Thinking about moving to colombia

I think you could do well in Colombia.  The people there are open and accepting, and the government has in place procedures for recognizing foreign degrees.  You will need fluent Spanish so your studies will help - and once there your Spanish will naturally improve from daily use.

You may find that degrees from US institutions may carry greater weight than the Colombian equivalents especially in your degree areas.

Your degrees must undergo convalidación which is the process of recognition and validation of foreign degrees.  Here on this page there are boxes to click on, for undergraduate and graduate degrees, which then take you to pages outlining the process to follow:
https://www.mineducacion.gov.co/1759/w3 … 50670.html

Here's the page for graduate degree recognition (convalidación de títulos de posgrado):
https://www.nomasfilas.gov.co/memoficha … amite/T366

Good Luck and please keep us posted with as many details about the process you experience, as you care to share.  This could be very helpful for others with university degrees who may wish to explore exercising their profession in Colombia.

Dear Diamond J,

Welcome to the Colombia forums of expat.com ...

You mentioned that most pharmaceutical companies seem to be located in Bogotá, the capital.

I suspect that Bogotá would be the most likely spot for you to find employment in that field.  Fast-growing Medellín could be a second choice.  (Medellín and Cali are now neck-and-neck in terms of population size, behind Bogotá.)

I recommend that you research online whether there are US-based companies in your field that have branch offices in Colombia (or elsewhere in South America).

If you consider yourself dedicated to moving to Colombia (provided your background issue is not a barrier), I also recommend that you begin finding ways to work on maximizing your potential fluency in Spanish now, before the move.

cccmedia in Depto. de Nariño

diamondjkq wrote:

I made some mistakes in the past that might end my american dream before it even starts....

1. can i get a good paying job to live an Ok life there with a BS in biology and minor in chemistry plus a doctorate in pharmacy....

Not predictable based on current knowledge.

2.  Should i transfer my degrees or wait till i am there and sure of a job.

I would have the degrees apostilled .. unless Brother Archer has some reason to suggest otherwise.  Getting such apostilles is easier while still in North America than from here in Colombia.  Also less expensive.  Apostilles are issued by the same institution that issued the degrees originally, or by a state agency that supervises the institutions.  Check with your universities for the procedure.

3.  Do employers request a background check?

This could vary by employer, with larger employers most likely to check on backgrounds.

5.  What other jobs might I be able to do there .. if all doors are closed (in my field)?

Condo sales to Gringos, teaching English, U.S. embassy staff.

  -- cccmedia

As cccmedia points out and as the first paragraph of the link for post-graduate degrees says, the degree should be apostilled:

Diploma de posgrado : 1 Original(es) Escaneado en formato PDF no mayor a 5 MB
Anotaciones adicionales: Que da cuenta de la terminación y aprobación de los estudios de posgrado realizados fuera del territorio colombiano. Este documento debe estar debidamente legalizado o apostillado por las autoridades correspondientes en el país de origen del mismo.

And it doesn't end there - numerous other requirements must be fulfilled.  I'd explore resources within the US university that may be familiar with at least some of the procedures for validation of US degrees in foreign countries, to see if they can help.

well..I hate to burst your bubble but..I guess someone has to tell you..

Colombia's unemployment rate officially is 12% official and over  20% unofficial rate, Professions are paid really low , like 1 to 2 million pesos a month starting out ($600 to $800 US a month).

Like anywhere they give  preference to locals.

I have a Colombiana friend who is a pharmacist works on contract 6 days a week, 60 hours- makes equivalent of $700 a month.

I have worked as an Expat Engineer in Oil and Gas in Saudi Arabia, Trinidad,Venezuela, Kazakhstan US, Canada.

Multi-national corporations   never hire graduates just out of school for their high paying  overseas positions . You usually have to have 10 years experience, minimum, specialized or management, and be willing to "mentor" locals to eventually take your position.

I did work on a mine shut down project as a mechanical specialist  in Colombia a few years back, and there were a lot of Expats working on it-but it was a very short term contract on an "emergency " basis,on a project of "national Interest" paid for by BHP, the Australian multi-national corporation .

Also when I first came to Colombia to live permanently several years ago, I was interested and talking to the EPCM consultant for position of project manager on a multi-billion dollar pipeline project.

Also looked at several Canadian Oil and Gas companies working in the area.

But this was with having 30 years related experience, including 12 years international, fluent Spanish, living in the country, as well as being a long term previous employee of the EPCM company who had the pipeline contract (having several work references there).

And of course, the idea is to be mentoring and supporting local Colombian engineering staff.

However, for personal issues, I gave up the hunt and just decided to relax and enjoy a life of retirement.

So , to be honest,I really don´t know how optimistic I would be for a recent graduate, without any relevant work experience, with marginal Spanish fluency. looking to compete with native Colombians willing to Work for $600 or $700 a month.

Why don´t you gain work experience in the US prior to trying this? Even then it would be quite difficult.

I would be interested to hear if there is anyone else out there who has gained employment in Colombia in their professional field-people working in positions other than teaching English, or entrepreneurs (investing their own money).