I'm 20M from Myanmar and will soon be starting a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering in Malaysia.
My long-term goal is to leave Myanmar permanently, settle somewhere with a good quality of life, and eventually naturalise. With everything that has happened in Myanmar over the past few years, I don't really see myself building a future there anymore.
Right now I'm still financially dependent on my parents. They're paying for my education and living expenses, which I'm grateful for, but it also means I don't have much financial independence. My ability to work while studying in Malaysia is limited, so even things like travelling on my own, buying things for myself, or just having money that feels like mine are difficult without relying on them.
My relationship with my family isn't always great either, so that dependence can sometimes make me feel trapped. I don't expect to become completely independent overnight, especially while I'm a student, but one of the things I really want from my 20s is to gradually build a life where I can support myself and make my own decisions.
At the moment, I see two options for myself: Australia and Germany.
My university has a campus in Australia, so after roughly two years in Malaysia I could try to transfer there, finish my degree, find work then eventually work towards PR and then citizenship. It is the most straightforward option because there's already a path for me to get there through my university.
My only concern is immigration. As a Burmese citizen, even getting the necessary visa is tough and that worries me. I'm hesitant to plan my entire future around Australia if there's a possibility the visa to get there could be rejected.
The other route I'm considering is finishing my bachelor's degree, learning German throughout university, and then moving to Germany for postgraduate study or work. An idea I've had is doing a master's somewhere in Europe, with ETH Zurich being a long-term goal, and then looking for engineering work in Germany or elsewhere in Europe. If I start learning German now til I graduate, I would reach a good level.
I'm especially interested in work related to energy or climate change. My actual life goals are pretty simple. I don't plan on having children and I'm not chasing extreme wealth. I'd like a reasonably well-paid engineering job, decent work-life balance, stability, the ability to support myself without depending on anyone else, and enough financial freedom to travel.
I'm also open to advice for other countries other than these 2. So experienced people of this subreddit, what advice would you give this 20 year old?