Expat Software is Jason Hunter's blog on bootstrapping a software business from overseas, layoffs, remote life and independent developer careers.
HN commenters point to it as a model of a developer running a business abroad, and recommend its advice on what to do after a layoff.
I read this: http://www.expatsoftware.com/about.html before replying to you, and assumed that you were using microsoft software based on your analysis of the pros and cons, the headers of 'expatsoftware.com' indicate it is running on IIS 6.0. Even if you didn't mention companies or technologies you clearly seem to have a vested interest in at least convincing yourself that you made the right decision.
So, of course you'd have made the same remark if I were angry with Apple or In and Out Burger.
Now, I have no experience with 'In and Out Burger', but Apple's antics of late have given me reason to regret buying an Imac for myself and my son a little while ago.
It is almost as though ever corporation that strikes it big in software immediately feels the need to not just taste but swallow, they literally want it all. I don't feel comfortable about that, and if that means I'll make a few bucks less, then so be it.
But so far it hasn't given me the feeling that I'm making less bucks, in fact I'm probably making considerably more.
To the tune of a substantial amount of money since I decided to leave microsoft behind me.
How is it working out for you on the other side of that line?
Are you happy? Profitable? Supported Well?
Then that's all good.
You may want to bend the ear of these guys:
http://www.expatsoftware.com
I have lived abroad for the last couple of years. It is a wonderful experience. There are much, muuuuuuuuuuch easier ways of reducing your burn rate, if that is what matters to you. One simple one is taking your fluent command of the English language, American passport, and familiarity with all the local systems and relocating to anywhere in the US where the living is cheap. In St. Louis, for example, I know there are plenty of livable apartments near Washington University for about $450 or so. (When I was there it was $800 a month for a very capacious 2 bedroom apartment.) Add on another $200 for food, and we'll round it up to $1,000 so that you can take the bus to see a movie once a week and deal with life's little expenses. There, that's your ramen profitable number.
It is absurdly easy to sell that much a month, if you actually sell stuff.
Don't negotiate. Dictate.
If you're already in place and have proven that you're good at what you do, this is the way to go.
"I wanted to let you know that I'll be staying remote from here on out. This last year has been a huge improvement in quality of life for me, and honestly I couldn't imagine working out of an office again. I'd love to stay with you guys (this is a great team), so let me know if that's an option. If not, I'm sure I can wind down my projects by next month."
Good developers are hard to find, and the market right now is on fire, so you're a lot more valuable to them then they are to you.
Even back when that was less the case than today, this was my standard method of negotiating things like long leaves of absence and shortened work weeks. I've written about it previously:
https://www.expatsoftware.com/articles/2007/02/two-weeks-vacation-is-only.html
It also pains me to have to sift through all the meta noise. But some examples do stand out. patio11 is one.
I recently found about Tyler Tringas, who has open revenue numbers, is profitable, and specifically focused on making the business as automated as possible to have time. He was going to write and sell a "metabook", but decided against it precisely for reasons of credibility. He's publishing it for free at https://tylertringas.com/micro-saas-ebook/.
Another one is Jason Kester, who wrote about how he did it for free on one simple blog post here: http://www.expatsoftware.com/Articles/guy-on-the-beach-with-a-laptop.html
It's good to see there are some actual cases, and it sounds at least more doable than the crazy startup lottery that is, ironically, more socially acceptable. (Passive stuff is for lazy people.)
I'm 30 and been doing software as a day job for a decade, and as a hobby for three.
Other than being passionate about coding, what keeps me going is taking regular breaks - small and big. And by break, I mean stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with computers: downhill longboarding, hitch hiking, sailing, etc ;)
The industry pays really well, even on average, so taking a 1-2 month break between jobs is totally doable. Finding a job in tech that allows you to balance work&life is a bit harder, but if you're any good, it's gonna be you choosing the employer, not the other way around.
Recommended reading: http://expatsoftware.com/
No need to discourage someone trying to be helpful. If he's learned something helpful along the way, I'm glad he's sharing it.
I loved your awesome "Book a flight" blog post - http://www.expatsoftware.com/articles/2008/05/laid-off-one-thing-you-absolutely-need.html - (also full of unbridled optimism) - without needing to research how well that's worked out for you or not. I didn't need you to be a travel agent or very experienced traveler to share what you've learned.
The reader is the point, not the messenger.
http://sivers.org/you-not-them