53MtF Programmer US -> Anywhere
I've been reading through the threads and only find vaguely similar posts, so I'm going to do my own:
I am a 53 year old transgender woman. I am a Computer Programmer by profession (35+ years), with a BS in Mathematics and an MS in Geographic Information Science. I am a native English speaker (I have published scientific articles in English) , my Spanish is mid-A2 and my German is low-A2.
I was laid off by my company in April and given a decent severance. I also liquidated all of my retirement funds. So I now have a decent nest egg. Not enough for a Golden Visa anywhere but enough to live comfortably for a year in most places.
I am currently "shopping" for a new home. I just returned from a couple weeks in Malaga, Spain. I'll be in Guadalajara, Mexico later this month for a couple weeks. I am planning a trip for July, a week in Germany and a week in Malta.
My requirements are simple:
- Not transphobic (I honestly just want to exist).
- Established Roller Derby league (this is my community)
- Beaches & warm climate, low altitude (I lived in Boulder, Colorado for 16 years and while I could appreciate the beauty of the mountains and the snow, my body is much happier in thick, humid air).
Something I've been doing as I explore options is to Google for "The Silicon Valley of ..." (hence Malaga and Guadalajara) and "LGTBQ destination in ....".
For Germany, I am thinking of exploring Frankfurt (I have a friend in Karlsruhe who I will visit). I probably won't make it to Berlin but I'm not into really big cities although I want a place that is walkable / bikeable.
Other than which country, another question is whether to focus my efforts on finding a remote job and then getting a DNV or exploring other visa options. For financial reasons, I don't want to work for a US-based company again. The jobs I've applied for so far, I've been completely off the mark on my salary requirements. I don't want to say what my actual requirements are (I can pad my budget with my nestegg and live on a truly ridiculous pay) but if I start with what I made in my last job (my company competed with Google for engineers, so the pay was on that order), I get an immediate "Gracias, pero no gracias". This is especially true in Malaga, Spain. Where the prevailing wages for my position are what I was making in the early 1990s in the US.
Other places I have considered:
- Costa Rica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
There are places along the Mediterranean that are appealing but language or transphobia are concerns. For instance, Turkey would fit the bill but I can't judge the political climate. France, Greece, Italy, Portugal would be great but I'd have to start over from scratch with the language.
I've essentially written off (due to transphobia) all of Africa, most of the Caribbean, and most of South America,. I've also written off (due to climate) all of Scandinavia. Germany is a stretch for me but the availability of a job seeker visa keeps it in the running.
Am I missing something?