Sunday, April 21, 2013
The conference, part 1: descisions, descisions...
Finally, after two weeks, I am ready to process and write about my trip. The running joke surrounding my attending the Sovereign Man Offshore workshop in Santiago, Chile was that I'd either have a mind-blowing experience unlike anything I could have expected, with knowledge gleaned that I could never have found on my own, be inspired to move forward and prepare for the difficult times ahead, or I just put $2500 in a pile and set it on fire. It never occurred to me it could turn out to be both.
First, some background is in order. Why I went was simple; I believe America is in for a very difficult time economically, with major social and political upheaval coming along with it. Economic conditions change like the tides, but what I find different is our ability to constructively respond to these situations has reached the point of diminishing returns, politically, socially, and economically. I don't believe the sky will inexorably fall, but absent a sea-change in several areas, it will. Even if it didn't I believe this, there are plenty of opportunities outside the USA, and it behooves me to investigate them. Attending this conference was an attempt to solidify a back-up plan, which is the motivation for why I do a lot of things.
Still, whether or not domestic circumstances would reach the point where I would need to leave isn't really the issue. For one, my willingness to leave is not contingent upon these larger forces. My good situation professionally was always counter-weighed by my increasing dissatisfaction with the direction of the nation, combined with my utter failure personally, and I'd be happy to explore life overseas.
I have studied expatriation since the start of this blog and before, both in the true sense of the term - giving up my American citizenship - and the more commonly understood use: merely living outside of the USA. I consider myself an early adapter on this subject, from the perspective of my Generation X friends, anyway. The easiest approach would have been to gain a degree in English, then teach ESL overseas in Korea or Japan, eventually working my way up to the Middle East, where the real money was. After college, I had what I thought was a serious girlfriend, and I was similarly convinced I had a managerial job in the Poconos. Moreover, my degree is a B.A. in Psychology; a major I chose by accident, like so many other things in my life.
I've written at length on this subject, though not for quite some time. What I've rarely done is put any real effort into achieving that goal. Until the conference, the only tangible attempt at preparing for leaving the USA, was trying to take my school's TESOL program, which would have certified me to teach English home or abroad. Without stepping on my prior posts, I'll only indicate it didn't work out very well. You see, I have this annoying thing called a career, and it was either an amorphous pursuit with no sure payoff, or my livelihood. Well, give me a minute to sort things out. Bloodied but unbowed, I immersed myself back in my research, which included near-constant Internet surfing, the buying of magazine subscriptions, the ignoring of an entire library of books in my house, car, and office, general fretting, rambling blog posts, and becoming a member of Sovereign Man Confidential. The membership was the most important, as it lead to Santiago, though I would never have guessed it at the time. In fact, I almost gave up my membership, something I'm very glad did not occur.
As for the conference, this wasn't the first time this company had one, and there are quite a few other businesses that have them as well. Though the subject isn't discussed in polite company (thereby demonstrating I am not, in fact, polite company.), the topic has engendered a cottage industry with a few principal players. I know them well; I've sent them all money. Still, my faith in Simon Black was (and is!) greater than the other companies in this field. Why the benefit of the doubt? It was his choice of target audience.
"Follow the money," stated Deep Throat, and successful businesses do the same. For the companies targeting potential expats, the targets with the most money are the Baby Boomers close to retirement. Whether they are recently unemployed with no job prospects, or facing an existential crisis as to their own irrelevance or mortality, or realizing they'll far outlive their meager retirement savings, they make an excellent market. For one, they do have money to spend on a conference such as this one. Two, they have been socialized to feel as if they are still the cultural vanguard of America despite their age, which I find laughable. Anyone who successfully reinforces this notion will make bank.
Simon Black tends to eschew this group, aiming instead for a younger, or at least more entrepreneurial, cohort who isn't just looking to take whatever capital it possesses and live out the golden years like a Venetian prince on less than the average monthly social security check. It really isn't possible anyway, but it's the most common scenario (and dream) sold by less truthful companies. They leave out all the difficulties, culture shock, etc. inherent in such a move, though your dollar can stretch further, especially if you live in an expensive area such as Westchester, Coastal California, etc., but you can move to Florida and gain the same benefit. They're really selling an adventure like Gandalf to Bilbo Baggins, all while leaving out the fire-breathing dragon. It's selling the sizzle, but you're the steak. Mr. Black talks extensively about these challenges and how they can be overcome, without ever minimizing the work, which I appreciate.
All these ideas collided when I received the notice of the symposium in mid-January. His company had a conference 2 1/2 years ago in Panama, but I didn't feel I had the money to spend, and I simply wasn't ready to take the leap. Besides, I figured this would be a yearly occurrence, so I had the next year's event, right? Wrong, as it turned out. With only this in mind, and having no other knowledge as to what I could expect, I took out my credit card and purchased my seat. Airline miles were used for the ticket, and I got the hotel rate at the W Santiago, the best hotel in Chile and the host hotel. I was filled with excitement at what I could accomplish, the people I'd meet, discovering Chile, and what the speakers and leaders would teach me. Attentive readers will understand I bought the dream they were selling, i.e., the sizzle. What about the steak? Well, as it turned out, I got my money's worth and then some, but I concentrated on the wrong things I'd find. Instead of scheming on what I'd learn about the world and it's opportunities, I really should have wondered what I'd learn about myself.
Part 2 coming soon.
First, some background is in order. Why I went was simple; I believe America is in for a very difficult time economically, with major social and political upheaval coming along with it. Economic conditions change like the tides, but what I find different is our ability to constructively respond to these situations has reached the point of diminishing returns, politically, socially, and economically. I don't believe the sky will inexorably fall, but absent a sea-change in several areas, it will. Even if it didn't I believe this, there are plenty of opportunities outside the USA, and it behooves me to investigate them. Attending this conference was an attempt to solidify a back-up plan, which is the motivation for why I do a lot of things.
Still, whether or not domestic circumstances would reach the point where I would need to leave isn't really the issue. For one, my willingness to leave is not contingent upon these larger forces. My good situation professionally was always counter-weighed by my increasing dissatisfaction with the direction of the nation, combined with my utter failure personally, and I'd be happy to explore life overseas.
I have studied expatriation since the start of this blog and before, both in the true sense of the term - giving up my American citizenship - and the more commonly understood use: merely living outside of the USA. I consider myself an early adapter on this subject, from the perspective of my Generation X friends, anyway. The easiest approach would have been to gain a degree in English, then teach ESL overseas in Korea or Japan, eventually working my way up to the Middle East, where the real money was. After college, I had what I thought was a serious girlfriend, and I was similarly convinced I had a managerial job in the Poconos. Moreover, my degree is a B.A. in Psychology; a major I chose by accident, like so many other things in my life.
I've written at length on this subject, though not for quite some time. What I've rarely done is put any real effort into achieving that goal. Until the conference, the only tangible attempt at preparing for leaving the USA, was trying to take my school's TESOL program, which would have certified me to teach English home or abroad. Without stepping on my prior posts, I'll only indicate it didn't work out very well. You see, I have this annoying thing called a career, and it was either an amorphous pursuit with no sure payoff, or my livelihood. Well, give me a minute to sort things out. Bloodied but unbowed, I immersed myself back in my research, which included near-constant Internet surfing, the buying of magazine subscriptions, the ignoring of an entire library of books in my house, car, and office, general fretting, rambling blog posts, and becoming a member of Sovereign Man Confidential. The membership was the most important, as it lead to Santiago, though I would never have guessed it at the time. In fact, I almost gave up my membership, something I'm very glad did not occur.
As for the conference, this wasn't the first time this company had one, and there are quite a few other businesses that have them as well. Though the subject isn't discussed in polite company (thereby demonstrating I am not, in fact, polite company.), the topic has engendered a cottage industry with a few principal players. I know them well; I've sent them all money. Still, my faith in Simon Black was (and is!) greater than the other companies in this field. Why the benefit of the doubt? It was his choice of target audience.
"Follow the money," stated Deep Throat, and successful businesses do the same. For the companies targeting potential expats, the targets with the most money are the Baby Boomers close to retirement. Whether they are recently unemployed with no job prospects, or facing an existential crisis as to their own irrelevance or mortality, or realizing they'll far outlive their meager retirement savings, they make an excellent market. For one, they do have money to spend on a conference such as this one. Two, they have been socialized to feel as if they are still the cultural vanguard of America despite their age, which I find laughable. Anyone who successfully reinforces this notion will make bank.
Simon Black tends to eschew this group, aiming instead for a younger, or at least more entrepreneurial, cohort who isn't just looking to take whatever capital it possesses and live out the golden years like a Venetian prince on less than the average monthly social security check. It really isn't possible anyway, but it's the most common scenario (and dream) sold by less truthful companies. They leave out all the difficulties, culture shock, etc. inherent in such a move, though your dollar can stretch further, especially if you live in an expensive area such as Westchester, Coastal California, etc., but you can move to Florida and gain the same benefit. They're really selling an adventure like Gandalf to Bilbo Baggins, all while leaving out the fire-breathing dragon. It's selling the sizzle, but you're the steak. Mr. Black talks extensively about these challenges and how they can be overcome, without ever minimizing the work, which I appreciate.
All these ideas collided when I received the notice of the symposium in mid-January. His company had a conference 2 1/2 years ago in Panama, but I didn't feel I had the money to spend, and I simply wasn't ready to take the leap. Besides, I figured this would be a yearly occurrence, so I had the next year's event, right? Wrong, as it turned out. With only this in mind, and having no other knowledge as to what I could expect, I took out my credit card and purchased my seat. Airline miles were used for the ticket, and I got the hotel rate at the W Santiago, the best hotel in Chile and the host hotel. I was filled with excitement at what I could accomplish, the people I'd meet, discovering Chile, and what the speakers and leaders would teach me. Attentive readers will understand I bought the dream they were selling, i.e., the sizzle. What about the steak? Well, as it turned out, I got my money's worth and then some, but I concentrated on the wrong things I'd find. Instead of scheming on what I'd learn about the world and it's opportunities, I really should have wondered what I'd learn about myself.
Part 2 coming soon.
