The search for interviewees among digital nomads for the theme of the new issue of Lider weekly led me to many interesting people, among whom the American Vickie Brennan stood out the most with her passion and willingness to dissect the topic of Croatia as a potential new destination with a one-year visa for digital nomads. She says she wouldn’t have a problem writing ten pages on this topic given how much she has experienced. She convinced us of this, and she will convince you too if you are willing to read her interesting story to the end.
American Vickie Brennan, who hopes to soon have an address in Istria, has gone through a long and thorny path in her desire to embrace a more relaxed, European way of life.
– A little over two years ago, I left San Francisco where I worked in tech startups. The last one I worked for before leaving was Cruise Automation, a startup developing autonomous vehicles that was acquired by General Motors to revolutionize the way people travel, especially in cities. Although it was a fantastic company and exciting to work there, after two years of working typical hours for San Francisco, I began to feel burnt out and that the American path to happiness was not fulfilling me. I knew I had to find an environment where I could continue doing what I love in the tech sphere and maintain a balance between my personal and professional life. This is often hard to achieve in San Francisco because the work culture is so dynamic and goal-oriented, which is great for a career in the short term, but not good for mental health and interpersonal relationships in the long term – Brennan recounts how she decided on a major turning point because she missed quality socializing and enjoying life.
Europe immediately appealed to her because, as she says, that continent exemplifies the values that she believes are key to a happy life. However, not everything went smoothly.
– When I was leaving the US, there were no visas for digital nomads, so I kept my job and moved around everywhere to avoid breaking the law. In most countries, it is impossible to obtain temporary residency and work for a company registered outside that country. I had to go somewhere where I could use my experience in the tech industry and quickly find a job so I could legally live there for a longer time. I decided on Malta. The tech scene is thriving there, there is a large expat community, the beaches are phenomenal, the climate is excellent, it is part of Schengen, and English is the official language. It seemed perfect.
But, as we said, it didn’t go according to plan.
– I arrived there, and within the first week, I secured an apartment and a job. However, I quickly realized I would have to pay absurd amounts for relocation due to bureaucracy and the fact that the Maltese immigration services actually do not know their own immigration laws. And so six months passed that my employer and I spent trying to navigate the system. My tourist visa expired, and my stay in the Schengen zone came to an end, and there was no progress regarding the legality of my stay and life there – the young American testifies to the obstacles faced by many digital nomads, which visas tailored to their needs should eliminate.
Escaping from Schengen brought her to Croatia where she had to wait to be able to return to that zone.
– Many enthusiastically recommended that I go to Croatia because it is beautiful. And indeed. It took me just a month in Split to conclude that it is my favorite place in Europe of all the ones I have visited so far. Unfettered by the terrible immigration experience in Malta, I started the immigration process in Croatia only to face numerous difficulties again, even just to find out how to legally secure my stay here. I spent hours and hours reading all the Croatian and EU immigration documents online, visited lawyers countless times, and regularly went to the Ministry of the Interior, but it turned out that Malta could repeat itself. At the same time, I realized that there is also a vibrant and flourishing tech scene in Croatia full of talent and opportunities. This led me to Zagreb where I started working for one of Croatia’s leading tech startups. They had a very capable lawyer who, with a lot of effort and persistence, managed to chase down all the paperwork needed for a work permit – she managed to find a solution as a digital migrant.
However, her plan was not to settle in Croatia. She accepted a position as HR manager at the Estonian Jobbatical founded by Karoli Hindriks, who initiated the introduction of a visa for digital nomads in Estonia. Brennan immediately identified with Jobbatical’s mission of connecting the world by linking companies with digital nomads. Corona suddenly intruded into the story. In the week she was supposed to move to Estonia, the ‘lockdown’ occurred. In such uncertain conditions, the decision was made that it was not the best time to join that platform.
