As an American I can confirm what most non-Americans believe about Americans: nothing outside of North-America really matters.

Working in the tech industry in Europe, this part of American culture has somehow crept into the sub-conscious of the IT world even here. Probably thanks to Bloggers, Youtubers and start-up culture, as well as the fact that the biggest consumer facing IT companies are mostly head-quartered in Silicon Valley.

Well, Central Europe has it's own way of doing things that don't always allign with what's coming out of Silicon Valley, creating opportunities for IT companies willing to cater to them.

The EU mandates strict privacy protection, something many software vendors from the USA aren't willing or able to do. Many mid-large companies, with long-term budgets dedicated to digitization, wont accept for a second that their data is hosted on AWS, Azure or GCP. This allows for EU cloud-providers to compete, oftentimes at a premium.

As a developer/employee on the otherhand, software development career videos can only half-heartidly be applied. Over here it is rarely advisable that you quit your job after 6-12 months as a junior. Normally you should have at least 2-3 years of experience before moving on. At the same time, you start off with 5-6 weeks of paid vacation, normally 13-14 monthly payments: your 12 month salary + a Christmas pay and a summer vacation pay, as well a an annual bonus.

A starter salary in Europe will usually allow you to live very comfortably as you transition from college student to employee; allowing you to get a small appartment and not have to travel too far to and from work. All while not being forced to migrate to a big city.

Healthcare coverage is not an issue: if you work, you are insured; if you don't work, you are insured; if you lose your job, you are insured. It's unheard of that someone doesn't take a new job offer because they have a 'preexisting condition' and can't risk to lose their current coverage.

As a father, I appreciate the flexibility and affordibility of childcare.

Overall I enjoy being a developer in Europe, and I hope the future brings an identity or sense of community to European developers.

If you're considering a move to Europe from North America and would like have a few tips, feel free to reach out.