It's been a few months into my first permanent overseas position - a goal achieved.
Seven years ago I first had the goal of working overseas. As I got to my final undergraduate semester in the UK, I began researching for possible roles and companies there. No matter London or Leeds, entry-level or graduate program, I applied for more than I could remember.
I had little success, at best scoring interviews for a regional enterprise in Leeds and even for an internship at a major British bank. However, when it came down to it, none were willing to act as a sponsor for my potential visa application. Then, in the UK, quotas meant that companies naturally preferred not to sponsor visas for entry-level candidates. I knew then that the chances of securing a position in the UK were next to none.
Alas, a minor yet predictable setback. I returned to Singapore, fortunately securing my first job in little time, mainly servicing a government client at a global communications agency. Funnily enough, I did not ask who this client was during my interviews and took this role blindly. Well, I didn't know better back then.
The common path in communications would've been to slog it out at an agency for years to a decade before moving in-house. Yet a few managers leaving (and wanting to leave) later, I decided to take the plunge to in-house just under two years in.
I moved to the regional office of a regional recruitment firm. It wasn't as fast-paced as agency and I did wonder at times about my career growth and whether I regretted it.
I got my first taste of overseas work with a couple of short business trips. While another couple of managers left, I stayed on despite having thoughts of jumping again. This time, I shifted my focus to other ways to earn an income.
It was great to earn more than what I was used to and see my savings grow at a much faster rate. But the career felt numb and stagnant. These feelings certainly weren't helped by the onset of a global pandemic.
My attentions then shifted to a possible move abroad. Not for a job that I had been aiming for, but for a graduate degree, as well as the chance to secure a full-time overseas role after that. It was also a chance to get away amid what felt like a never-ending pandemic.
Of course, finances were a worry, even without tuition fees in Germany. Fortunately, with a good amount saved up, I could take the plunge without as much worry as one might otherwise have. More fortunately, I secured a working student position at a tech start-up. A bit of a backward step career-wise, but every little helped.
My (big) break finally came at the end of 2021. Amid all the applications and (a few) interviews and (countless) rejections, I got the call in Paris. After some back and forth later on the salary and the visa application, I confirmed the role, almost a year ahead of my schedule - even before finishing my graduate degree.
Seven years later, I achieved a goal in Germany, that I set out in the UK, via a few years in Singapore.