Hi friends,
I have some pretty big news to share today. And that news is this:
I'm moving to London in January.
--RECORD SCREECH, BACKSTORY, LET'S GO--
Over the past year, I have been quietly assembling a pile of paperwork to apply for something the UK calls the Exceptional Talent (Tech) Visa.
As far as immigration is concerned, it's effectively a golden ticket. I can work however and wherever I please, without restriction.
There are 200 of these endorsements given out each year, specifically for people who work in technology. To put that in perspective, there are over 100,000 work permits given out annually in the UK.
Once you get the go sign for this endorsement, you have to move within six months.
I got the go sign.
For those keeping score at home, my geographical history now looks like this:
1989 - Born in USA
2009 - That Barcelona trip
2010 - Alexa studies in London
2011 - Alexa finishes university in USA
2011/12/13 - Alexa does her Masters in Leeds
2013 - Alexa has a weird year in San Francisco
2014 - Alexa moves to Berlin
2017 - Alexa moves to London
It's a funny announcement to be making. Probably because it's a bureaucratic paperwork thing, not a "I've got a shiny new job and I'm moving!" thing.
The #entrylevelboss emails you know and love will be continuing on as per always, and I'm really stoked to start doing pop-up workshops across the UK starting in spring 2017 (!).
Mostly, it's been getting harder and harder to not mention this to you. The thing is, this newsletter is all based on a true story -- my story -- and that means you need to know what's going on in order for me to do my job.
I am excited, and nervous, and proud of myself. Part of me can't believe I pulled it off.
As has become a common theme of my life, nobody told me to apply. Nobody told me this was a good idea. Nobody told me about it at all, actually.
The other day, a close friend asked me how I 'found out' about this visa.
I shrugged. "Dunno," I said. "I'm always just kinda keeping tabs on various things at any given time. I'm really good at Google."
I discovered the door, and I decided to ring the buzzer. And by ring the buzzer, I mean complete 60-70 hours worth of paperwork on the off chance that it would swing my way.
And it did. And now, the next thing begins.
The beauty of #entrylevelboss is that I get to document how it's all happening, as it's all happening. I am proof that there's always a route you haven't thought of, and an option you haven't tried yet.
The hardest part, I find, is learning to identify those secret entrances.
I really wanted to end today with this quote I read recently, but I just tried to find it with *zero* success. Alas, I'll try to paraphrase...
Most people enter through the front door.
Some people see the queue at the door, and find a window. Several people make it through that way.
And the rare few see a third option. They fly in through the chimney, they dig a tunnel, they discover the back patio.
The third option is barely noticeable, and it's different for every house. But those who make it in that way? They've already begun to succeed.
We'll speak soon.
