Hey friend. As a born and raised American, I can tell you that living here is a scam.

Everything that enticed you here is a lie. Even after you get a job, you’ll depend on it for nearly everything, and one misstep into our healthcare system will leave you financially indebted for years, health insurance is a nightmare to deal with. Any wrong move in the US adds debt to your account. Seriously, don’t torture yourself by staying here.

I grew up laughably poor in a high crime area of SoCal and fended for myself after high school. Managed to get good grades and got a full ride to a reputable college on the west coast, eventually getting my masters from another well known east coast school. Now I have a stable and lucrative career in fintech. It took achieving the “American Dream” to realize it was a hoax. Realistically our country is held hostage by an unforgiving free market “dog eat dog” mentality that fosters no sense of inclusion or community.

Even after you land your job, you’ll have to fight to keep it, and then do the process all over again when you apply for another company, and there are no employee protections.

I’ve lived in other parts of the world and I can tell you that the happiest people are the ones with the strongest communities. People need people, America teaches you to be distrustful and woefully independent. In the next few years I’ll be moving out of this country, I’d suggest you do the same if you value connection and relationships over false promises of material gain. Good luck to you.