> As a last note, I'd shy away from the UK as the violence there is getting bad enough that there are reports of people leaving because of it.
Hi, I am one of those people.
I worked in the UK for 4.5 years, returning to the US a few years ago.
At the time I left, the UK violent crime rate was being reported in UK papers as 3x the US rate. I left for many reasons, including that, the poor schools, and resentment at paying ever-increasing taxes to government trolls who (worse than in some countries I have lived in) clearly cared nothing for my safety or livelihood.
Having said that, I have some advice for the original poster.
First, as another poster has said, yes it is fun. And broadening. I wouldn't have missed it.
Second, I would strongly suggest obtaining a visa that lets you change jobs independently, rather than a visa obtained by an employer there. If you do get the latter, I would suggest applying for the former ASAP, after you arrive.
Third, yes, you will undoubtedly encounter the occasional anti-American bigot. However, if you yourself demonstrate a bit of diplomacy and seem like an OK type, most people you meet are likely to be delightful, and with some of them you will be able to have completely frank political and social discussions once you know each other.
The bad part is if you end up working for a manager who is an anti-American bigot (in the UK, such a person will also typically be an anti-Irish, anti-Scot and anti-Australian bigot as well). You will then later be able to watch the anti-"colonial" bigotry in "Breaker Morant" with a astounding shock of recognition.
Finally, I would agree that there may be more opportunities for Americans at the team-leader, PM, management, security/risk analysis or training level, than at the programming level. Most of the industrialized countries have quite good crops of local talent at all levels, particularly programming. This is one of the hurdles to consider when seeking a job overseas. But if a company thinks you will add value, and in particular if you are already in that country under your own steam (independent work visa), then there will be interest.
You can't stop all data leakage, but restrictions on data, and protected audit trails of who's looked at it, are a very good start.
I assume the govt can trace anything I say online back to the "real me" if it wants to, and that's OK. I post under a pseudonym to avoid embarassing my employers, friends and co-workers, not out of any belief it actually provides real anonymity.
HOWEVER... it is the govt's responsibility to implement the limits above. Access to data is on a "need-to-know" basis only, and auditable. "Need to know" should be the smallest pool possible.
This is why sharing data between police depts, and police and FBI, freely, broadly and without restriction, would be a horrible disaster. All it takes is ONE corrupt cop somewhere, and he can access and/or sell data about anyone in the country, to anyone. Very useful for buyers of that information to trace, harass, or possibly kill people they don't like. If such data will be shared, it should be on an individual basis, with a well-defined request process involving multiple reviews and approvals. Yes, this adds some delay, but the alternative is the horror just described.
When it comes to public disclosure of personal data, however, ANY leak is intolerable. Companies and the govt certainly have access to data about me, but when that data leaks out into the public, then the person responsible needs to be punished -- a fine, termination, or jail time. There needs to be a strong deterrent against "accidental" release of embarassing personal information. "Oops, sorry, heh heh" should not be the limits of what we expect from the responsible party.
Slashdot Mirror
Maybe the UK will ban discussion of guns and knives next.
Their ban on guns and other weapons hasn't worked out too well. Rather the opposite, in fact.
Therefore, everyone in the UK will just feel better if alternative, more effective approaches can't be discussed.
Just remember: Prohibiting the law-abiding from defending themselves isn't the least bit dangerous. Freely discussing the issue IS dangerous.
At least to those who benefit from the current setup where victims are defenseless.
> As a last note, I'd shy away from the UK as the violence there is getting bad enough that there are reports of people leaving because of it.
Hi, I am one of those people.
I worked in the UK for 4.5 years, returning to the US a few years ago.
At the time I left, the UK violent crime rate was being reported in UK papers as 3x the US rate. I left for many reasons, including that, the poor schools, and resentment at paying ever-increasing taxes to government trolls who (worse than in some countries I have lived in) clearly cared nothing for my safety or livelihood.
Having said that, I have some advice for the original poster.
First, as another poster has said, yes it is fun. And broadening. I wouldn't have missed it.
Second, I would strongly suggest obtaining a visa that lets you change jobs independently, rather than a visa obtained by an employer there. If you do get the latter, I would suggest applying for the former ASAP, after you arrive.
Third, yes, you will undoubtedly encounter the occasional anti-American bigot. However, if you yourself demonstrate a bit of diplomacy and seem like an OK type, most people you meet are likely to be delightful, and with some of them you will be able to have completely frank political and social discussions once you know each other.
The bad part is if you end up working for a manager who is an anti-American bigot (in the UK, such a person will also typically be an anti-Irish, anti-Scot and anti-Australian bigot as well). You will then later be able to watch the anti-"colonial" bigotry in "Breaker Morant" with a astounding shock of recognition.
Finally, I would agree that there may be more opportunities for Americans at the team-leader, PM, management, security/risk analysis or training level, than at the programming level. Most of the industrialized countries have quite good crops of local talent at all levels, particularly programming. This is one of the hurdles to consider when seeking a job overseas. But if a company thinks you will add value, and in particular if you are already in that country under your own steam (independent work visa), then there will be interest.
Good luck!
You can't stop all data leakage, but restrictions on data, and protected audit trails of who's looked at it, are a very good start. I assume the govt can trace anything I say online back to the "real me" if it wants to, and that's OK. I post under a pseudonym to avoid embarassing my employers, friends and co-workers, not out of any belief it actually provides real anonymity. HOWEVER... it is the govt's responsibility to implement the limits above. Access to data is on a "need-to-know" basis only, and auditable. "Need to know" should be the smallest pool possible. This is why sharing data between police depts, and police and FBI, freely, broadly and without restriction, would be a horrible disaster. All it takes is ONE corrupt cop somewhere, and he can access and/or sell data about anyone in the country, to anyone. Very useful for buyers of that information to trace, harass, or possibly kill people they don't like. If such data will be shared, it should be on an individual basis, with a well-defined request process involving multiple reviews and approvals. Yes, this adds some delay, but the alternative is the horror just described. When it comes to public disclosure of personal data, however, ANY leak is intolerable. Companies and the govt certainly have access to data about me, but when that data leaks out into the public, then the person responsible needs to be punished -- a fine, termination, or jail time. There needs to be a strong deterrent against "accidental" release of embarassing personal information. "Oops, sorry, heh heh" should not be the limits of what we expect from the responsible party.