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Comment by wakkaflokka | Hacker News Reader

I've been considering a move to Japan. My pay would likely be several tens of thousands of dollars less (still very good, relative to the market but less than what I could command in a Western market), but it's also an opportunity to have a very different life experience.

Money vs. experience, it's really tough for me to figure out what's more important.

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If we're tossing other countries in the hat, throw in Taiwan. It's like China, minus the smog, tyranny, and bad internet!

The only problem is that they constantly have China talking about how they want to invade and retake it.

Meanwhile, a comparable group of people keep spreading the image that unifying with China cause no harm. What do you say then? Taiwan is a divided society as always.

The truth is, it just seems that nobody cares about politics here anymore. Taiwanese media have been so sick that gossip is more than serious news. And guess what, most of the cable TV channels are Chinese-funded nowadays.

So when you say "The only problem is that they constantly have China talking about how they want to invade and retake it," you are either lying, or you have other intentions.

One anecdote - I moved to Japan 12 years ago when I was 26 to work as an engineer in a game company. I stayed for two years. Like anywhere there were pros and cons but overall it was a fantastic life experience that I’m very glad I did.

If you're relatively young, no kids, etc. then it's definitely worth trying out for a couple of years. You won't have lost much time.

I think this is a lot of what it comes down to. Even taking a sabbatical and working overseas would be appealing depending on how the career winds blow. I'm curious about the money opportunities, but there's also a major value package that's non-monetary, and it would give a better perspective and skillset when returning to the west.

I did 2 weeks in Japan in November for the first time, and it was awesome.

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