Corporate America
Since moving to the US, I encountered one of the biggest differences in comparison to Europe in the working world. The cliche term 'rat race' fully applies to the corporate engine. When I went to university in Los Angeles, I kept hearing 'you will be overworked and underpaid for the first two years.' I always dismissed this remark. Boy, were they right! Sure, there are jobs that give you the big bucks right away (my lawyer friends do pretty well for themselves) but for Joe and Jane Average like me, it's quite difficult to survive. I currently work in the internet business and most of my co-workers came straight out of college. They work 9 hours a day and get paid next to nothing. That's why most of them still need to live with roommates. Having roommates is something that I only associate with going to college back in Europe. There is no one I know back home who has a roommate. Even my boss - who just left the company - had a roommate and she was in her 30s!! ...