America Josh started in 2017 as a way for me to meet new people and a way for me to help those who also wanted to move to the U.S. get through all the difficult parts of making the transition between countries. Since then it's grown, and it's changed, and I'm excited to see where it's going in 2021 (and beyond)!
So what does America Josh include right now and where is it headed in 2021?
An Online Community
Community is something that I don't think can ever be over-valued.
Having a support network, and a sense of family abroad makes everything you do much easier and makes the hurdles that you face appear so much smaller. My job is to cultivate that, to grow that, and to connect the community even more tightly.
This is one element of America Josh that I had no idea about until I was the one living in a country where I knew very few people, and had so many questions. While there's always the option to Google for an answer, having someone who has lived the same experiences as you, someone who has asked and answered the same questions can be immensely more helpful.
Pulling at a thread can often lead to more questions and these can be answered more easily face-to-face than all the Google searches in the world combined. In 2020 that has been difficult, but we're working on ways to make sure that you get the answers you need and connect with the community at large!
In 2021 want to make America Josh a “we” instead of always an “I”
I'm adding voices to the website by hiring content creators and blog writers so that you can hear from experiences other than just my own. I've lived one version of this move, but there are plenty of other lives that we should explore and plenty of experience that I cannot write about.
If you're interested in writing for America Josh, then I want to hear from you! Send me an email to [email protected] with your experience and your writing examples and we'll see if the fit is right.
The articles are going to cover the how-to elements of moving, but also tell the stories of those who are living abroad. These stories and experiences will build out the information on the site and really make it as accessible and helpful as possible.
Online & Offline Events
I have loved running webinars filled with professional information right from the source, and I've loved running trivia all throughout 2020, and I plan to continue both professional and fun events well into 2021.
I want to grow these to bigger audiences, and I want to embrace as many people who want to connect as possible. I'm going to make them even more regular with weekly newsletter updates, and monthly events catching you up.
When we're all allowed and it's safe, I'm going to resume my in-person events too. I miss seeing your faces and I think some great connections can be made when we're all standing in the same room!
First Wednesdays will be back!
Online Guides & Resources
There's a LOT of information on this site.
I've written over 600 articles detailing everything from sandwiches to credit cards, tax to bars, and tipping to schools. I'm working now to tidy that information up and turn it into something that you can flip through more easily and find your answers.
If you're new to the U.S. or if you're planning a move, it's all laid out in a step-by-step guide, populated by me, but more importantly by professionals in every different relevant industry.
Better online tools
I have a bad habit of coming up with good ideas, which I don't follow through all the way to the end… I know.
America Josh has some fantastic tools including:
- U.S. Visa Location Reviews
- COVID-19 U.S. Visa Location Status Updates
- Tipping calculators
- The Buddy System
- State Champions
And some of them have fallen down because I've run out of time to maintain them.
No more!
I've shifted my schedule to include a day per week purely focused on America Josh (as a start) which means that I can finally start to get these tools working even better and making sure that the information they have in them is as up-to-date as possible.
You need an answer? You'll find it on America Josh!
Long story short
I'm taking what we've built together and making it even better.
I'm excited for you to come along and for you to be a part of this. America Josh is nothing without the community and if there's anything I can do for you, you just need to ask.
