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It's about money and everything else too. US is a really nice country to live in for high skilled individuals. An immigrant nation who speaks the international

It's about money and everything else too. US is a really nice country to live in for high skilled individuals. An immigrant nation who speaks the international language, a fast growing economy, especially in cutting edge tech, with overall taxes lower than Europe and even the housing market crisis is not at bad as what you will encounter in many European cities. And its huge so for a lot of emigrants looking for a new home, they will tend towards the country with the huge economy so that when they get their new passport it will be worth something. The only downside of the US was always the immigration system. From a purely financial perspective, a country like Denmark for example, would need to pay more than the US to be as attractive, to account for the fact that it is a tiny country where the main language is not English and where the overall career prospects are more limited.

yread 1y ago
> to be attractive For people who value money over everything else
- geremiiah 1y ago
  My post was arguing that the "everything else" is more attractive in the US. Consider a post doc or junior professor who do not know if they will ever get a tenure position or if you even want to remain in academia their whole life. Their plan B is to get an job in industry. Now consider having access to the whole US job market vs. having access to one tiny EU country. Not to mention that when you bias for cutting edge industry R&D there are industries which only have a significant presence in the US.
  - JimTheMan 1y ago
    They have access to the whole European union? People value not having to step over the homeless to get to work, lower crime, free healthcare, no risk of deportation for having a view on Palestine etc etc The US isn't that pleasant of a place to live.
    - diogocp 1y ago
      > They have access to the whole European union? Only if they are EU citizens. > People value not having to step over the homeless to get to work Better stay away from Paris, then.
      - Swoerd 1y ago
        [dead]
      - BrandoElFollito 1y ago
        And many other cities. Paris is bad in some places, and great in others. Like every other major country.
    - throw-the-towel 1y ago
      "No risk of deportation for having a view on Palestine"? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/03/germany-deporting-pro-palestine-eu-citizens-chilling-new-step https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/03/german...
    - Axsuul 1y ago
      All those things you mention are certainly bad in some parts of US but not most.
  - overfeed 1y ago
    > Consider a post doc or junior professor who do not know if they will ever get a tenure position or if you even want to remain in academia their whole life Now assume they are not American citizens, and travel internationally and re-evaluate the whole proposition that "everything else" is better.
    - overfeed 1y ago
      Y'all downvoting like there isn't a Harvard researcher whose visa was revoked and is in ICE custody this very moment.
squigz 1y ago
Don't most people in Denmark - and pretty much all Nordic countries - speak English?
- martin8412 1y ago
  People of working age, pretty much yes. Elderly people might not.
- jhbadger 1y ago
  The point is (as a US scientist who has lived and worked in another country, although not Denmark), the issue isn't just whether they can but whether they do. In my experience, while English is often the language of science itself in formal settings, people naturally chat among themselves in their native language and if you don't know it, you will be socially isolated, even if they switch to English when talking directly to you.
- wvoch235 1y ago
  Go to a typical Nordic community gathering space and speak English.... I'll wait. Are they treating you like a local yet?
  - nopelynopington 1y ago
    Not if you've only just arrived
- BrandoElFollito 1y ago
  For work yes, when forced to do so. In any other gathering they will obviously prefer their own language. In countries like France, Germany, Italy out is not possible to live a normal life without being at least moderately fluent in the national language.
deleted 1y ago
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yread 1y ago

> to be attractive For people who value money over everything else

geremiiah 1y ago
My post was arguing that the "everything else" is more attractive in the US. Consider a post doc or junior professor who do not know if they will ever get a tenure position or if you even want to remain in academia their whole life. Their plan B is to get an job in industry. Now consider having access to the whole US job market vs. having access to one tiny EU country. Not to mention that when you bias for cutting edge industry R&D there are industries which only have a significant presence in the US.
- JimTheMan 1y ago
  They have access to the whole European union? People value not having to step over the homeless to get to work, lower crime, free healthcare, no risk of deportation for having a view on Palestine etc etc The US isn't that pleasant of a place to live.
  - diogocp 1y ago
    > They have access to the whole European union? Only if they are EU citizens. > People value not having to step over the homeless to get to work Better stay away from Paris, then.
    - Swoerd 1y ago
      [dead]
    - BrandoElFollito 1y ago
      And many other cities. Paris is bad in some places, and great in others. Like every other major country.
  - throw-the-towel 1y ago
    "No risk of deportation for having a view on Palestine"? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/03/germany-deporting-pro-palestine-eu-citizens-chilling-new-step https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/03/german...
  - Axsuul 1y ago
    All those things you mention are certainly bad in some parts of US but not most.
- overfeed 1y ago
  > Consider a post doc or junior professor who do not know if they will ever get a tenure position or if you even want to remain in academia their whole life Now assume they are not American citizens, and travel internationally and re-evaluate the whole proposition that "everything else" is better.
  - overfeed 1y ago
    Y'all downvoting like there isn't a Harvard researcher whose visa was revoked and is in ICE custody this very moment.

squigz 1y ago

Don't most people in Denmark - and pretty much all Nordic countries - speak English?

martin8412 1y ago
People of working age, pretty much yes. Elderly people might not.
jhbadger 1y ago
The point is (as a US scientist who has lived and worked in another country, although not Denmark), the issue isn't just whether they can but whether they do. In my experience, while English is often the language of science itself in formal settings, people naturally chat among themselves in their native language and if you don't know it, you will be socially isolated, even if they switch to English when talking directly to you.
wvoch235 1y ago
Go to a typical Nordic community gathering space and speak English.... I'll wait. Are they treating you like a local yet?
- nopelynopington 1y ago
  Not if you've only just arrived
BrandoElFollito 1y ago
For work yes, when forced to do so. In any other gathering they will obviously prefer their own language. In countries like France, Germany, Italy out is not possible to live a normal life without being at least moderately fluent in the national language.

deleted 1y ago

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