough to relocate.

    Also you don’t go to another country for a “better living standards”.

    You go there to get out of your comfort zone, to grind, to prove yourself, to learn etc. unless you’re already rich you’re going to struggle in one way or another for a while. Only your kids born there will be able truly and fully enjoy all the “standards”. That’s the brutal truth.

    • yodsanklai21 minutes ago
      > Also you don’t go to another country for a “better living standards”.

      Why not?

      • aristofun18 minutes ago
        Because as a foreigner you start from scratch, no social network, no connections, no understanding of culture, mentality etc. You know, basic stuff, obviously.
  • haute_cuisine5 hours ago
    It's interesting that you frame the question as what is wiser. Here is a quote from Naval about making decisions, I hope it would bring more clarity.

    Decisions:

    - If you can’t decide, the answer is no.

    - If two equally difficult paths, choose the one more painful in the short term (pain avoidance is creating an illusion of equality).

    - Choose the path that leaves you more equanimous in the long term.

    Also, never outsource decision making to anyone who doesn't bear the consequences of the decision.

    • Slaboli4 hours ago
      My real struggle is deciding which battle is worth fighting. I need to choose the path that is painful now but will compound into greater value, stability or status in 5 years.

      Is it the pain of career building (Turkey) or the pain of geographic isolation (Portugal)? Your insight forces me to ask: which pain is more likely to yield the best long-term return?

      THANK YOU!

  • taneliv6 hours ago
    Do you speak Portuguese? Are you interested in learning it? I don't know how big a role it plays in making connections and friends in Portugal, and how important those are to you. It may be also more difficult to find English (or Turkish!) speakers in smaller towns compared to big cities.

    How stable is the remote role? Are you more likely to be laid off (or the company to cease operations) than turmoil in Turkey? Obviously this is also very subjective speculation, but since you don't mention it, how does it figure into your plans? How well will you be able to find other similar work in Portugal? (Or elsewhere, I would assume your relocation will offer freedom of employment across EU.)

    • Slaboli6 hours ago
      I only speak the basics of Portuguese for now, but I’m open to learning it. I do think language plays a big role in building real connections and friendships, especially outside expat circles. In smaller towns, it’s true that finding English speakers, let alone Turkish speakers lol is extremely hard. The trade-off is that rent is dramatically cheaper. In Lisbon or Porto, even tiny studios are above 1,200 EUR, while in smaller towns I can find something decent for around 700 EUR.

      The remote role offers 1,100 EUR. It’s a content analyst position for YouTube ads. I don’t see it as something I would do for year, more like a starter job to enter the market. Without Portuguese, job options are mostly limited to call centers or similar roles where Turkish and English fluency is an advantage. Salaries in Portugal are generally low even highly experienced managers earn around 2,000 EUR.

      As for stability, the turmoil in Turkey doesn’t affect me directly, but indirectly it does. The general atmosphere and economic situation make things feel uncertain and heavy. The remote role itself isn’t something I see as long-term stable either, so I’m aware that I’d need a plan B and to improve my language skills to expand my options. I can only work in Portugal as I just have the temporary residence, after 5 years of stay can I start working in other EU nations. Thank you for your message!

  • tacostakohashi2 hours ago
    I'd suggest staying in Turkey.

    I've done the expat/migration thing myself, there are some upsides for sure, but it can also be quite draining being a bit of a social misfit, not having a much of network/connections, dealing with the linguistic/cultural/administrative issues of visas, etc... in many ways you're just forever at a disadvantage to the locals.

    I also don't see Portugal as being a big step up from Turkey in the grand scheme of things. Both basically europe, mediterranean, decent standard of living but kind of second-tier economy, etc. If anything, Turkey is obviously bigger, has some bigger cities, more of a range of lifestyles, etc.

    I think migration/expat life can be worth it if you're moving to silicon valley, tokyo, new york, shanghai... or somewhere that is a centre of gravity for your industry (like australia for mining, texas for oil, shenzhen for hardware manufacturing, etc...), and the income/growth potential is many multiples of what you can get at home, but I wouldn't be doing it for a modest, largely sideways move.

    As for your 10k EUR... obviously, beware the sunk cost fallacy. Also, these things aren't permanent, if you want you can do it for 6 months or a year, see how it is, if it's great, stay, if it's not... go back (or somewhere else).

  • codebitdaily6 hours ago
    At 36, the 'simple life abroad' often looks like a dream, but the 'career at home' provides the leverage for future freedom. The middle ground that worked for me was focusing on 'local-first' projects that don't require high-bandwidth office politics. If you can decouple your income from a specific geography while keeping your career growth, you don't have to choose. But remember, a simple life is a state of mind—moving abroad with the same burnout mindset won't solve the core issue.
    • 2 hours ago
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    • Slaboli5 hours ago
      Thank you! So in my situation, would this look like getting my CPA license in Turkey and then weighing my options for geographic mobility afterward? I initially need to commit to one path, as legally (and location-wise) I’m unable to pursue both at the same time.
      • codebitdaily2 hours ago
        That is a tough but classic strategic bottleneck. If I were in your shoes, I would view the CPA license as a 'foundational asset' rather than just a local permit. Even if you don't stay in Turkey long-term, having a specialized certification often signals a high level of discipline to future international employers. However, the legal inability to pursue both paths simultaneously is the real constraint. My advice? Commit to the path that builds the most 'portable' skill set first. If the CPA process gives you a deep understanding of international standards, it’s a win regardless of geography. Don't see it as being 'stuck'; see it as building the leverage you'll need to negotiate a much better 'simple life' abroad later on. Leverage always precedes freedom.
  • r_sz7 hours ago
    > What would you do? For me the closeness of the family was the deciding factor, so I returned from abroad to my home country
    • Slaboli7 hours ago
      Thank you! I appreciate the honesty. That is the one variable that haunts me. My parents are actually encouraging me to go; they think the quality of life in Europe, the experience is worth the distance, especially given our local economic instability. Also, I am currently unemployed at home, which adds a layer of 'stagnation' to the closeness.

      Did you move back because you felt lonely abroad or because your family actually needed you there?

  • Emmasmithy3 hours ago
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