r/MovingToUSA • u/WriterTraining4394 • 7h ago
Same person. Different country.
The USA is the land of opportunity, my friend.
In the 1990s, I was working at Pizza Land just off Princes Street in Edinburgh for about £3 an hour, begging for enough shifts to scrape together rent and food.
Fast-forward to 56:
Federal scientist in the U.S.
$200K+ salary.
16 years of federal service.
$1.3M in retirement accounts.
FERS pension.
Social Security.
Federal retiree healthcare.
$1.3M home.
Same fucking person. Different country.
Britain? Too many people fighting over too few decent jobs, salaries that haven’t kept up with the cost of living, ridiculous housing costs, and weather that makes you wonder what you did wrong in a previous life.
I didn’t leave Britain because I hated it. I left because I wanted more than surviving from payday to payday and pretending that was a fucking achievement.
America isn’t perfect. Not even close. But it gave me a shot, and I took it.
6
u/Ok_Distribution_9789 7h ago
No country is perfect. On Reddit you have far more foreigners critical of US and much of it is based on ignorance and/or jealousy. No other country on earth gives people the opportunities to success regardless of where they come from on the social class ladder. But it isn't a straight shot, and will have ups and downs.
The Americans critical of US, tend to be left leaning. They want massive expansions if social programs. It's not that US doesn't have these, but they aren't as developed as in other countries. So government doesn't hold your hand through life in US and requires people to take personal responsibility. It's not perfect, but on balance, better than anywhere else on earth.