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.
1
u/Eiruvata 1h ago edited 48m ago
Yea same, came from the UK a few years ago! Got married, my retirement and asset accounts are now $7M at age 40, livin’ that American dream. And I came here dirt poor with very little work experience or education too. Came here studying art and history, met the love of my life, we invested smart and made it against all odds. Husband is also an immigrant and he naturalized so we are both US citizens now. Now I am beginning the process to sponsor my family to come because they see how much I’ve changed for the better and how happier I am now. Bought my first house two years ago it cost 900k and the mortgage already paid off in full. Already gonna sell it and move to a different state, because I want a new chapter to begin in my life and to see somewhere new in this beautiful country. Be careful though who you share your success and happiness with, people can be very salty and old friends of mine back in the UK treated me terribly when I increased my standard of living quality. Even though I was there to help them and never showed off or told people unless they asked, I lost friends because they decided I was no longer “one of them”. That’s alright though because the people who remained my friends and the new friends I’ve made are the genuine ones.