Australia, Finland, and Your Opinion.

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soldrake
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2023 5:34 pm

Australia, Finland, and Your Opinion.

Post by soldrake » Sun Jan 22, 2023 5:38 pm

Hello,

I'm from India, thinking of moving and studying in Finland. I completed my bachelors in IT in 2022, now I want to pursue a masters in CS abroad.

For this reason, I chose Finland, a land of a thousand lakes. After doing a lot of research for quite some time I decided that I should go to Finland.
My goal is to learn new & deepen the understanding of CS by completing my masters and get a job there.
So that I can gain diverse and international experience, and contribute to the society.

So, I applied to most of the universities, both in joint and separate applications and now awaiting results.

But, here's my family and relatives come into the picture, they're all firmly saying that I should go to Australia because a lot of folks from my city are going there, and doing quite decently. So, they said I should also go with this flow. But I don't want to.
I want to go to Finland, and I'm not saying this half assed, I've done quite a lot of research for this, and then I made this decision. I know finnish winters are quite harsh, it's always gloomy and dark but I think I'll be able to cope up with it because I like winters and I think I'll like snow too, so Finland - A wonderland in winters and beautiful summers, it's a perfect place for me. And I think this is the perfect country for an introverted person like me.

So what do you all think overall, is Australia better than Finland in terms of good quality life, health care, public transport, job sector?
Will I be able to get a part time job in Finland with a decent pay and then after I complete my masters, will I be able to get a job in the IT sector?
The taxes are quite high in Finland but it comes with many benefits, are those benefits worth it?
And most importantly, how should I convince my parents so that they will feel reassured and supportive so that I can move to Finland?

Also, should I take an education loan to show funds, so that this doesn't take a toll on my parents and I think I should fund my own education.
Will I be able to pay off the loan on my own?
For starters during my studies, I will be doing a part time job and then I will search for a job related to IT.

Please also point out possible recession in upcoming months, will Finland be less affected as compared to Australia and other countries in Europe?

Please share your experiences and/or two cents.


TL;DR: I'm considering moving to Finland for a Master's in Computer Science but facing opposition from my family who wants me to go to Australia. Seeking advice on pros and cons of studying in Finland, how to convince my family, and if I should take out an education loan. Also curious about the potential impact of an upcoming recession in Finland.



Australia, Finland, and Your Opinion.

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FinlandGirl
Posts: 1327
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2019 10:43 am

Re: Australia, Finland, and Your Opinion.

Post by FinlandGirl » Mon Jan 23, 2023 12:43 pm

soldrake wrote:
Sun Jan 22, 2023 5:38 pm
For starters during my studies, I will be doing a part time job and then I will search for a job related to IT.
Outside IT, gig economy jobs delivering food or cleaning apartments are the only realistic options for people who are not speaking Finnish fluently.

Flossy1978
Posts: 1395
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 3:38 pm

Re: Australia, Finland, and Your Opinion.

Post by Flossy1978 » Wed Feb 15, 2023 6:14 am

No housing in Australia. It's a !"#¤% show here at the moment. Very expensive and getting moreso by the day. Lots of homelessness happening. More expensive than Finland nowadays, except for electricity lol. But the Government prefers migrants over their own people, so just come and you'll be treated like royalty and then you can stay and then eventually bring all your family over lol.

Seriously, I'd go to Finland. You have all of Europe at your feet. Australia is fantastic, but to get to experience all those different countries would be even better. There's a better work life balance in Finland. If you have a family there you are also better off. All that stuff for kids free and cheaper than here.

hoegaandit
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2016 11:44 am

Re: Australia, Finland, and Your Opinion.

Post by hoegaandit » Wed Jul 05, 2023 2:44 am

This post may well be too late, but here are some thoughts from someone who has visited both countries three or four times each.

I think most Indians would prefer Australia eg Sydney - the climate is more similar to India than Finland, places like Sydney are extremely multicultural and English is the native language. I don't think you would go wrong by studying in eg Sydney, Australia (or eg Wellington, New Zealand, for that matter if you wanted somewhere a little quieter, but accepting).

Finland is a more challenging option. The climate is much colder, it is less multicultural and there is the language barrier if wanting to get a job there (-you would need to be learning the language as well as studying). That stated, I think it is worth serious consideration given that the Finn's psyche may suit an introvert such as yourself, IT is a field where I imagine you should be able to get a job, the country is well run, and all of Europe is at your doorstep, whereas the only places close to most of Australia are New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

Anyway best of luck with whatever you decide (or have decided)!

37yqp8098y5
Posts: 130
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2022 2:13 pm

Re: Australia, Finland, and Your Opinion.

Post by 37yqp8098y5 » Wed Jul 05, 2023 2:20 pm

Also probably too late but I think both suck for their own reasons:

Australia:

1. Highest cost of living on earth next to Canada (food, rent, utilities, car, petrol etc)
2. Millions of Indians already moved there before you, everyone is now kind of fed up with them
3. Services and taxes are ridiculously expensive
4. One of the hardest and highest requirements for becoming naturalized
5. Completely isolated island nation, if you don't like something or you want to travel you're screwed
6. Must own a car to do literally anything or go anywhere
7. Largest cities are facing record-breaking overpopulation, denigration and pollution (air, land, water etc)
8. High level of danger from gangs, environment, climate etc.
9. Extremely high starting cost and requirements for migration
10. Lack of unions, support processes and overall "rat race" culture
11. Extreme wealth polarization between the rich, middle class and lower class

Finland:

1. Freezing climate for 6 months of the year which cannot be underestimated in how it severely impacts psychological enjoyment
2. Extreme xenophobia from everyone, even other migrants
3. Non-English main language with English language not officially supported in basically any place
4. Severe overpopulation and reduction in quality and reliability of services in the major cities (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Turku, Tampere etc)
5. Extremely slow growth both economically, socially and otherwise
6. Some of the highest job requirements on earth for even starting positions in most major fields
7. Lack of support and overall dismissiveness of migrants in general
8. Totally uncompetitive salaries, taxes, living conditions and public services
9. Lack of variety in stores, culture, locations, living conditions and basically everything else
10. Utterly "nanny-state" style leadership which requires permissions to even wipe your own arse

Both countries long since lost their charm for the very same reasons you feel like moving there. Everyone and their dog migrated their entire family to both these places and yet none of these migrants are welcomed or can truly feel "at home". If you want true support, look at somewhere like Germany to settle down.
The average Somali and Iraqi costs Finland €12,000 per person, per year.
https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/handle/10024/160396

riku2
Posts: 1045
Joined: Tue Jul 08, 2008 10:13 pm

Re: Australia, Finland, and Your Opinion.

Post by riku2 » Sun Jul 30, 2023 9:55 am

37yqp8098y5 wrote:
Wed Jul 05, 2023 2:20 pm

1. Freezing climate for 6 months of the year which cannot be underestimated in how it severely impacts psychological enjoyment
2. Extreme xenophobia from everyone, even other migrants
3. Non-English main language with English language not officially supported in basically any place
4. Severe overpopulation and reduction in quality and reliability of services in the major cities (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Turku, Tampere etc)
#2 - I have found it is based on the colour of your skin. As a white person from the UK I often get better service than a native Finn.
#3 - that is not true. Even the tax authority pages are in english and you can do your tax return in english with forms and explanation available in English. My local library has english language pages for reservations/renewals. Nordea and Terveystalo have pages and online systems which work in english.
#4 - You are kidding. have you looked out of the plane window when flying over Helsinki/Espoo. It's mostly forest (apart from the core city centre south of Pasila).

The other points for Finland are mostly true but for #1 i'd much rather have a Finnish house which is warm in winter and the inside temp does not track the outside temp compared to an Australian house which are basically like badly insulated British houses from the 50's.

37yqp8098y5
Posts: 130
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2022 2:13 pm

Re: Australia, Finland, and Your Opinion.

Post by 37yqp8098y5 » Mon Jul 31, 2023 11:03 am

#2 - So anecdotal experience? Dismissed. I bet I've lived here a lot longer than you.

#3 - Wow overpriced healthcare now has SOME pages in English? Amazing. What about occupational health? aka the sole reason anyone uses private healthcare like Terveystalo. Oops, no that's in Finnish only. Also the worst bank in Finland (which isn't even Finnish bank) has some English pages for some of their services? Go show me that Nordea's investment pages are in English. You can't, they're in Finnish only. Nice you can do some taxes in English. Laws regarding them are still in Finnish lol. Oh and what happens when you want to call one of these services? 95% of the service is in Finnish or you are in 2h waiting lists on the phone for English. Great progress for 2023. At least in Australia it's all in English and you don't even have to pay to call these numbers. In Finland a phone call to bank or some other service can cost you €20. The entire cost of your bill in one call because of the ridiculous fees.

#4 - Wtf has looking out of a plane got to do with anything? Unless you are flying over the middle east most places are trees or water dude.

Your anecdote or uneducated opinion (I can't tell which) of Australian insulation is completely ridiculous. It sounds like it's from some clown who lived in a shack in Melbourne and thought their climate is true for the whole country. I've never been in a house in Australia that was badly insulated at any period in the year and I've visited there over 10 times and travelled the country.

P.S. The ultimate decision comes down to public toilet. Finland and rest of Europe make you pay to take a !"#¤%. In Australia all public toilets are free and they're even cleaner than those in Europe. Any country that charges you to take a dump should be avoided.
The average Somali and Iraqi costs Finland €12,000 per person, per year.
https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/handle/10024/160396


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