Hello!
I’ve seen a few posts praising the US and I can’t deny that I’ve also had a very concrete goal of moving permanently to the US eventually. I’m from the EU so the “reality” that I have of the US comes mainly from the media. With this being said, I’d like the brutally honest opinions of those that experienced the US first-hand, whether you’re American, have always lived in the US and absolutely hate it, or if you moved from the EU to the US and are loving the experience.
- As expats, I think we’re all running from something from our home country (work conditions, family situations, etc). What made you move to/out of the US?
- Do you feel your QoL (quality of life) has improved with your move to/out of the US?
- If so, would you attribute this to working conditions/salary? Or living conditions such as more free time, good pension/retirement, etc
- Do you plan on going back to your home country? If so, what is the main driver of that decision?
Last, but not least, for those living in the US, do you believe that the pros of having more/better career opportunities (at least for skilled labor/PhD level) in the US outweigh the cons of living there, namely:
- poor/expensive healthcare
- extremely high tuition fees for colleges
- high crime rates (naturally highly dependent on the place you live)
- small amount of time for maternity leave (I don’t mind the small amount for paternity leave, but in Scandinavian countries mothers can have up to a year of maternity leave which I believe is very beneficial for the kids. I do value countries that value and protect the family structure)
- … and a general low work-life balance? (This last bullet point is not as important to me as I do like and appreciate the hustle culture of the US which makes effort/skills be more appreciated and compensated)
Thank you all! Apologies in advance if this has been asked multiple times before, but I’d like to condensate different perspectives in a single thread if possible as it might be helpful for others as well! :)
I’m American, and working on engaging to Europe next year.
There are a lot of reasons we want to do that. But just one would have been enough. Last year, I got a text message from my teenage son, during school hours, when he wouldn’t normally have his phone out. It read:
We’re in lockdown. There’s a shooter in the building. Tell everyone I love them?
My son made it out of that incident safely, although sending him back to that school a few days later was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. There was one death, and one boy who was arrested several blocks away for his murder.
I question whether American career benefits are actually all that great, given that you might make more money but have much less time to use it. But it doesn’t matter to me. There’s no career benefit on the face of the earth that’s worth ever having to sit at home, terrified that my child is about to be the next victim of the American epidemic of mass shootings.
The chances of being in a school shooting are extremely rare. Meanwhile, you are far more likely to die of cancer in Europe than you are in the USA.
The chances of dying in a school shooting are extremely rare. The chances of having yourself or somebody you’re close to in the same school as a shooting incident are dramatically higher, and I know few people who haven’t had that much contact with one.
bursts in laughter and wipes his tears with a tissue.
Thanks for the entertainment!