Living in America
The Register: What's been the toughest thing to adjust to in the USA?
Dai Rees: Call it soppy, I think the toughest thing wasn’t on me – I found the transition painless – but it was tough on my mum, who I can tell dearly misses me and is sad about only being able to see me in-person two or three times a year. The lack of paid time off in the USA, even with Microsoft, compared to the UK and Europe could be considered the only real downside to working here.
The Register: What impact do you perceive Microsoft has on Seattle?
Dai Rees: Besides the company’s direct and indirect boosting to the local economy, I feel we’re largely responsible for Seattle’s nascent start-up scene – and I believe Microsoft’s presence accelerated Amazon’s growth by providing a strong local workforce. Seattle is certainly aware of Microsoft’s presence, but whenever I’m downtown it feels like something people just don’t talk about. People seem to be talking more about Amazon’s impact in Seattle (generally negative: Amazon is to blame for downtown gentrification and traffic jams on the I-5 highway that bifurcates the city if the local pundits are to be believed) than anything Microsoft has done to or for the city.
The Register: Will your expat gig be good for your career?
Dai Rees: I feel simply having “Microsoft, Redmond WA” on my resume means I’ve ticked-off some kind of real-life Achievements system – it’s a ticket to employment almost anywhere else, and I receive interview offers from other “Tier 1” employers (like Facebook, Google etc, but not Apple, curiously) on my LinkedIn account on a regular basis. It’s weird to think that this is actually happening to me when had I simply turned down the Microsoft job-offer, or never even applied, that these companies would certainly not be interested in hiring me. Or at least, not with the same level of interest, even though I expect I would be the same person I am today.
The Register: What's cheaper in the USA? What's more expensive?
Dai Rees: In my experience, everything is cheaper – 20% VAT notwithstanding. Consumer goods are simply cheaper, petrol is considerably cheaper, and so on. We also have certain employee benefits that shield us from things that would be more expensive (healthcare, for example) and a wide selection of employee discounts too. However, there is one thing that’s marks a stark difference compared to the UK: mobile phone plans. Even with a bring-your-own-phone plan, AT&T will try to drain $85 a month and have the gall to ask $20/month extra to unlock internet tethering on your iPhone. In the UK I was very happy with my £10/month service with Three – over here the best I can do is a $50 T-Mobile 1GB service, and I still had to buy my phone outright first.
The Register: What will you miss about the USA if you go home?
Dai Rees: I’d miss the roads the most. They’re not very important, but just how well-thought-out the road system is in Redmond (but not Seattle) makes me grow frustrated with the single-lane, arbitrary squiggles of Britain’s roads. American roads, with their yellow centre-lines, turning lanes, right-turn-on-red and wide-open six-lane suburban avenues make theirs (outside of rush hour) an absolute pleasure to drive on.
For a serious answer, I’d say “the people” – Americans are different to Brits, and I find them easier to socialise with. Perhaps it’s the charm of my accent? Working in the Seattle area means that I’m never far from someone with my interests in C++ language design, Segway Polo or popular culture (Seattle has three separate Comic Book, Gaming, and Anime [ick!] conventions). Birmingham and Manchester are both cities of a comparable size, but I never felt the same level of “connectedness” and familiarity with those around me. (Case in point: according to Google Maps, Birmingham has three comic book stores, Seattle has 12).
The Register: What's your top tip to help new arrivals settle in?
Dai Rees: Join the expat mailing-lists at work! At Microsoft we have two internal mailing lists for the Brits (“SYS Brit Noseflashes” is one of them – so-named to avoid a crackdown on non-official mailing lists last decade) where you can easily make new, yet weirdly familiar, friends and get reminders for the correct Mother’s Day dates.
The Register: What advice would you offer someone considering the same move?
Dai Rees: I would advise them not to worry, the relocation package that Microsoft provides is very generous and also includes a personal Relocation Coordinator who does veritably everything for you, including taking you to-and-from the supermarket before you get a car. I wish I knew this before I moved as I spent hundreds of dollars paying for taxis to sit idle outside of Safeway while I did my shopping, or spending almost as much on home delivery services. Also, get a US-based credit or debit card ASAP because: 1) many online ordering / home delivery services expect a five-digit zip code on your credit card’s billing address, and 2) your credit score, rating and history does not travel, you will have to start from scratch: don’t expect to be even allowed to get a mortgage before two years, and you’ll need to flash your Microsoft FTE status to loan officers to get a car loan before your first year too.
You can do it! But first you need to secure a job: even if not Microsoft, there are other large technology employers in the Seattle area, including Amazon, F5 Networks, RealNetworks (they’re still around!) and numerous start-ups. While it’s often worth applying to start-ups, smaller ones might not be willing to do the paperwork to get you over on a visa, whereas the larger employers have no issues at all. It’s a given that you have to be “good” but not necessarily a rockstar or former Stanford PhD student. At least a BSc degree is a must if you want an H-1B visa, having a Master’s gives you a higher priority for getting green cards too. I know two people who got in with a HND, but with a lot more difficulty and many years of prior industry experience to pass the visa requirements.
The Register: A hypothetical Reg reader lands in Seattle with a free weekend stretching out before them. What are the things locals do that they should do instead of doing big tourist stuff?
Dai Rees: Outside of the big tourist stuff (The Space Needle, Pike Place Market, etc), I strongly recommend the Root Beer Store in Redmond and Lynnwood, or a drive down to Tacoma to wow at the gargantuan Mammary gland (“Tacoma Dome”). If you have a car, visiting the world’s longest car park is a must, it’s just on the I-405 Southbound after Bellevue from 3:00PMto 7:00PM. If you have any friends or contacts at Microsoft it’s worth abusing your connections for a trip to our Visitor Center (with the Microsoft swag shop) and nabbing a cheap (but great!) lunch from our subsidised cafeterias or the recently added “In.gredients” full-service restaurant on campus.
If you feel like being a creeper, you can rent a car and drive-down to Bill Gates’ house gate. I think it’s worth touring parts of the city before they get gentrified too, such as Capitol Hill. I also sincerely suggest simply enjoying the relaxing and uneventful drive on the 520 floating bridge – the longest floating bridge in the world. Besides the World’s First Starbucks, you might also want to visit the world’s first Costco in the SoDo district.
The Reg's True Tales Of IT Pros will return next week with more tales of On-Call shenanigans, because we now alternate those with eXpat Files. If you've either a story to tell – weird out-out-of-hours experiences or overseas moves – write to me. ®
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