Last year, my partner and I made a life-changing decision to uproot our comfortable lives in London and move to Singapore. We’d never been there before and had no connections.
Her job offered her the opportunity to transfer offices.
It was a daunting choice, filled with uncertainty. It meant leaving behind our family and friends, quitting my data scientist role for the UK Government, and dropping out of a sponsored bachelor’s degree. I had already completed two out of three and a half years.
Several reasons drove my decision to go.
Fulfilling a Lifelong Dream
We had always wanted to live abroad, meet people from all walks of life, experience new cultures, and broaden our horizons.
Singapore was one of the countries on our list. It’s a melting pot of cultures, different from what we’re used to, hot and sunny, English-speaking, safe, convenient, with good job opportunities, and great for traveling.
While there was an initial culture shock, we have since settled in and are enjoying the life we’ve created here.
Embracing Discomfort and Growth
I was content and comfortable in my previous job and degree. But I knew moving countries would force me to grow and develop.
I knew it would be difficult to find work as a foreigner in Singapore, especially without connections. It would force me to get out of my comfort zone, become comfortable with networking and cold messaging, enhance my data science and AI engineering skills, find ways to stand out in a saturated market, and deal with the stress of job searching.
During this career break, I’ve undergone significant personal growth. I’m more mindful of how I spend my time and have built daily habits for journaling, coding, and reading. I’ve built generative AI applications, established an online presence, had freelancing opportunities, and am exploring entrepreneurship.
Deciding with The Regret Minimization Framework
To make this pivotal decision, I turned to Jeff Bezos’ Regret Minimization Framework, a tool I had previously used when transitioning from mechanical engineering to data science. The framework prompts you to envision your future self and consider which option would minimize regret.
I asked myself:
“What would I regret more? Staying in London and wondering ‘what if?’ Or moving to Singapore with uncertainty, but trying to make life work out here, even if it doesn’t? At least we can say we tried and have amazing memories to look back on.”
I chose the second option, and I’m glad I did. The experiences and personal growth I’ve gained have been invaluable, and the memories we’ve created are priceless.