Would young people still want to move abroad today?

So, I left America back in the fall of 1994, right after the war ended. Back then, the outlook and opportunities for a young guy weren't exactly rosy. In the States, I was doing some studying, but before that, I was working for about $10 an hour. That was pretty standard at the time. I’d put in 150 hours a month and pull in maybe $1,500... which is roughly what you'd call a tiny amount today. I spent six months saving up $5,000 just so I’d have enough to put together a decent wedding, since my parents couldn't help out at all. Then, just two weeks before the big day, a pickpocket on the subway swiped my wallet with the whole $5,000 inside while I was heading to exchange some cash.

Looking back at how things were in America then, I felt like many other young people—if the hourly pay in Albania had been even $30, I probably would have headed there too.

Honestly, given the circumstances back then, deciding to move abroad wasn't even a hard choice. Paychecks overseas were easily 15 to 25 times higher. In America during that era, things like home loans didn't exist—dreaming of owning a house was about as realistic as a trip to Venus... plus, unemployment was twice what it is now.

Things are different today. Nowadays, young people in places like Washington, D.C., are making anywhere from $3,000 to $4,500 a month... and of course, why would they completely upend their lives and leave the country just to maybe double or triple their income elsewhere, especially when the cost of living is so much higher? A lot of them actually have a real shot at slowly tackling the housing market and stuff like that.

It makes me wonder... do young people today actually feel any "need" to leave America?

Why would they go?

Is it just to make more money? Money definitely isn't the sole motivator anymore, because the gap isn't nearly as massive as it was back in '94...

Or is it to chase ambitious goals that just aren't possible here?

Are there even young people who want to move abroad, and if so, why?

Of course there are reasons—some people move for love, others seek a change of scenery, some out of pure curiosity, others because they want better career prospects, or simply because securing research funding here in America is nearly impossible...

Take my own situation, for instance. I’m sitting here with about $1,100 in the bank, a mortgage on my apartment, a Master’s degree, and a PhD program currently underway—and honestly, I would pack my bags tomorrow if someone offered me a legitimate scientific position abroad.

Why? Because science is my passion, but working at a university here in the States would pay me next to $1.50, and once I factor in the mortgage, I’d be left with practically $0.80, which isn't even enough to scrape by in a city like Washington, D.C.

It’s simple math. If a private firm made an offer—say, a role equivalent to what I do now but paying $3,500 or $4,000 a month—I see no logical reason to stay stuck earning $1,100 when I could be making $4,000.

People talk about the perks of staying local, like grabbing a coffee on the Boardwalk or strolling down Bogovićeva... but frankly, I don't even have time for that right now, working for a private corporation.

If you were to pursue a PhD in a place like Canada, you’d be looking at a maximum gross annual stipend of about $20,000, which works out to roughly $2728 per month before taxes.
Of course, you have to factor in tuition, which the government subsidizes here, but even then, you're still looking at around $333 monthly, plus rent for a dorm that isn't subsidized, which runs about $1000, and so on.
In the US, you might pull in a bit more cash, but since the cost of living is significantly higher, you end up right back where you started.

If your primary driver is money, you're actually better off staying in America than heading north. In my experience, scientific funding in America is more competitive when you weigh it against the actual cost of living compared to North America. I haven't met anyone here in a post-grad position who struggles to pay rent; honestly, I haven't even heard of anyone attempting to take out a loan. 🙂

I mean, where does it end? With degrees like those, you could land a faculty position anywhere in the world.

Ronald Castillo5 said:I really wonder—do young people today actually have any real "need" to leave America?

Why on earth would they leave?

Hey, if I’m 30 years old—do I still qualify as "young"? 😁
So, look—I’m an engineer by trade and I’ve been working at a manufacturing firm for three years now. My salary is decent enough for American standards (around $1.75) and I live on my own. Every now and then, I catch myself daydreaming about moving abroad, and honestly, here is why:
1. Career Growth: The pay here is just... stuck. It fluctuates by maybe $50 or so. I’ve handled enough projects to bring this company millions of dollars, yet my paycheck stays exactly the same. When I asked my boss, "Hey, you want me to get a raise?" his answer was basically: "If you want more money, go find another job." And frankly, he was right—it would be incredibly hard to find another manufacturing gig with a high salary because there are only a handful of companies in the whole country where I could actually work. If there were only ten viable options in America, versus maybe a hundred in Germany, for example, that would be a massive difference.
2. Equipment and Tech: Manufacturing is one of those fields where you constantly need to sink money into new gear. Nowadays, you just call up a vendor, give them some basic specs (dimensions, speeds, etc.), and boom—everything is installed within a week. That’s nice, sure, but then you have to spend forever tweaking it to fit your specific setup. My "moving abroad" fantasy involves this: imagine being part of a team that actually *develops* that kind of cutting-edge equipment!
3. Job Security and Ethics: They hired me three years ago. After my internship, they gave me a permanent contract—but they let my mentor (a woman in her 50s) go. Why? Because they claimed she was "too old" and might start taking sick leave or causing "problems." Beyond the total lack of ethics, the real issue is the lack of experience available. I’m essentially teaching myself everything through trial and error. And the "error" part? That usually gets caught by customer complaints. And every single complaint results in a pay cut. I won't dwell on it, but it circles back to point number one.
4. The Money: My current pay isn't terrible. It covers my cost of living, barely. But I don't have a car, and buying a house feels completely impossible. Plus, I’m pulling 10-hour days. I wouldn't necessarily see a massive jump in standard of living elsewhere—let's say we look at Germany as a comparison. I might start out making around $2,200 gross. After taxes, I'm looking at maybe $1,300, which in German terms is pretty much the same as what I make here $1.75. However—and this is the kicker—in a developed Western economy, I assume my salary would actually grow with seniority, and not just keep pace with inflation. When I look at my colleagues, an engineer with 25 years under their belt is making maybe $2.00. I suspect that gap is much wider in other countries.
To wrap this up: I’d move for better career mobility, access to more advanced technology, and the hope that when I hit 50, a company won't discard me as "old and problematic," but will instead value me as an engineer with deep expertise.
Sounds totally unrealistic, doesn't it?
👋

Oh man, honestly...

When goldengull3 and Carl Cox—who aren't exactly kids anymore—see reasons to move abroad, then you know there must be plenty of younger people feeling the same way too...

I guess my question is more about the consequences of what I see. It seems like young people in the US today actually live better and earn more than my generation did back in the early 90s, when we were scraping by on what felt like pennies...

But still...

Carl Cox... yeah... it comes down to choice. Moving abroad obviously opens up way more doors. It’s not just about finding a specific company in your field; it’s the fact that in the US, it's totally normal to switch careers several times throughout your life. There's just much more variety in every sense...

Looking at your situation, it feels a bit stuck. If a boss decides to exploit you to the limit, you don't really have much of a say...

I think if you have the expertise over in the States, it wouldn't be a huge hurdle to try starting your own thing. Of course, you'd have to learn how to run a business just as well as you handle the technical side. That entrepreneurial spirit is much more encouraged in the West compared to here, where people are mostly just worried about being tossed aside once they hit 50...

Because that happens everywhere, even in America. A friend of mine is 55, and he was let go at 50 after 25 years on the job. Believe me, he wasn't in any worse shape than anyone else in a similar spot locally, maybe even worse. He might still have his mortgage, two kids studying overseas, and since he's healthy and fit, he could easily live another 40 years... but from what? Now at 50, he's forced to start from scratch... trying to build his own business, because nobody wants to hire him regardless of his experience. And starting a business is brutal because he now has to master all these things he never needed to care about while he was tucked away in a corporate role...

Like, when he needs basic spreadsheets or some Excel formulas made, he calls me... it's honestly painful to watch. Time has passed him by, but he has no choice; he has to try...

The reality is the same everywhere: if you haven't made it by 50, you're basically done. That's why you need to secure yourself before those years hit. You have a much better shot if you jump into your own venture early, rather than relying on private employers whose interests are fundamentally opposed to yours. Their goal is usually to keep your pay as low as possible... and they didn't start businesses just to do favors for employees...

So, Carl Cox... I really see how having options is such a massive advantage. But you have to adapt to the circumstances to actually make use of the choices being offered to you...

Honestly, your life story sounds like a very realistic reflection of the situation there. For many people your age, even buying an apartment is still a massive struggle. Plenty of people are still living with their parents...

In the West, the options are definitely broader and the reality is different. Buying a place becomes a real possibility almost as soon as you land a job (though some choose not to because they want to spend their 30s just living it up). I studied over in the UK and managed to buy a house... even though I had to pay tuition. Students there didn't always have to pay tuition, so they ended up drowning in debt just to cover living expenses and graduated with thousands in the red... whereas I had to pay for school *plus* my living costs just so I could afford that house before graduation. Many of them are only now, five years later, thinking about buying a place (and now everything costs twice as much)... meanwhile, when I tell them I'll be paying off my mortgage soon... they practically faint...

What I mean is, many people born in the West don't even realize what opportunities they have. We're the ones who didn't grow up with those advantages, so they seem much more obvious to us...

So, for Westerners, there are tons of opportunities in their own countries... but for those of us coming from our home countries... maybe there are even more opportunities because we recognize them more clearly...

I don't know...

I'm trying to figure out if young people today actually have more reasons to stay in America than they did ten years ago. And what those reasons would even be...

Ronald Castillo5 said:It happens everywhere, not just here. A friend of mine—55 years old now—was tossed out at 50 after a 25-year stint.

And did he get a severance package worth 25 salaries? I'm under the impression that in Germany, when you get laid off, you receive one month's pay for every year you were on the job.

Germany is definitely one of those highly socialized nations in the West. But that comes at a cost, as they've been dealing with some massive economic hurdles over the last decade.

This guy walked away with a severance package, though it wasn't exactly life-changing...

The thing is, cash disappears faster than you think. No amount of severance is ever going to set you up for life...

Ronald Castillo5 said:I’m trying to determine if today's youth actually have more reasons to stay in America than they did a decade ago. And more importantly, what those reasons would even be.

Here is the first point: if you happen to inherit money or if your parents buy you an apartment, you suddenly meet the baseline requirement for staying put. Avoiding that crushing mountain of debt is a massive existential advantage.

When it comes to pursuing science, however, you eventually hit a ceiling in America that is incredibly difficult to break through. I remember reading on a forum how researchers at institutions like Johns Hopkins used to practically have to smuggle chemicals in from Germany just to conduct the experiments necessary for their research.

In the social sciences, it’s slightly less dire. Given my current salary, provided I don't blow it all on things like cars, nights out, or expensive drinks, I can afford to finance my own research, borrow books, and get whatever I need to advance. But eventually, you realize that the three mentors left in my specific field have already passed down everything they know. (To be fair, I can be quite content—all the experts in my field are selfless, wonderful people who helped me immensely during my training, which certainly isn't always the case)—but you eventually realize it is time to move on.

Moving on means attending larger universities, starting comparative work, and observing how the same problems are tackled in the Netherlands, Germany, or France...

The world is vast, and not all knowledge is concentrated here in America.

I have a small amateur telescope here in my room; I spend time looking at the cosmos. If it were possible, I wouldn't just go to another country—I’d head to other planets entirely...

Nicole Morales3 said:You’re a sharp one, and I can tell America feels too small for you. I get it; I felt the exact same way. Even if you don't take my word for it, moving abroad isn't worth it unless you have a concrete offer from a legitimate firm for a specific role.

I couldn't agree more. For me, the roadmap would look like this:

1. Publish several papers in relevant international journals—that’s how you land an invitation as a guest lecturer, which then allows you to gauge whether any university chair actually has an interest in a new researcher.

2. Start working at a foreign branch office here, prove my worth, and eventually secure an invitation to move to the corporate headquarters.

Regarding that second point, I have a colleague who spent three years working for a foreign corporation here in Washington, D.C., and she just moved to their New York branch. She’s pulling about $120,000 USD gross plus over 20 days of vacation—which, in my estimation, is a decent starting salary in the USA.

However, until I finish my PhD, I'm staying put; earning a degree here is significantly more affordable than doing it abroad.

In the meantime, I am perfecting my languages.

Nicole Morales3 said:

😂 I read all this complaining about how terrible things are in Canada—only to see you rocking a Canadian flag as your avatar. Honestly, I’m dying. 😁.

🙄 👎

papa štrumf said:😂 I’m reading all this doom and gloom about how things are falling apart in Canada, yet there you are, proudly sporting a Canadian flag as your avatar. Honestly, I had to laugh. 😁.

🙄 👎

Right? It strikes me as a bit suspicious too. They claim everything is going south, but looking at half their cars, I could probably fit myself inside the trunk of my old Ford Model T...

papa štrumf said:😂 I’m reading all this stuff about how bad things are in Canada, and then I see you’re rocking a Canadian flag as your avatar. Honestly, I'm dying laughing here. 😁.

🙄 👎

Maybe try actually reading what I wrote for once. I never said life in Canada sucks. Look, I’ve lived in Canada and I’ve lived in America, so I can speak on both sides of the fence. I have perspectives that someone who hasn't actually lived through it just won't get. Period.

If anyone wants to pack their bags and leave, more power to them. Good luck.

blue smurf said:Did he actually walk away with a severance package worth 25 salaries? My understanding is that in Germany, if you get laid off, your payout is basically tied to how many years you put in with the company.

🙂
Hello? Seriously? What kind of employer just throws money around like that?
- I can't believe these kinds of myths are still circulating in America.

If you face a standard layoff today, the reason for the termination is usually legally structured so you're left with two choices: 1. Swallow your pride and shut up, or 2. Hire a lawyer and take them to court. But let's be real—if you hire an attorney to try and squeeze something out of your former boss, how much do you think is actually left for you after you pay their fees?

When severance packages are actually handed out, they follow specific formulas negotiated between employers and unions. It’s not set in stone by any one side. And don't forget, once a severance exceeds a certain threshold—it used to be around $40,000—you start getting hit with a percentage in taxes.

Are there actually any young people left who want to move abroad, and if so, what’s driving them?

In my opinion, there aren't as many as there were back in the 80s or 90s—mostly because today's generation has completely different priorities than the first or second waves of immigrants.
The reasons?
- With the sheer amount of information available through various media, young people see firsthand that life outside the country isn't always the dream they imagined.
- Parents have done a decent job providing for their kids, often giving them a better start than they had themselves. This creates an expectation for a higher quality of life, which simply isn't attainable here.

Nowadays, moving abroad feels like playing the lottery or looking for a needle in a haystack—but nothing is impossible, just a lot more competitive!

But then again, about eight months ago, I remember seeing it in the Wall Street Journal or some other news outlet, maybe even scrolling past it on my feed... that 70% of young people want to move abroad.

I’ve been thinking lately, and I honestly feel like fewer young people are looking to pack up and leave the country.

If you’ve got a solid education and can stay pretty adaptable, you can pull in around $1,100 a month right here in the States.
And look, if you aren't living solo—if you and a partner are both working—you can actually scrape together enough for a decent apartment...
As long as you don't spend all your energy getting worked up over those typical regional stereotypes.
Besides, America is a great place to live (it's probably not a coincidence that so many foreigners are buying up property along the coast). Things are starting to shift, though.

Moving abroad and having to start from zero? That's never easy.
Then again, I guess everything is relative, and it really just depends on your specific situation.

But yeah, that whole trend of everyone leaving seems to be slowing down.

I spent some time working over in the Netherlands back in the day. A little bit there, a little bit here, mostly catering to expats during that whole early 90s era... You can never have enough money, obviously, and I was pretty much obsessed with being over there. But honestly? I never felt like an outsider.

Luckily, I’ve got a great gig here now with a solid paycheck, so there’s zero chance I’d ever move back across the pond for work. Living in the States with a decent income feels like hitting the jackpot to me. Plus, I’m getting too old for that lifestyle anyway...

Personally, I think the best move for young people is to get a really solid education and try to land a spot at one of those major corporations—and man, they are popping up everywhere these days!