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

My full experience after 5 years working and living in Sweden

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, both personally and professionally.

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 to help you discover why moving here (or another country) might just be a great life and career move for you.

Not what I expected

…in a good way

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 researching.

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 (Bought by PayPal)

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.

After about 2 months of filling out job applications, doing take-home assignments, and lots of Google Hangout interviews, I landed two great job offers and ultimately decided to accept a role as a Business Analyst at a start-up called Lifesum — a health and nutrition mobile app.

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The work and residence permit process

Lifesum took care of everything for me (as most tech companies here do). They assigned me an immigration consultant who worked with me to gather all of the necessary documents to submit my work permit application (which included a residence permit).

The Swedish Migration Agency. Source

My application was estimated to be processed within 3 weeks, during which time I was not allowed to be in Sweden.

What happened once I got my approval letter?

1. I flew back to Sweden (which Lifesum paid for).

2. I went through the fingerprinting process.

3. I requested a personnummer (which is the equivalent of a social security number in US). This can take a few months to process, but I got my tax number within a month or so.

The entire process, from signing my job offer to getting granted a work and residence permit, took about one month.

💡 This is nothing compared to what it takes to obtain a work visa in the US, that is, if you are lucky enough to find a company willing to sponsor you. If you are an expat living in US, you know exactly what I’m talking about 😉

Why I stayed…

The city of Stockholm. Photo by Raphael Andres

Of course, my relationship at the time had a lot to do with it, but Sweden was supposed to be temporary. It was never in my plans to move here and stay 5 years, after all, I love California, but I quickly realized that this was the life change I was longing for.

In Sweden, there is a strong emphasis on maintaining a healthy work-life balance not only from having reasonable working hours but also from its extensive list of benefits.

This is what I received through my first employment contract (as a single person with no kids):

• 25 days paid vacation per year.

• Personal education contribution of 10,000 SEK (roughly 1000 USD) per year.

• Pension 4.5 % of gross salary.

• Wellness contribution of 3,500 SEK (roughly 350 USD) per year.

• Sick care insurance.

• Sick insurance.

• Life insurance.

• Accidental insurance.

This is a huge upgrade from what I received back in California while paying roughly the same amount of income tax.

🚸 People with children get lots of other great benefits, one of thems being “Vab“.

✅ Some more pros

And of course, other aspects also contributed to my decision to stay here:

• Language: Although the native language is Swedish, almost every Swedish person speaks English fluently, and in most tech companies, English is the official work language.

• Cost of living: Living in Sweden is relatively cheap, even someone with a base salary can afford to live comfortably.

• Resources: Accessible public transport, which makes it easy to move around the city.

❌ Now, the cons

Is only fair that I mention the not-so-great bits about living and working in Sweden:

• Weather: Sweden is cold and dark for at least half of the year. Unless you are someone who enjoys the cold or who currently lives in a place with 4 seasons, then getting accustomed to the weather here can be a challenge.

• Integration: The Swedes are extremely friendly but also quite reserved. Even after learning the language, it can be very challenging to build deep friendships with Swedish people.

• Salary: You can make a lot more money in the US even after factoring in the high cost of living.

Fast forward to today

After 2 years working at Lifesum as a Business Analyst, I decided to look for a new adventure. This is how I managed to land my first job as a Data Scientist at a music company called Epidemic Sound, where I stayed for 3 years.

Sweden may not be for everyone, but it’s undoubtedly a great choice for those who value work-life balance over money.

In terms of jumpstarting or continuing a career in Data Science or tech, there are lots of great choices here, with great talent from all over the world.

Enjoying the “few days” of sun we get here in Sweden

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Thank you for reading! I hope those of you who are not finding what you are looking for, either personally or professionally, will be inspired to embark on a new exciting journey beyond your home country.

See you next week!

- Andres

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