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Jul 2, 2026 12 min

Year 5 is the Real Test

from 12 Years Out: With Cole Puterbaugh Hosted by Cole Puterbaugh

A lucrative tutoring offer in China forces a choice not between jobs, but between the allure of entrepreneurship and the predictability of a system he despises. For Dr. Cole Puterbaugh, that decision revealed a deeper truth about life abroad: after five years, every choice is a trade-off rooted in conviction, not convenience. Moving overseas is not an escape from fundamentals. Dr. Puterbaugh argues that by the five-year mark, an expat who hasn't intentionally made value-based decisions is in a dangerous state of drift. The social and professional ecosystems you left behind have moved on, while the new one abroad is making demands, trying to slot you into a role. Thinking you can float between these worlds without consequence is a delusion. The real work is turning the ambiguity of being an outsider into a firm choice about who you are. This is for anyone who has realized their life abroad was built by accident. — Join the newsletter and read the essays: https://12yearsout.com Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@12yearsout Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4b4FiiXIUDscBAVHIDO3lO Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/12-years-out-with-cole-puterbaugh/id1891583275 Follow Cole on X: https://x.com/coleputerbaugh

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Year 5 is the Real Test

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This episode was published on July 2, 2026.

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