||--Please help. Question about living in the USA--||

Question

Hello.

I currently live in Australia.

I really want to live in America. I don't know if it's right for me though. I see life in USA on television and think wow. But I know it's not exactly like that. I have many a question. :(

1) Do you think America is a good place to live? Where do you live? Good place to raise a family? Crime? Instability?

2) Can you get work there? I'm 16 at the moment, a decent student, and thinking of entering either medicine, law or psychology. Could I get a job there? Would you recommend studying there?

3)Is it really crowded? Are housing or apartments readily available?

4) Cost of living? Is it hard to make a decent living and pay for necessities? I definitely want to start a family when I have a job and when everything's in place.

5) Where would be a good place to live, or study at a college, in your opinion?

Thankyou for answering my question. Whilst you may think this is a most trivial question, I see shows like Friends (I know it's dumb and just a TV show), and really want to pursue living in America. Yet I also see things like crime, and negativities represented by the media and question my motives.

Don't get me wrong. I love Australia dearly. But should l move to America? It might sound dumb but I'm really conflicted about this whole thing.

Thanks for your time. I know the preceeding is a mouthful. =D

Answer 1

Australia has just as good, if not better, standard of living than the US.

1)  The US is an excellent place to live etc.  But it is tough.  There are relatively few safety nets if you get into trouble.

2)  In a few years, job situation will be better.  But better to stay in Australia and get experience and decide later on if you really want to consider moving.

3)  If you want to live in the middle of nowhere, it is not crowded.  In the major cities, it is fairly crowded but that adds to its charms, in my opinion anyway.  I could not face living in the suburbs.

4)  Depends, again, on where you are.  New York is very expensive, Pittsburg much less so.  Much as you would compare Sydney to a small town.

5)  Go to university in Australia as it is too expenbsve in the US, especially for a foreigner.

BTW, Friends is one of our, as in New Yorkers, favorite jokes.  There is no way in h**l that a bunch of slackers without real jobs could live in NY in an apartment like that.

Overall, stay in Australia at least until you have your first degree.  Then start tniking about moving then.