Dating/Life Advice
Alright. I'm here to discuss my existence as an American with ya'll and get some opinions on what I should do. I would have used a different thread, but my karma is too low for a lot of places, and this is on topic.
Let's start with my life today:
I am a 26M, bald, white software engineer. I didn't do the college thing. I started programming very young as a hobby, and it turned into a career. Thanks to this, I'm pretty well off for a mid-twenties dude. I got a nice but modest house in the mountains of the south, and lots of cool/expensive hobbies. I've also been fortunate enough to travel to 12 countries or so in the last couple of years. My family is very interested in international culture, and oftentimes we joke that it's much easier to have interesting conversations/relationships with europeans than americans. I've found this to be true in Europe and South America.
My day-to-day life is spent often working from coffee shops on my laptop (work is full remote), followed by a mix of fun granola activities afterward such as yoga, rock climbing gym, run clubs, mountain biking, hiking, swimming at local outdoor spots, cooking, etc. I stay pretty active, and I'm very outgoing/social. I am a pretty extroverted so my needs for social experiences and community are higher than most, yet I live alone and work remote (yeah its not the smartest.. I know, but I have my reasons).
When social events are flowing and people invite me places or have the time to be social, I generally have very little to complain about. When they aren't, I find it hard to feel like my life is what I want it to be (even with hobbies, maintaining my own home, health etc). In generally, I feel like its sometimes hard to fit in, or to find connections that aren't transactional. It takes some real hard work to find good people and often times they have valid reasons to not be able to spend a lot of time together.
I have my shit together. I take care of my life, I have interests and skills, a high value position at my company, money, friends, social skills. I've been learning languages and I've done about a year of therapy (highly recommend) to solve some issues I started to deal with a few years back. I think the main parts of my life I'm seeking to improve are in community and dating. People are largely the point of life to me, yet I find myself alone way more often than I think should be normal. I'd love to have a gf/wife and family someday to share my life with!
My dating life is probably average or above average. I've done a lot of work on myself and I'd say I'm probably above average for a granola bald dude. I have good style, I'm in average/good shape, I'm tall (6'0 last I checked :P) and I have good hygine. Thanks to my natural desire to obsess over solving problems, I've gone on a lot of dates. I have spent (too much time) online dating in the past and ultimately decided I didn't need or want this option. I've been on a lot of dates (almost all from online), but very few have gotten past a few dates. Some of that was my fault, but often times I just don't meet someone who is both interested and ready to date. It's hard to find someone who matches energy, respect, isn't super introverted, isn't avoidant emotionally, or deeply in need of therapy. I have met too many attention-seekers who want a hot trophy, and sweet but underdeveloped (in terms of mental health or life status) girls who aren't ready (obviously, I am nut-shelling hardcore here). The great women I meet are already taken. Even with in-person dating, few people are willing to invest, or build something with someone.
With alllll of that detail shared here, should I be focused on solving some internal problems I'm missing (and staying the course here in the USA), or should I seek a life elsewhere? If so, where (Latam, or Central/Eastern Europe being options). I agree that the grass isn't always greener elsewhere, but could I have a better/happier life (in terms of social culture and dating) somewhere like Peru, Argentina, Brazil, El Salvador etc? Should I keep investing in my life here hoping that a nice girl shows up, or start to focus my energy elsewhere?
I'm happy to answer questions, as I really appreciate your advice. At the end of the day my priorities are community, healthy eating/living, family, adventure, my career, and finding love (not necessarily in that order). Can I find a better life elsewhere?
Posted Mar 6, 2026, 9:46 PM UTC