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! :)

  • Dad_Feels@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    If you have a rare illness than it’s more likely that someone will know how to treat it in the US - sure, tell that to my partner that almost died and was medically induced into a coma after three separate visits to the ER sent him home because they had no idea what effects jardiance could have - told him his A1C was fine and sent him on his way when he was slurring words and could barely stand. They made me leave when I tried to advocate for him.

    Tell that to my mother who died in her 40’s because they wouldn’t send an ambulance without her health insurance information (which, how could a kid calling 911 know this information?)

    American healthcare is disgusting and sick and predatory. It’s the reason I couldn’t have the childhood my mother wanted for me. It’s the reason so many people are bankrupt. It’s going to be the death of all of us because they care more about lobby relationships to hawk medication that doctors aren’t even well-versed on. It’s deplorable.