Let’s explore the question: when applying to new positions, should I just apply to Zurich instead of all of Switzerland? It has been ~3 months since I started applying. This reflection comes because I got an interview from Basel a few days ago, and one of the first things I thought was “it’s way too close to the German border”. Here we go again with this mindset of diversification to slowly grind to the top.

Past dream. Looking back at the past videos from Copenhagen, Sweden, and the Netherlands, the pattern is clear: I always prioritized Zurich compared to any other city in Europe. Even when in the Netherlands shit started going downhill, I filled the city ranking of cities I wanted to get a job in long-term, and the first was already Zurich, while Helsinki was in the non-considered section. I recall very clearly that my objective was to find a job in an international city, and Lugano I can definitely say is everything except for being international.

Posting quantity. Let’s get some numbers: when I was in Copenhagen, 60% of the positions I applied for in Switzerland were in Zurich. The point is that there has always been a part of me which tries to maximize the chances of getting a new position and wants that missing 40%. I’m always thinking “well, if the company is good or the job is particularly good, I could stay there in that city for a while, right?”, and when asking my mom, she agrees with me. The problem with this approach is that by never narrowing down the amount of cities I’m applying to, I’m spending way more time applying to positions which are not in Zurich, and it’s time that I could potentially spend getting informed about companies in Zurich which I could join.

Dream. Let’s picture the dream I have now. Picture if I’d move there, let’s say I am lucky enough to apply to a job, and next summer I’ll be there enjoying my summer weekends in the Zurichsee with Alberto and Federica. Will it feel good? Well, shit, thinking in this way it would be damn wonderful. Think of going out with their friends from the startup and meeting an Indian friend who is as motivated as you are in development. Think if I’d go out with them and I meet some girl whom I get along with. She doesn’t need to be my potential girlfriend, but just having a female girl with whom I’d go out from time to time with a group of friends would be wonderful. Think it even a level further, meeting some of the nerdy friends of Alberto and getting along with their group, drinking beer in the lake, playing volleyball in the fields, and just feeling like you are part of a group, and when you arrive they scream in Miran’s style “éeeee Marrrcoooo”. It feels like a kind of dream which you have been missing since Aalto, but it’s not that farfetched. I just need to find a good-ish position in Zurich regarding data science and I would feel like making some long-term investments in regards to relationships.

Stability. Looking from that angle, going to Zurich compared to other cities would feel like a destination more than a stop. I’d feel like I can make a larger investment in terms of effort to find new friendships, a house, and activities. Of course I will feel like I want to change the job the first day I get there, but it’s inevitable, and I’d rather feel like I need to get a new job in the city I’m comfortable saying “I want to stay here for some years” compared to a city that, yet again, on day one, will feel like a stop.

Now. You got to think long term. Go to Zurich, find a job which is fine, and feel for the first time like it’s your destination. Just damn learn all the possible companies in Zurich and make a small effort to contact 1 person of a company which is offering a job you are interested into, and ask him what he is working on. This is not to find a new job, but by listening at their experience you will get to know if you like and don’t like. Remember that you are in the period of your life where you have to dare to ask others for help. Probably most people will ignore you; at the end of the day, you are asking for the most expensive resource of this world: time. Eventually, you will get someone who shares their experience, and I’m definitely sure, after talking to them, I will picture me, Alberto, my sister, and some nerdy startup friends all together close to the beach volleyball fields, with Alberto, who explains some weirdass new paper he is writing, and I’ll feel part of something. During the Via Francigena this is what the Uruguayan girl said to do: do the impossible. This is impossible, and I’ll do it.