Pax, I agree if MM did move to Spain he will certainly have to continue with this excellent site. What would we do without him?

MadridMan,
I say hang on in the US and go take more classes (like that graphic design course) and make yourself even more potent. Even in the US, you need Unix or Perl or even Cold Fusion these days to get a decent job. If you keep up with the newest advances, you will certainly increase your chances at a job in Spain where they will need your expertise.

When I became a webmaster 4 years ago, jobs in the US were plentiful, but now they all want me to be an expert in Flash and Perl... I say learn more if you can. It can only help, by making you more valuable. And, by the way, you WILL end up in Spain. I think all the MadridMan members know you will!

Hello Eric and Group! Eric, it's a wild coincidence that you should suggest this. I agree with you 100%. While there's a certain excitement/exhilaration in "Just Do It" and "Take Your Chances" I'd rather improve my possibilities BEFORE arriving. As things stand now, I have few skills which would be seen as useful or necessary in Spain.

SO, after spending 18 days with my madrileña ladyfriend here and doing A LOT of talking about our future together (we've been dating long-distance for 8 years), we've decided that I would take some computer-related courses AND/OR get a TEFL or ESL certificate to help me find legal work as an English teacher in Madrid if nothing else worked out immediately. Now, I just need to find out more about what's needed/wanted in Spain and then I'll begin RE-skilling my life.

And oh, for anyone who knows, my ladyfriend who has ALWAYS been anti-marriage has JUST RECENTLY accepted the fact that it's the best/only way to help us to be/live together IN MADRID!! We're/I'm on a 2-year plan to get skills AND THEN (if all goes well with us) she'll marry me. The "American" mentality most often sees this as extreme or unfeeling, but the fact is, Spain isn't the USA (Thanks GOD!!) and decent jobs are VERY hard to find there.

We both agreed that just getting married now AND THEN going to Madrid with no useful skills or possibility would be crazy. That would certainly put a lot of stress on the relationship if I was in an unhappy bartending job who knows how long we can stand it.

Finally, YES(!!), I'd definitely keep MadridMan.com rolling right along!! This is my life, afterall!!! (after my ladyfriend, that is ).

I appreciate the interest, comments, and ideas any all wish to offer on this topic. Have a nice weekend, everyone!!

Saludos, MadridMan

MadridMan,

Actually I find it quite sentimental.

The relationships that usually last best are tested by time apart.

When eight years of long distance calls, and IMs keeps the flame flickering, there's more to the relationship than something that happened on a cold winter's night, when both of you met, while stranded in the same bar because of the blizzard outside, and decided to get married by a Justice of The Peace, who just happened to be getting drunk in the same watering hole.

Like I said a lot earlier in this thread. On your terms!

Wolf (Who thinks puppy love is for the dogs!)

[ 08-18-2001: Message edited by: Wolfgang81 ]

Madridman,

CONGRATULATIONS

Wolf,

Strangers in the night, exchanging glances, ...

Ignacio,

Yes, and sung out of key of course.

Wolf (Who ain't gonna put no quarters in the juke box on a wintery night with the snow a fallin'.)

Sounds like a plan, MadridMan!

I'm sure you know this already, but one way to stay up with the computer trends and needs is by reading all the "ideal" job postings (and their requirements).

when i was in madrid, i met a lot of expatriates who moved to madrid on 2,000 bucks or less. they went there with no job, or any sort of security. anyhow, they all turned out successful: fluent in spanish and really good jobs (director of marketing for paramount comedy, co-founder of a company for mobile internet, and producer for tripictures). another thing is, when i went there, i met so many people that owned their own company and i thought... wow, all i have to do is ask and my life will change forever... but of course, i never did.

roses

(life is what happens when we are not paying attention... so pay attention and take the road less traveled and indulge in some unexpected occurrences along the way!)

I've been following this message board for a while now, hoping that MadridMan would be able to find some way of getting to Madrid, but this is this first actual post I've ever made. Since MadridMan seems to have a plan now, I thought I'd offer my two pesetas. I spent two years in Valladolid doing a Master's in Translation. I think MadridMan's idea of getting his TESL certificate and improving his computer skills is a good one. It occurred to me, though, that it might be worth his while to look into translation as a way of supplementing his income or even making a living once in Madrid. While general translation is not particularly well-paying, especially in Spain (7-12 ptas./word when I was there in 2000), specialized translation can pay fairly well. There are tons of specialized documents that need to be translated into English. Legal translation pays particularly well, though it's a bit difficult to get into, especially if you want to be a 'traductor jurado' (which not only means passing a VERY difficult test, but also would mean being able to translate and interpret well into English AND Spanish--you don't have to be a lawyer to do it, though). However, there are also tons of computer-related documents, web pages and software programs (though not so much of the latter) that companies need to have translated into English and which require a good level of computer skills (that is, not just anyone who speaks English can do it--I certainly can't). There are also companies that hire full-time in-house translators. This can be pretty demanding work, but the advantage is that you generally work with a team of translators rather than free-lance. The government and the EU also employ lots of translators and interpreters--anything that goes to the EU has to be translated into English. I'm sure this idea has already occurred to MadridMan, but just in case it hasn't I thought I'd pass it along. Just bear in mind that translation can sometimes be pretty stressful and that, in order to make it pay off, you really have to get into highly specialized areas (computers, business contracts, legal documents, etc.). Also, being able to speak English well doesn't always mean that one can translate into English well. It takes practice and getting familiar with the terminology of a specialized area. But I thought that since MadridMan was going to be boning up on his computer skills anyway, it might be something to look into. Anyway, just a thought.

Hope everything works out for you MadridMan! I'd be back in 'Pucela' in a heartbeat if I had the chance.

I'm not sure about what I'm going to say Pucelano, but I think to become a translator / interpreter for either the Spanish government or the EU you have to pass a really difficult test. Furthermore, I think I read somewhere EU requires translators with 2 languages besides the mother tongue.