eMarkLee

Been working on it for a while, and thinking about it for quite a few weeks…but yes it’s official. I’m going to move to London, you bloody blokes!

Now I get to answer all your questions:

Why are you moving to London?
This is one of the most exciting life experience opportunities I have ever had. To live and work outside of the US has always been an aspiration of mine, and now that dream is going to become a reality. Taj, Agenda, and Workmonkey have all done it to some extent. I did my 5 months out of the country after college, 3 of it backpacking through Europe, but I think it is a different experience to actually live somewhere for an extended amount of time.

Why London?
While some other countries are more appealing to me culturally (Italy, Spain, Greece, France, etc), it is not really feasible to work somewhere that does not use English as the primary language. Just think about not being able to understand all the watercooler chatter and conversations before meetings begin. Rest assured, they will not be in English (especially in Paris). Yes, you can work there but it would be a challenge. Also, I would not be able to fully use the product since I don’t know any of the languages well enough.

Are you quitting your job?
No, I am going to take on a role in the London branch of the company I currently work for. (For those who don’t know who I work for, it is a top global Internet site) It will be a great opportunity to take on more responsibility and manage a larger set of products. It will also offer me the opportunity to gain international business experience, which is great.

When are you moving?
The dates are not solid yet, but I expect to be working in London in June.

Is emarklee.com going to become emarklee.uk?
No, the Brits are not going to take over the world.

What about New York?
Many of you know that I had been planning on moving to New York to join Workmonkey, Agenda, et al in the East Coast. It was a difficult decision, but the London opportunity presents a larger life experience opportunity….and more vacation days I hope to visit NYC more with the extra time and still aspire to live there at a certain point, but I had to choose London for all the travel opportunity that I hope my friends in NYC will join me for.

What now?
As this is quite a big change in my life, I will be sharing this experience on my blog with all of you. I’ve started a new category that will chronicle my Life as a Brit. I hope to show my move, my acclimation into London, and everything that comes my way. Stay tuned.