Today is my partner’s first day as a Software Engineer at Microsoft 🎉 He is starting on the Azure IoT Central team and I am immensely proud of him!

People have always told me that I made big bets and bold choices. Yet, my partner was the one who took a much bigger risk when he chose to come with me to the U.S. without a clear idea of where he would end up next in his career.

Last summer, our 7-year relationship was tested once again when I received the news of my next chapter with Microsoft HQ in the Seattle area. We’d already had a mild taste of what a long-distance relationship was like when I studied abroad in Singapore and then moved to Toronto before the pandemic—and we weren’t keen to do it again.

What happens when you tell your partner that you’re moving to another country?

At the time, Jackie was already navigating The Great Reshuffle after a stint at Shopify. In a way, the timing was perfect because he could redirect his focus on the job hunt. At the same time, the pressure was on because we knew how challenging it would be for him to get a work visa in the U.S., competing in an ocean with many hungry fish.

For months, he powered his way through interviews with several big tech companies. Rejection came and went and most of the teams did not see a need to sponsor his work visa because of the possibilities with remote work. The pressure and uncertainty continued to build as my start date and big move to the U.S. came closer and closer… Our friends and family kept asking us what we were going to do, and all we could do was stay positive and have confidence that it would work out in time.

Too soon, we somehow made it to 2022, and it was time for me to pack my bags once again. On the day that I flew to Seattle, Jackie received his offer… talk about timing, eh?

Was this part of some grand plan?

Since going abroad to Japan and Singapore in my university days, I always knew that I wanted to embark on an international career path. In the beginning, Jackie wasn’t so keen on these plans and preferred more stability. Over the years, he warmed up to my aspirations, especially after visiting me in Singapore and getting a glimpse of what it was like to embrace and adapt to an entirely new culture (I also made some compelling points about the potential for our career trajectories and pointed out that all of the guests featured in my Leadership Series had international experiences).

Some journeys take us far from home. Some adventures lead us to our destiny.

C.S. Lewis

Right now, it’s kinda crazy to think about how we are both actually on the journey of adulting instead of talking about how it would happen one day. Maybe I’ve been watching too many TikToks lately, but I totally believe in the power of manifestation.

Thank you to everyone who supported us!

Besides sharing the great news, this blog post was a chance for me to reflect on how integrated we’ve been in each other’s lives and careers. Anyone who knows both of us personally knows that we are total opposites that challenge each other in many ways. Our relationship is an interesting dynamic full of debates and dilemmas, but we’ve both grown a lot from it… and it’s brought us to where we are today.

Thank you so much to all of our friends and family who have been cheering us on. There were many of you who reached out and shared tips, advice or contacts along the way—we hope to pay it forward and share our experiences to help others who may be facing a similar situation one day.

If you’re interested in following our journey, check out our instagram page @jk.noluck as we explore the greater Seattle area and beyond!