(A refreshed take on my 2013 post)

When I first wrote about being “unemployable” twelve years ago, I meant it in the entrepreneurial sense—I’d built my own business, created my own income, and couldn’t imagine working on someone else’s clock again.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Twelve years later, living full-time in Italy, that idea has taken on a whole new meaning.

Because here’s a secret no one tells you when you dream about moving abroad: Being unemployable in your new country is practically a guarantee.

Not because you aren’t skilled.
Not because you’re “too old.”
But because moving abroad comes with… obstacles:

• Your professional qualifications may not translate.
• Your career experience may not fit local norms.
• Your fluent English suddenly becomes your only fluent language.
• Your résumé may be impressive back home but irrelevant in your new bureaucratic system.
• And even if someone wants to hire you, local norms and hiring rules can shut the door fast.

When we moved to Italy, I discovered something humbling: Even with 25 years of consulting experience, I was—on paper—unemployable.

Could I order a cappuccino? Barely.
Navigate Italian tax forms? Not even close.
Explain my résumé in fluent Italian? Oh, absolutely not. 😅

And that was fine… because I didn’t need a job here.
I already had a portable U.S.-based business that came with me when we crossed the ocean.

I earned in dollars.
I lived in euros.
And my income didn’t depend on the local job market, perfect Italian grammar, or government approvals.

That freedom changed everything.

So now, when people tell me they’re planning a move overseas and ask,
“But what will I do for work?”
I tell them the same thing I’m happy to have figured out before we moved:

Don’t try to find a job abroad.
Bring your own income with you.

If you build your income before you move, all those barriers fade. You don’t have to worry about being “employable” in your new country because you aren’t relying on that system to support you.

You become—like me—
Happily, intentionally, proudly unemployable.

And that’s the key to a comfortable, stress-free life abroad.

If the idea of becoming “happily unemployable” appeals to you, and you want to explore building a portable U.S.-based income before your move, reach out.
I’m always happy to share what worked (and what absolutely didn’t!) on my own journey from Colorado to Italy.

If you liked this, share it with your friends!

Danita