Good moment for you to post this and me to see it. I moved to Melbourne, Australia from Canada when I was 24 about a year and a half ago, and Iโm just moving out now. I feel like I should definitely post now.
So first direct answers:
What will I do if I go to Australia and I hate it?
Move back home. No biggie. Lesson learnt
How long will it take to make friends?
Iโve struggled with this a bit here in Melbourne. Iโd say at this point Iโve got a good group of people Iโd call friends but it took a bit of effort. In Melbourne, my experience was that people have long term friends (like people from high school), and you really have to integrate into the circle to get really tight with people. Personally Iโm good at making friends but really bad at keeping them, so I think this is more me than anything.
Do I want to spend a couple of years of my life on the other side of the world to everyone I know and love?
This can be challenging for sure. Youโve got to make sure that your friends are cool with skyping, and that theyโll reach out to set things up as much as you will. I had an easier time of it because I had a small number of close friends. Probably be prepared for some people to fall off, but thatโs just life I guess. Youโve probably got to put more effort in than normal in this situation.
So just to indulge a bit, Iโll just jot down a bit of context here. I donโt mean to be super narcissistic, but Iโm hoping that you might find it interesting to hear and help you figure things out.
I initially moved here after graduating from engineering in Canada. The structure at my uni set me up a bit for constant moves, since we alternated between 4 months of work and 4 months of school. The work I did generally was in other cities, so I lived out of a suitcase for 6 years. Towards the end I met an aussie girl on a work term in Montreal and we started dating. After I graduated, I thought Iโd move out here. As much as Iโd like to say it was purely for her and for love, I think my goals at the time were a bit more broad. I viewed the move as an experiment as well. Can I find work? Could I move across the world and build a life from scratch where Iโm happy? I wanted to figure these things out.
So fast forward to now and I think Iโve mostly got it nailed down. I learned how to find work in a foreign place. I learnt how incredible it is to go to local usergroups and make friends there (checkout melbjs, golang melb, and stick on irc at #polyhack). I got comfortable speaking at usergroups and conferences. I got to see a beautiful country full of beautiful people and I enjoyed every second.
Some notes on Melbourne; itโs a rich city, really well known for cultural stuff. Itโs got some pretty unreal coffee everywhere you look. Seems like every high-school kid works in a cafe at some point and can pour a perfect flat white with the swirl of pretty foam. The bars are cool as hell, and often hidden away in little laneways that remind me of Europe. I spent alot of time exploring the rooftop bars and listening to random bands at music venues tucked away somewhere I wouldnโt expect. To this day I still feel like I discover something cool everytime I go out. Itโs a place you just continually rediscover. My relationship with my uni girlfriend didnโt last long, but I fell in love with Melbourne. Itโs really an amazing place that I think everybody should come and visit. Iโll never forget it.
Travelling around Australia is also quite awesome. Sydney was fun, prettier and a bit more corporate. Hobart was tiny and jam-packed with amazing food and super nice people (especially if you go for the taste of tasmania festival). Brisvegas and Gold Coast were glitzy and exotic. Radelaide was like a quieter Melbourne with beautiful wine. Every city is cool in itโs own way.
At this point in my life Iโve found that Iโve achieved alot of the goals I set out when I first moved here. Itโs come time for me to set some new ones and keep learning. So Iโve sold everything I donโt need. Iโve quit my job. Iโve made new goals. In a few days I get on a flight to Vietnam to hang out with the folks at hacker paradise (http://www.hackerparadise.org/). Iโm very excited about all this.
So I guess my point here is to understand your motivations. What do you want to learn about yourself? Whatโs your experiment?
I think itโs important to never stop experimenting. So whether you stay or go, Iโd love to hear that you never stop doing that too. If I can help at all or if you just want to chat, feel free anytime. Ping me on twitter and weโll set something up. @whatthezach.
So ya, sorry for the rant, hope itโs not too preachy. Iโm just pretty pumped for you.