I’m an American who went to college in Canada. I’m debt-free — and I have no plans to move back to the US.

When I got to Montreal, I didn’t feel comfortable right away. Like any college freshman, I was somewhat anxious about being away from home for the first time, but there was also the added element of culture shock.

I’d become friends with a French exchange student at my high school and spent some time in France, but I soon found the language and expressions used in Quebec were a lot different. I also didn’t know much about Canadian culture — the slang, the history, the education system, and the way of viewing the world.

At first, as I met groups of students who all knew each other from high school, I felt like it would be hard to find my place at McGill. Still, after a while, I found a good group of friends, got involved in city activities, and began feeling at home.

Starting my career abroad

After receiving my diploma four years later, I knew I wanted to stay abroad.

I applied for a post-graduate work permit that allowed me to stay in Canada, and found a job at a marketing agency where I had to speak French every day. At first, I felt intimidated. I didn’t get some of the jokes and cultural references made around the office, so socializing was hard. Still, over time I began to feel more comfortable working in a second language.

After a few years, I decided to move to Berlin with my partner at the time. It was hard to find work, learn German, and navigate the immigration system, but I drew on my previous experiences to help and found a remote job teaching English online. We continued moving around Europe until I settled in Spain in 2018, where I started a career as a freelance content writer and journalist.

Moving abroad for my degree gave me the courage to pursue my own path. As I learned to figure out confusing visa situations, new cultures, and foreign language environments, I became more resilient and motivated in my career.

Not having a student loan to pay off was an added bonus.

Got a personal essay about choosing to attend college outside the US that you want to share? Get in touch with the editor: akarplus@businessinsider.com.