[JessicaTG]

That's fair. I recognise that it's quite hypocritical of me, but I don't really have a choice in the matter. :-( I've argued enough against the practice to reduce the problem from something that would take on average an hour to something that only takes 5-10 minutes at most, something that is taught and used extensively at universities around here. Thinking about it, no one has failed it at all.

For me, I do kind of need to rush. I'm transgender and not really in a safe environment to come out, and the time is fast approaching where it's near impossible to hide. Whereas overseas, where I do not know anybody, I can be myself. That is also why I also want to move to San Francisco in particular, it is very open and friendly.

[burfog]

I wouldn't call San Francisco open and friendly. Hacker News frequently has articles showing exactly the opposite.

Here, just 4 days ago, is an article about the city abusively forcing a person to build an undesirable house because a hostile neighbor wanted to cause trouble: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18695241

We've seen articles about violence too, for example in BART stations and against tech company buses.

[mlthoughts2018]

I appreciate the challenge of your situation and hope you are able to address the many simultaneous constraints you’re trying to satisfy. I submit that Hacker News may not be the right forum to handle the particular combination of details relevant for you, and indeed anonymous online forums in general might not be the best option. If you can consider other methods of seeking career guidance and assistance, it may offer better information for you.