For personal reasons, I’d like to move to Spain in the distant future. Living in Texas bores me so I want to get out and see the world. Currently I am 17, and have looked into living abroad permanently for the past couple of months. Spain first caught my eye for a plethora of reasons; its location in Europe which allows for traveling across the continent and to North Africa, my intermediate level of knowledge about the Spanish language, and Spain’s carefree lifestyle. Since I know some Spanish, I won’t be going in blindfolded because I’d be able to communicate efficiently with the local population. Being my last year of high school I have the luxury to take it easy and prepare for a cross-continental move. I need to establish funds to move and start a new life, further develop a skill set that will enable me to get a job, and improve my Spanish. I need assistance regarding quite a few issues:

How are American expatriates treated in Spain?

As a native English speaker is there a demand for us?

How long does residency, or citizenship take for an American? I assume it is easier if you are an EU citizen.

Is there a strong demand for jobs related to Internet Marketing, front end web development, or technology; and how long would it take my to get a job in this field? Currently I know HTML5, css3, some blackhat and whitehat SEO, and am in the process of learning Javascript, jquery, and php.

How much is the cost of living in Spain to live comfortably as a single male?

What is the process of acquiring citizenship? Can you explain it to me in detail?

Should I go to University in the states and put off moving for another 4 years? Is a bachelor degree from a top U.S. public school valuable in Spain?

Culturally, what are some things I must adapt to?

How is the party scene, and how is the issue of Marijuana treated?

Thank you.

Hey Shanflash, this sounds a lot like the other thread you started here:
http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/forum/viewthread/7264/

New questions I guess?

Yes similar, but I want more specific information regarding cost of living, acquiring citizenship or residency as a US citizen, and the job market for English speakers.

Also regarding attaining EU or Spanish citizenship, I heard it is an easier process if you can prove ancestory as opposed to getting the citizenship through marriage or naturalization. I can trace family back to Europe, but unfortunately the country doesn’t exist anymore; as Prussia was split up during the Nazi’s reign. Can I apply for EU citizenship through ancestory if I can prove relatives from 100 years ago that lived in Prussia (now Germany)? I know that Ireland grants citizenship if you can prove ancestory; however I am not sure about Germany. I think it would be useful because being an EU citizen would make it easier to apply for citizenship/residency.

shanflash,
i would suggest you get your degree first.
see the catalogue of courses in the website of any spanish university and see if your future usa degree would match any of them in terms of subjects, lenght, etc.
if you study here you can apply for working residency permit after completing three years as a student.
for usa citizens you have to be a legal resident for 10 years befor you can apply for spanish citizenship, if you marry a spanish citizen you only need to accumulate a year of legal residence,  processing is 2 years and a half.
many spaniards already know english. you better get an advanced level in spanish.
see if you can get german or polish citizenship. both are eu citizenship. check the requirements at their respective consulates.
to get a feel a the cost of living check the http://www.infojobs.net websites and see the salary they offer and number of people applying, check the http://www.segunamano.es and see the prices for housing or rooms, see the websites for el corte ingles and carrefoure to see the prices for food.

Why don’t you just take a trip to Spain for the summer, visit a bunch of cities, establish some potential job contacts and create some friendships, then head back home and devise a long term plan. You or may not different about Spain after your travels.
Getting a degree at home just may be the best thing for you, depending on what you want to do in the future.

Is there a strong demand for jobs related to Internet Marketing, front end web development, or technology; and how long would it take my to get a job in this field? Currently I know HTML5, css3, some blackhat and whitehat SEO, and am in the process of learning Javascript, jquery, and php.

I would imagine that if you were good at building sites, knew effective internet marketing, and practiced whitehat SEO, that would be enough for you to not have to look for a job and could more than support yourself with these skills for your own online ventures.

Hey, Shanflash!

My name is John, and I’m from Lake City. I also have an idea to move to Spain. Did you succeed? Where are you know? It would be awesome to hear some tips from you!)

Thanks in advance 😉

The last question seems to be very relevant for you) The use of marijuana in Spain is not a criminal offense)