Being a Data Scientist Expat: An American Working In Stockholm, Sweden

My full experience after 5 years working and living in Sweden

Photo by Karl Hedin

One by one, we walked into the CEO's office that morning. Every person who exited the room either looked apathetic or in complete disbelief.

It was finally my turn, I sat down and tried to seem calm, but I couldn’t have felt more anxious inside. I was at a loss for words when I was told that my role as a Data Analyst no longer existed and that I was being offered a 2-week severance package.

Getting laid off was the catalyst for how I eventually ended up living and working as a Data Scientist in Sweden — one of the best things that could’ve happened to me.

I want to share that journey with you and everything I learned in my 5 years as an American expat living and working in Sweden so that you can discover why moving here might just be a great life and career move for you.

Getting hired and a work permit was much easier than I expected

I was in a long-distance relationship with a Swedish girl at the time, and after getting laid off from the first full-time job I got after graduating, I didn’t have much else tying me home, so I got on my laptop and started doing research.

Stockholm, a world-class tech hub

Growing up in California, Silicon Valley was always my first choice and Seattle my second, and to be honest, that's all I really knew. So I was naturally surprised when learned that Stockholm had an incredible startup culture and tech scene, with big names such as:

1. Spotify
2. Klarna
3. King (Candy Crush)
4. Ericsson
5. iZettle

To name a few…

I didn’t have much work experience back then but I tried to be as strategic as possible when applying for jobs.