Why is American culture so much better at career pivots and personal reinvention than we are?

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Dave_A480@reddit

The US doesn't have the job-protections that Europe does. So you start out entry-level, and... If you want to advance (unless you're in government or some really old-school manufacturing firms like Boeing) you change jobs. If your employer doesn't need you anymore, they'll let you go, too... So 'losing your job' or 'leaving your job' is just something that people are used-to.... And since mobility is so key to everything, you don't really 'lose' anything when you leave a given employer for something new (we don't do seniority, unions, or employer-provided pensions (retirement is via tax-free stock market accounts - you take your and your employer's contributions with you to the next job))...

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Existential_Owl@reddit

Assuming Antarctica, I would say it's a lack of opportunity and critical infrastructure.

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meowmix778@reddit

I'd also add that postsecondary education is completely gone in Antarctica. The only jobs there assume you have an advanced degree AND years of experience in a hyper niche field like research or logistics or culinary. There's no room for arts or the trades.

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Wide_Breadfruit_2217@reddit

What about ice carving? You could be an ice carving tiktok influencer!

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KtaadnRota@reddit

I had 2 good friends who worked "on the ice" seasonally. One was a carpenter, one was a cook. One of my great regrets is never having worked down there when I had the chance.

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EulerIdentity@reddit

People also describe the workplace there as “frigid” but being able to see hordes of cute penguins walking around is a perk you don’t get elsewhere.

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BellatrixLeNormalest@reddit

I knew a guy who worked as a carpenter in Antarctica! He had to leave the continent for career advancement, though (he became a high school teacher).

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stopcounting@reddit

I knew a guy who was a janitor down there! Said it was boring AF but the pay was pretty good.

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getElephantById@reddit

This is the problem I see with Antarcticans today: nobody is willing to take personal accountability. It's always somebody else's problem. When I was your age, we looked for opportunities, not handouts. By the way, I am a penguin.

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hbi2k@reddit

Oh, great, more "as a penguin" rhetoric. Assuming you actually *are* a penguin, you don't need to provide your penguin bonafides. If your argument is sound, let it stand on its own merits instead of leaning on identity politics.

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SesquipedalianCookie@reddit

So many snowflakes down in Antarctica.

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YellojD@reddit

And he went on to become Mario Lemieux.

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33whiskeyTX@reddit

No, it is absolutely those dang immigrants in Antarctica. If it weren't for them there would be no crime.

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ATLDeepCreeker@reddit

Call in a SEAL team to close the border.

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SesquipedalianCookie@reddit

And the ORCA team.

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LAWriter2020@reddit

Leopard seals will do the job…

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-GenghisJohn-@reddit

That one penguin just walked away from its job with no pivot: crashed into a mountain, big explosion.

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ATLDeepCreeker@reddit

Oh snap! Thats so cold!

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voltairesalias@reddit

Who is "we"? IMO the romantic explanation is that American society was founded by people who reinvented themselves, so it tends to provoke encouragement and social credo for engaging in the endeavor. The more pragmatic explanation is that real wages tend to be higher in the US than in Europe and elsewhere, so switching paths involves less inherent risk / uncertainty.

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Synensys@reddit

I think labor market constraints are the issue. Its hard to fire people in europe, which means its also hard to hire them. Companies want a sure thing and a career switcher is just not a sure thing.

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WorstCPANA@reddit

Is that true in general? I believe Spain has a youth unemployment rate of 25%, Greece also has employment issues

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LA_Nail_Clippers@reddit

I think Spain and Greece (and Italy)'s unemployment issues are more general economic status of the entire nation rather than specifically the difficulty in hiring/firing employees. Youth unemployment is often just a symptom of economic health in general, as older workers are more likely to hold on to their jobs, and fewer new jobs are being created in the economy, which shifts openings to young people.

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Synensys@reddit

Youth are notoriously unreliable workers. Hard to fire = hard to hire.

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carlos_the_dwarf_@reddit

Yeah I would guess insofar as this is true it’s a function of economic dynamism. The wild thing is how that outstrips the more generous safety nets of Europe. You might think those would encourage career changers.

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Excellent-Run4803@reddit

Exactly, there is better opportunity for change and growth when there are safety nets in the society. There are many countries with better safety nets now than the US. Chasing/keeping healthcare is a major driver of US career decisions. The country has been selling the narrative of the self-made successful man since its inception, but that story was true for a small minority. Many, many more ended up part of the labor class, struggling to meet day-to-day needs. Similarly, today, there are plenty of professional motivators selling the story of reinvention. But there are also many untold stories of disappointment. Which isn’t to say we shouldn’t take risks, but it’s much more challenging than just believing in yourself.

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Ok_Bar4002@reddit

High safety nets actually seem to do the opposite. In theory it sounds nice, but I would contend nearly every country in Europe has higher safety nets and less reinvention than the US.

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rethinkingat59@reddit

The US safety nets are abundant but focused on the poor and the elderly, while the Europeans tend to have universal benefits available regardless of incomes. There have been studies that look at the goods and services the poor across wealthier countries consume annually on average and the American poor do quite well. It’s the middle class and up that have to pay for healthcare, tuitions and the other high expenses often mentioned in problems with America.

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Ok_Bar4002@reddit

I’ll Google some of the studies. I guess I’m blurring safety nets with public benefits. And that does lineup with the theory that having safety nets allows more risk but potentially too high taxes / public benefits might lead to complacency in life choices. I often go back and forth because I admire the ability of my European family and friends to just be content vs the hustle culture we have in the US but sometimes I wish there was more of a middle ground when I see so potential but lack of drive a little too persistent. I’m thankful that I grew up in a place where I was encouraged to completely change careers to one I’m happy in now because I’m not sure I would have done it else wise, but it does lead to a little “what’s next” attitude vs relaxing in a good place.

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rileyoneill@reddit

Europe has a major issue now that their economy has failed to produce any major players at pretty much every frontier industry. There is no European Microsoft, Google, Apple, Meta, Tesla, SpaceX, OpenAI, Intel/AMD/NVidia, or just about any of our tech. While that comfort may have produced a great lifestyle for people, they are looking across the ocean and seeing an economic rival massively grow in capacity and capability. European colonialism on the past depended on a huge force multiplier from technology. The spear people suddenly had to fight gun people and lost. It doesn't matter how well crafted the spears were, once the superior technology showed up that was the end. Complacency is what lead our automakers to producing unreliable gas guzzlers giving the Japanese an opportunity to move in back in the 1980s and 1990s. I think the middle ground in the US is regional. Not everywhere is Silicon Valley or NYC, but we absolutely need a Silicon Valley and NYC. Much of our hustle culture revolves around a high living cost vs people actually wanting to go do something amazing. The lower cost of living areas are the safety valves and the problem is they are few and far between.

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rileyoneill@reddit

Most structures have a small percentage of success. We have this public education system for everyone. Everyone gets K-12. Then only 35-40% of students get a bachelors, 15% get a masters, and 1-2% get a PHd. The vast majority of high school students don't get a college education. The same is true for athletics. Maybe most kids who try out for a high school team make it, but only a small minority of those student athletes play in college, and a tiny fraction of those students will play in a professional league. Of people who join the military, only a very small percentage of them will become some sort of special forces operators. Startups are the same. Most startups don't become big or a huge success story (even if they do end up making a living for the founders). The ones who do become successful create companies that employ all sorts of people. There are many places with amazing social safety nets but lack the dynamic economic activity we have. These societies don't produce amazing companies that are on the frontier, they largely become stagnant. They become a bucket of crabs with free social services.

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cryptoengineer@reddit

OP appears to be in India.

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clamandcat@reddit

I think the educational system in Germany (and possibly other places) can lock people into specific careers and make it more difficult to change. There are often a lot of credentials needed for specific lines of work. One of my German coworkers always expressed surprise at Anericans so easily trying new things, while "in Germany you have your job, you do your job, and you don't want more."

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Bedessilliestsoldier@reddit

I do think there’s merit to the romantic explanation. Even before the US was founded, colonists were highly mobile, moving to where land was cheapest, or growing towns where there was more opportunity to start a business. This phenomenon held through until we didn’t have a frontier any more, but by then the country was so well-connected it was relatively easy to travel a vast distance and reinvent yourself. A big factor here is that as people moved to different parts of the country, they became disconnected from their communities. It’s hard to reinvent yourself when everyone knows you, but in moving to a new place, full of new people, you could. People in the 19th century US were often afraid of con men for this very reason, and Hermann Melville wrote a novel about it, *The Confidence Man*.

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Helpful-Winner-8300@reddit

The extent of mobility amongst Americans historically really cannot be overstated. Read a biography of nearly any 19th century American and it's insane. However, if you look at the data, this has fallen off a cliff in recent decades. I think that is at the root of a lot of our social and political problems today. The book Stuck by Yoni Appelbaum goes through this issue. Give that a read - or listen to one of his podcast appearances discussing it (e.g. WITH with Chris Hayes)

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EatLard@reddit

And moving around the country for new opportunities isn’t dead. It seems like everyone is from somewhere else unless they’re old money.

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Maleficent-Hawk-318@reddit

I do honestly think it's a bit of both. We do have a culture that values innovation and reinvention (at least in theory), probably tied to the fact that the vast majority of us are descendants of immigrants. However, I also live in a very poor state and know a lot of people who are financially struggling, and they tend to be very risk-averse (understandably so) because they know they don't have anything to really fall back on if it doesn't work out. Whereas for my pretty comfortable middle-class life, it's been easy to reinvent myself multiple times over the decades, because I know that if it doesn't work out, I have savings and family support and an affordable place to live (since I own my own home and have an affordable mortgage), etc.

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FreeRange0929@reddit

To be more clear, the US per capita discretionary income is far and away the highest in the world. It’s so high, it would rank as the 20th highest GDP per capita. Wages are high, but unlike smaller nations like Luxembourg, the US has a large population, so taxes can be lower, which means we have a rare combination of huge population, high productivity, high income, which creates a lot of discretionary income.

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Zombierasputin@reddit

Lol how do we deal with uncertainty? With highly elevated cortisol levels.

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ThatZX6RDude@reddit

Yeah… I was raised to just keep on keeping on. Something bad happens, well you can’t change what happened. Just move on and do what you can and/or think is right to make your next week better. It’s stressful sometimes when things don’t go right, hell I’ve changed profession 3 times lol. But I still provide and do what I can. My current job is probably the most stressful, as a contractor, but I also love it at the end of the day.

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Fooby56@reddit

My people 😆

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Afterlast1@reddit

query: Who is "we"

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Nasreth7@reddit

left intentionally vague by the bot to farm maximum karma.

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cryptoengineer@reddit

OP appears to be in India.

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4MuddyPaws@reddit

OP said "we" is non-Americans. Presumably they want to learn how to be more flexible and resilient?

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Afterlast1@reddit

But how can I answer that without knowing their context. If they say German then the answer is because Germans are extremely rule-abiding culturally. If they say Japanese, the answer is still rigid cultural norms, but for different reasons. If they say Indian, then the answer is probably lack of opportunity. The question is unanswerable without context.

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4MuddyPaws@reddit

Good point, but fundamentally, there are things everyone can do. Except maybe in India, because from what I've seen, while the caste system is supposed to be outlawed, it's still there culturally. And really, as Americans, we reinvent ourselves, not because or in spite of our cultures, but because that's who we are deep inside. Hard to explain. But you see people bucking the system all the time here.

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Outside_Reserve_2407@reddit

Me, Smith, and Wesson.

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Afterlast1@reddit

You raise another good point. It also depends on which state is being referred to. Texans are confident because of ye ol' six shooter. Wisconsin is confident because of ye ol' 3 x's on the jug moonshine.

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Vast_Iron_9333@reddit

It's a cultural thing..you're born into a world where very little if anything is guaranteed. It's like if you practice tight rope walking without a net, you'll be much better at it when it's actually showtime. You get picked on a lot as a little kid if you're afraid to take risks. The culture is just not risk averse, quite the opposite. Also, America is a great filter for not risk averse people. Many of us are descendents from Europeans who voluntarily sailed across an ocean to a strange land in search of opportunities they weren't sure they would get. That's not everyone's ancestors nowadays, but the culture developed from those people.

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PopEnvironmental1335@reddit

Independence and taking risks is seen as heroic, sometimes to our detriment. Being “self-made” is a big part of the culture here. As others said, I think it comes from the idea that people can come to the US to reinvent themselves. Land of opportunity and all that.

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CaliTexJ@reddit

I suspect it’s partly due to our cultural emphasis on individualism, partly because we still consider America (the US) to be “The Land of Opportunity,” and partly because that kind of life pivoting is a manifestation of freedom.

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Showdown5618@reddit

No, we're not.

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ironhaven@reddit

That’s a great question why are Americans so exceptional compared to the rest of the world that’s we’re so exceptional because Americans are a exceptional society. We are the exception.

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EmberIvyy@reddit

Less labor laws,at will employment, and lack of social safety nets. If you dont pivot when needed you fall though the cracks. Most people are one paycheck from homlessness and living paycheck to paycheck. You reinvent because you need to. In other countries where its harder to fire,employers take less risk hiring. But you have a job thats stable and little need to find other angles to make money. Theres other reasons for other countries but it a lot also depends on that specific place. In America a lot of people also cant pivot or reinvent if Healthcare keeps them tied to a job but you're still painfully aware you could be out a job the next day so even people in that situation are usually working some side hustle.

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hobokobo1028@reddit

We are OK with failure as just part of the process towards success.

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Slackjawed_Horror@reddit

You have no choice in the US, you take what you can get. And can always get fired the next day for no reason!

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MantisToboganPilotMD@reddit

the millions of us in strong unions sure don't live like that. it would be amazing if more people unionized.

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jstnrgrs@reddit

Many of us in job union work don’t live like that either. Just be someone your employer wants to keep. And if you have a poor employer, go get a new one.

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Cheap_Coffee@reddit

Those of us not in unions don't live like that, either, so....

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MantisToboganPilotMD@reddit

I was making a point regarding the common overgeneralization that Americans have no protections for workers, and acknowledged those that don't benefit from them by saying it would be better for them if they unionized. you have to organize and bargain collectively, it's not something that is handed out.

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Cheap_Coffee@reddit

>You have no choice in the US, you take what you can get. What? Some elaboration is needed.

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Slackjawed_Horror@reddit

You take whatever job you can get, what's hard to understand about that?

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Cheap_Coffee@reddit

Move to a different location if you can't find a job you like. It's not hard to figure out.

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Slackjawed_Horror@reddit

You get that you're making my point, right? You take whatever you can get, and job security is a fairy tale.

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Cheap_Coffee@reddit

By all means, abdicate all responsibility for your life.

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TransitionTiny7106@reddit

Americans aren't better at it than anyone else I don't think. There's a turn of phrase "There are no second acts in American life."

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jstnrgrs@reddit

As an American, I’ve never heard this before. I’d say it’s almost totally wrong.

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Maleficent-Hawk-318@reddit

That's a new one to this American. Where do you hear that?

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TransitionTiny7106@reddit

It's a quote from F. S. Fitzgerald's novel The Last Tycoon. And it points to the very real difficulty in overcoming fixed public perceptions.

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Maleficent-Hawk-318@reddit

Do you hear it anywhere else, though? Fitzgerald wrote about a pretty specific subgroup of Americans in a pretty specific era; I don't think that's broadly how Americans perceive ourselves.

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TransitionTiny7106@reddit

Yes. The idea that everyone will be famous, but only for 15 minutes, is a related idea that's more frequently talked about.

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BlowFish-w-o-Hootie@reddit

“There are no second acts…” is a very pessimistic attitude for an American. The more common phrase is “ Pick yourself up and dust yourself off.” Millions of people make career changes, start new businesses, or just change jobs, all the time. Personally, I am working on Career 3.0.

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Standard_Structure_9@reddit

Economics would prove your statement incorrect

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TransitionTiny7106@reddit

"Better" is an unquantifiable value judgement and the dismissal science isn't insightful on such topics.

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ColumbiaWahoo@reddit

Is it? Most employers automatically reject you if you don’t have exactly the experience they want.

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jstnrgrs@reddit

I’m not sure what employers you’re talking to, but this hasn’t been my experience at all. Job “requirements” are more “nice to haves”, and you can be very creative in claiming how your experience aligns. Just be reasonably intelligent and personable when talking g to the hiring manager, and you’re likely to get a shot.

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BlowFish-w-o-Hootie@reddit

Then go to another employer.

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WrongJohnSilver@reddit

It's the odd effect of at-will employment. Since a company can fire you whenever they feel it necessary, there's much less risk in taking on new employees. That means they'll feel free to hire more people whenever they feel there's a need. Also, American unemployment insurance isn't all that bad. It depends on the state, of course, but getting six months at 50-60% your previous salary while you look for work can cover many basic expenses.

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Dylanabk@reddit

As an American, if I lived in a country that had universal healthcare I would not be working where I am. Uncertainty is what keeps me in place

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jackfaire@reddit

Lack of stability and options. When your choice is homelessness or find something else to pay the bills then you pivot to whatever you need to pivot too.

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heraus@reddit

The US (in comparison to other Western Countries) has less structural protections, unionization or baseline benefits provided to its labor force. There is a strong emphasis on individual merit and achievement. What does this mean? People can be let go of much more expeditiously, and there is less loyalty to any particular employer. At the same time, however, businesses are more likely to take greater risks in hiring decisions and there are less stakes in making huge changes mid-career. In fact in some cases, it is highly respected to do so and overall much more acceptable than in Europe, for example. People move cities, change industries, etc.

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jstnrgrs@reddit

The American dream is traditionally that we can make ourselves why we want. We’ve usually been proud of that aspect of our culture. We are largely populated be the descendants of people who left their entire lives to take a chance and do something completely different. I think that has a strong influence on us.

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Outside_Reserve_2407@reddit

One aspect of American culture is that we live in large continent-sized country with multiple regions and large cities. A person can uproot themselves from a small town in Kansas and move to Los Angeles and not have to deal with the uncertainty a foreigner would have in relocating.

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No_Water_5997@reddit

This right here and even moving from region to region, while there will be cultural shifts from place to place, there’s still an over arching culture that is the same no matter where you go in the US. Of course some culture shock will happen but you’re not completely losing the entirety of your culture if you move from Florida to Maine like I did.

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El_Polio_Loco@reddit

American culture is significantly more mobile than European. The average American moves more than twice as often as their European counterparts. So Americans are much more willing to take risks and expand their opportunities than Europeans (on average)

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Outside_Reserve_2407@reddit

It's almost a rite of passage for college-bound American students to go out of state for schooling. So this moving away from home mentality starts early.

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Fit-Building-2560@reddit

Who is "we", OP? Where do you live?

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Adorable-Growth-6551@reddit

Failure of a startup business is not really considered a bad thing. Most start ups fail, it is not a reflection on the guy that tried. At least he/she tried that is admirable. Some small businesses seem doomed to fail from the start, maybe that guy is foolish, but the fact that they try is admirable. Getting laid off or fired is also not a huge blow socially. If a person jumps from job to job quickly they are a bit looked down on, but no one really looks down on the guy who just started a job and was the first to be laid off. That does not impact you socially or even professionally. I dont know if those are problems with your culture, i dont know your culture. But it is a plus for the US culture. You can fail, people dont really look down on you for that. (Though i know now that i said that i will get at least one person giving me antidotal evidence to the contrary, the US is a big diverse place)

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No_Water_5997@reddit

Added to the job hopping thing while it’s somewhat looked down upon within the labor market I think it’s becoming a bit more acceptable socially because we’ve come to the realization that there’s not always a lot of incentive to stay put. We no longer have pensions, good health insurance isn’t a sure thing company to company, and opportunity for growth varies from company to company. Without incentives to keep people in the same company/job long term there’s more opportunity for going elsewhere for better career choices and better benefits at a different company or even in a different industry all together.

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ruggerbear@reddit

this! risk taking being rewarded, even if the risk results in failure, is a central part of US culture.

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Salarian_American@reddit

I wonder if it's because we live with a high degree of uncertainty already in regard to employment because of relatively lower levels of employment security. It's just part of the equation for us.

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ForgetTheRuralJuror@reddit

This is likely it. I worked in the UK and the vibe is completely different. You need a legit reason to lay someone off, and it can take weeks to fire someone. You typically give and are given a _month_ notice. Leaving the company is an event. People come up to you and chat about it, you're given a card. You'll have a "leaving do", a party to see you off. People feel safe at work; enough so that it's like the employer _owes you_ something for your labor. You'll see people get sick and take months of leave, _then return_. The vibe in the US is completely the opposite. You'll turn up to work and Steve just won't be at his desk, and it's like he never existed. The relationship is much more transactional. You're there to work and everyone knows it.

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Valuable_Recording85@reddit

>People feel safe at work; enough so that it's like the employer _owes you_ something for your labor. >You'll turn up to work and Steve just won't be at his desk, and it's like he never existed. The relationship is much more transactional. You're there to work and everyone knows it. These two points say it all. Americans are treated like cattle instead of business partners.

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Salarian_American@reddit

I've worked in places where, for example, they laid off half of the people in my department on the day before Christmas Eve. Just one day, half your co-workers, gone. I was spared, but began seeking a new job immediately. And you just never know what's going to happen, that's the worst part. There are no guarantees of any kind. If you have a health issue or something, your company might be constructive and helpful during that time, or they might just let you go. At my current company, I had a co-worker who went into psychiatric hospitalization. When he wasn't back at his desk within 3 weeks, they fired him while he was still in the hospital. Another co-worker at the same company got cancer and was given medical leave. Six months later, he was begging to be allowed to come back to work, and they told him "no, stay home and focus on recovery, your job is safe." And it was, he eventually came back to work and is still there. When my father had cancer, I missed a half-day of work every day for two months because there was no one else to take him to chemotherapy, and they didn't even make me use my PTO for it. So like... maybe your company is very generous and understanding, but there is no guarantee of that. It's entirely down to the fickle decisions of your individual employer.

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BananaMapleIceCream@reddit

Also, there is real desperation to get another job when you don’t have health insurance.

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Bensfromgr@reddit

Man being white must be so fun. Anytime I see these posts about healthcare I’m like I wish I trusted doctors enough to care about that lol

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justdisa@reddit

I wish you *could* trust doctors enough to care about that. Sucks that you can't. We need more black doctors. Disrupt the culture of medicine.

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Valuable_Recording85@reddit

The culture is changing but it's taking a lot of time because of how many doctors haven't been in a classroom since the 1900s.

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Bensfromgr@reddit

Oh yeah you have no idea what kind of wild stuff was being said when fauci kept changing what he said about Covid every other day back then. It definitely didn’t make any of us trust what they were saying at all. Personally he lost me once he started saying you needed 2 shots and then switched to 3 and then yearly… it does suck I am Lucky that one of my grandmas at least really loves doctors so I wasn’t around the anti-doctor shit as much as others at least

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tendie-dildo@reddit

Is this a Russian bot account

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RubiksCub3d@reddit

I have chronic illness (but am a white woman) and I get dismissed quite a bit. I can only imagine how much worse it would be if I weren't white.

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Just_curious4567@reddit

This is directly related to employment laws. The more laws passed for employee protections, the more hesitant employers are to hire. So USA has less employee protections, but a more dynamic workforce. It’s easier to switch jobs here than in Europe. It’s harder to get a job in Europe, but once you get one, you have more job security.

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AdamOnFirst@reddit

You’ve confused the chicken and the egg. What you describe is the other side of the symptomatic coin to what OP describes, not the cause. Theyre both caused by the same factor: preference for a more dynamic economy and job market at the cost of the employment stability ONCE HIRED Europe offers plus general attitudes toward social mobility and societal role.

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CutterNorth@reddit

This is the main issue. When you sustain yourself in a place with "at-will" employment laws, you get good at your hustle. It is one of the reasons Americans are generally, I said generally, more productive. We have to prove our worth day in and day out.

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BowtiedGypsy@reddit

It’s also much tougher across say Europe to get jobs. Even ignoring the economy completely, when it’s much more difficult to fire employees you must be way more careful in who you hire. Someone who job hops, or is likely to leave the company within a few years, is a big risk - especially when considering all the time off they get.

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Traditional_Way1052@reddit

That's my take, as well.

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Rogue_Cheeks98@reddit

i’d attribute at least partially it to the “tall poppy syndrome” a lot of other countries seem to have. If you try to excel at something, or do something different, you get shot down and people tell you to know your place. The US doesn’t have that sort of culture

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Time-Defiance@reddit

I think those country that have that syndrome tends to link that to the US as arrogant and self confident.

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CycadelicSparkles@reddit

It genuinely depends on what part of the US you're talking about. There are many places that have severe crabs-in-a-bucket mentality.

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BowtiedGypsy@reddit

It happens everywhere, but it’s much less in America.

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CycadelicSparkles@reddit

Compared to where? Nicaragua? Paris? The Seychelles?

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BowtiedGypsy@reddit

Compared to other first world countries. I guess I’m primarily thinking of most of Europe though.

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CycadelicSparkles@reddit

OP seems to be referring to the world as a whole, minus America.

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BowtiedGypsy@reddit

Yeah, I mean I can’t think of anywhere that compares with America on this honestly.

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CycadelicSparkles@reddit

I would guess that's because most people aren't familiar enough with *the world* to really make accurate statements about this.

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BowtiedGypsy@reddit

Nobody is intricately familiar enough with the entire world to properly answer in this way. That’s assumed as common sense. It’s also kind of basic though right? Any developing or third world country simply doesn’t have the economy to support career pivots being common. Even most other first world countries don’t have systems that support this (take most of Europe as an example, firing people is very tough so people are much pickier about who they hire). When it comes to the mindset you spoke about, everywhere is going to have people with a level of jealousy. BUT I do have friends across LatAm and Europe and it’s more than basic jealousy from a few people for them. It’s almost seen an insult that you would dare or hope to achieve more. Wanting more means you’re ungrateful. It’s an interesting difference that gets discussed frequently online

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SpeedLow3@reddit

England

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xampl9@reddit

Australia is one such.

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BlowFish-w-o-Hootie@reddit

Americans who succeed or excel are less likely to succumb to the “ too big for their britches” mentality. Successful Americans will sever ties with the other crabs, if necessary. Successful Americans see personal economic success as more important than maintaining family or societal ties that keep them from success.

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CycadelicSparkles@reddit

Again, I think making blanket statements about "Americans" is very likely to overlook significant pockets of Americans to which the statement does not apply. I have seen absolutely vicious attempts to hold people down and shame them for attempting to better themselves/do something different/move elsewhere, and sadly, I have seen it work.

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coldlightofday@reddit

But people can and do leave. Sounds more like rural/urban divide than overarching culture.

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CycadelicSparkles@reddit

People can and do leave in every culture.

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InfidelZombie@reddit

It definitely does happen in the US. I partly grew up on my extended family's dairy farm and was close with my dozens of cousins, aunts/uncles, etc. Then I went to college, became an engineer, moved to the west coast and then Europe, and now they won't talk to me, but I feel like they're more intimidated or will think that they're stupid than they are judgmental. Which is ridiculous; I have a lot of respect for them.

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totesmadoge@reddit

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Proverb is pretty big in the US (along with its hilarious variations). Kids are generally encouraged to be entrepreneurial (lemonade stands, cutting grass in the summer). I remember going door to door selling stuff for school fundraisers (and being horrified about it, since I’m an introvert). Kids nowadays do this online (god I’m old). There’s a culture of wanting small local businesses to succeed and (generally) supporting friends and family who try to start their own businesses. We tend to celebrate the attempt, especially if we see people busting ass to make it work, not just a successful outcome per se. So many Americans work shitty jobs for shitty bosses at shitty companies. The idea of “being your own boss” can be really appealing.

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rethinkingat59@reddit

It’s weird that we think of America as a place of small businesses but other countries seem to have much more. I have traveled extensively in Europe, visited India, Africa and parts of Asia and am always amazed at how the retail markets work. Where in America we have large box stores supplying day to day goods to the masses, other countries seem to have a hundreds of tiny stores or kiosk selling from a very limited inventory. I am sure many that run these little markets struggle and have to work very hard to make a living. I am also a fan of Google earth and use it to travel virtually. In cities in parts of Africa almost every other home seems to be a store front. They sell food, dresses, tires, cooking utensils or whatever, but there are thousands of small businesses and business people everywhere.

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privatefries@reddit

This something I think about a lot. It's kind of a tangent, but I visited Germany once and had one of the best breakfasts of my life at this hotel. It wasn't a fancy hotel by any stretch of the imagination, but all the food was obviously procured locally. In America, unless I personally know someone with chickens I can't get fresh eggs. I used to think it was greed, bit I think it's a scale problem. I grew up in Wisconsin in a factory city by the lake of 50k people. Even if there was space to produce enough food for 50k people, there's not enough people without destrying the local industries which are the only reason the city exists. I'd reckon this would be true of any city with populations over 20k. From there it's easy to see why it's easier to have massive farms that ship everywhere than it is tons of smaller farms that cover smaller areas. I know it's more complex than that but I don't know where my eggs come from. I could buy locally, but it costs a premium. I can afford it now but I couldn't five years ago and someday the extra cost of that egg is going to be coming out of my kids tuition or something.

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Quenzayne@reddit

I didn’t think was actually a thing until I moved to Chile. It’s 1000% real. My wife, who grew up in a literal crime infested slum, insisted I move in with HER when we got married because she didn’t feel comfortable in the trendy, upper-class area that I lived in because she didn’t want all the rich people thinking she didn’t belong there. I was entirely unaware of any of these issues u til that moment and I was shocked. Not as shocked as I was living the next 3 years in a Latin American drug den, but I still couldn’t believe she wasn’t jumping at the chance to get out of there. Oddly enough we later lived in an extremely affluent part of Southern California and she had no issues with that, despite the fact that our neighbors could have bought and sold the Chilean nouveau riche with what they earned in quarterly dividends.

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Wireman332@reddit

This right here. We are made up of the people who left places that told them to know their place

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No-Maintenance4976@reddit

Most Americans don't have a choice - we have to pivot because we have less worker protections than other countries. Don't get me wrong, as a whole, I think our system has created a lot of success, but for the average person, we don't have unions, paid family leave, and increasingly, unaffordable healthcare. But, it does force us to be resilient, lol.

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marikira13@reddit

We value individualism quite a bit

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Silly_Guidance_8871@reddit

It's either that, or starve.

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Valuable_Recording85@reddit

Because people here need to be able to do it. We have fewer workers' rights than the rest of the developed world and our cost of living is higher. People say certain European cities are unaffordable and I laugh because every bad example is just an average city in the States.

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GreenBeanTM@reddit

“We refers to none Americans” ok cool, so only several *billion* people across several hundred countries. We can totally pinpoint an answer for why America is better at personal reinvention than that group of people, definitely 🙄

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HecticTurtIe@reddit

Because we all have ADHD and thrive on novelty, is my best guess. Though I didn't realize this was a talent we possessed 🤔 Gonna add it to my resume!

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Blutrumpeter@reddit

Failure isn't looked as negatively as other cultures and it's often encouraged at a young age to try new things

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Difficult_Ladder369@reddit

It’s climbing the ladder for better opportunities. Job hopping. Someone like me I don’t have kids so when I get bored I find something else

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Primary_Excuse_7183@reddit

We lack the social safety net that similarly developed countries have. Therefore if you want growth in your career, more money, different lifestyle you are expected to take those matters into your own hands. Because that’s the culture baseline many exercise that right . The concept of the “free market” encourages and incentivizes said risk taking. I guess in that way it’s sort of baked into how we live life. A bit on edge and one bad day away from catastrophe for most of us so you sort of build a resistance to seeing it as “uncertainty” as it’s just everyday life.

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Ok_Bar4002@reddit

I’ll Google some of the studies. I guess I’m blurring safety nets with public benefits. And that does lineup with the theory that having safety nets allows more risk but potentially too high taxes / public benefits might lead to complacency in life choices. I often go back and forth because I admire the ability of my European family and friends to just be content vs the hustle culture we have in the US but sometimes I wish there was more of a middle ground when I see so potential but lack of drive a little too persistent in some. I’m thankful that I grew up in a place where I was encouraged to completely change careers to one I’m happy in now because I’m not sure I would have done it else wise, but it does lead to a little “what’s next” attitude vs relaxing in a good place.

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OldeTimeyShit@reddit

People also give you a chance in America. In Europe the mindset is you are “X” and you will always be “x”. In America they say shoot for the stars.

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AdvertisingNo2451@reddit

Little to no safety net in America.

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DJPaige01@reddit

I would go back to the point that we are a very large country. One can move from the East Coast to the West Coast and completely change their lives. There are lifetime educational opportunities for Americans. There are people who return to college in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. My husband's cousin is in her mid 40s and completing her degree in Virginia. After suffering from years of drug addiction, the loss of custody of her daughter, and divorce, she is now on track to become a drug counselor. This summer she plans to move to California to attend graduate school and she already has a part time job waiting. I won't say it was easy for her to rebuild her life, but it is possible.

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GenericAccount13579@reddit

In a lot of Europe and Asia aren’t you pretty much locked in to a career from the high school equivalent time? Like to go to specific schools for certain career tracks and the tests you take at the end determine what opportunities you have. In the US it isn’t too hard to have a more generalized career track, even bachelors or associates degrees have a lot of General education to them. And you don’t always need to have a specific degree to get a specific job either. Note that this is based on various conversations here on Reddit so could be completely wrong.

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A-guy8@reddit

That depends between European countries and what type of education. But there are several types of business or engineering educations that can qualify you for different type of jobs, for example, so you're not necessarily locked into one specific career path for the rest of your life. With a general high school eqvuivalence, you can attend universities with many types of subjects in many European countries.

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AdamOnFirst@reddit

We prioritize a substantially more dynamic economy and lifestyle. You guys prefer slow growth and employment regulations that make it very hard to fire you so you can hang out with security for many years. We prefer a dynamic environment and pursuing more growth and more opportunity.

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A-guy8@reddit

Depends on which sector and type of business I would say. Yeah sure, if you have permanent job in a European country it's likely to be somewhat more secure than the American counterpart job, but if a company defuncts, or face financial severeness, they'll still fire you (althougth usualy with a couple of months notice).

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AdamOnFirst@reddit

Yeah, I’m not implying Europe is some place of perfect tenure and employment. Far from it. I’m trying to describe both situations fairly accurately and then point to those cultural and policy preferences as the source of the phenomenon OP mentioned

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mariusherea@reddit

Where do you get your information from? The movies?

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PAXICHEN@reddit

A guy at my firm in a European country just got laid off, garden leave until the end of the year and then 4.5 year lump sum severance payment. No, not an executive. Actually quite low on the title ladder but had been at the firm 25 or 27 years.

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Oomlotte99@reddit

I think the idea of starting over is built into our culture and it’s something we admire and celebrate. Reinvention. It’s all tied in with the idea we can be or do anything that’s drilled in from childhood. We respect the courage it takes to begin again.

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Unusual_Form3267@reddit

It's a few things. America is founded by people who "break tradition." This is deeply ingrained in the culture. Traditionally, this was a new land where anyone could come and make their fortune or reinvent themselves. People who follow the same rules rarely tend to innovate. Also, we're a very individualistic country. We tend to encourage self growth. The mentality is, "Use your talents to grow your wealth and get your own properly to raise your family." Other countries that are more communal encourage growth as a whole so people do what is right for the group and not for themselves.

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superanth@reddit

America is a country where it’s expected for people to reinvent themselves. The phrase “on your second career” is practically a trope. But as the value of education has lessened, it’s become harder to do that. It used to be a person could get a certificate in web design from a random university and do that for the rest of your life. Now if you want to get decent pay you’ll need at least a masters degree, preferably two.

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KimBrrr1975@reddit

A lot of people move just for better pay, better ability to move up, and/or better benefits. So much is tied to our jobs, everything from better college affordability, retirement, medical/dental care that people move a lot to get the access to benefits in addition to money. When someone finds a good match, they often don't leave. My husband has been in his job (same dept, he's held different positions) since he was 25. he's now 41. He'll be there forever. Union job, amazing benefits, great pay. No reason to leave so he won't.

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jc8495@reddit

We are a country founded by immigrants. A lot of us are only a generation or two separated from people who uprooted their whole lives and moved to a new country to try to create a new existence for themselves. The children of those people were raised to believe that independence, resourcefulness, and perseverance during difficult times are why they have everything they have so of course those values are seen as admirable. Those of us whose families have been here longer learned the same values just passed down through more generations. Basically to answer your question, we’re all raised to be that way because of generations of self starters (not including generational wealth and nepotism of course that’s its own conversation). But the idea of the “American dream” didn’t come from nowhere

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SpeedLow3@reddit

Because WE are better than you

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ATLien_3000@reddit

Because America is at its core entrepreneurial. That applies to individual Americans too. Not just business owners. Especially immigrants and their kids/grand kids.

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AffectionateMode5349@reddit

Well, to me, most Americans want to see progress. Always advancing. We were a progressive country until a while back. If we weren’t advancing, we wouldn’t have so much medical advancement. People from other countries wouldn’t come here for medical help. Now, though, we are going back to the 40’s and it is all about the color of your skin.

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oddball_ocelot@reddit

Something I haven't seen mentioned much, if at all, is the fact we're so individualistic. I'm going to pivot or reinvent because I have to and/or can. And we celebrate those that start over and succeed.

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PipecleanerFanatic@reddit

This is true for all non Americans?

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WakandaPrince_81@reddit

Hi, I don't want to detour the OP focus of this... But I got a question and I don't want to make a post... What do you guys think about the company DoorDash is it a good way to obtain a stable job?

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Drawn-Otterix@reddit

Overall? Capitalism and consumerism are likely a big part of the reason. Decades ago, it was predicted that advances in technology would reduce the need to work as much and give people more leisure time. Instead, many of us are working even more. When people have little free time, they rely more heavily on paid conveniences and services, which keeps the cycle going. It becomes a self-perpetuating system, almost like a snake eating its own tail. Part of it, I think, too, is that education, to some extent, is more about capitalism and payment than about whether someone is actually a smart or capable student. There are many systems in place that allow people to gain certifications or open new career pathways, even if they do not initially have much money of their own. Student loans are "a good debt." (/s) Also, applying for jobs can also come down to luck, showing up at the right time, looking presentable, and being able to communicate clearly. It is not always about being the most educated or the most qualified, especially for basic entry-level positions in different fields. IMO, anyway....

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CrankyOperator@reddit

Part of America's identity is the concept of exploration. People came here to rebuild themselves and their lives. So the concept of any sort of lifelong identity simply isn't common. We're taught, through media, stories and just our own families "you can be anything you want!" OR "it's never too late to start new!" Things like that. Basically it's very baked in to the culture. Most professions aren't going to go "wait you used to be in a gang?" or "your father was a baker, and you're not!?" Stuff like that, it's not so important. SURE, in some sects of our society it can be. But it's not a hard/fast rule of society. I used to know a surgeon who grew up as a gang member in LA. Legit had pics as a Cholo. Now he's one of the most respected doctor at a hospital I used to work at. The country was built on uncertainty. Exploration, the frontier, things like that. Even though we're past that, the idea is still just there in us. It's a cultural part of America along with strong individualism.

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External_Koala971@reddit

Watch the Ken Burns documentary on the Revolutionary War and pay attention to the part about the “overmountain men”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overmountain_Men

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TheyMakeMeWearPants@reddit

> or as Rage Against the Machine said: “fuck you I won’t do what you tell me” Sorry, but having heard that song on the radio many times in my youth, I believe he was saying "Q I won't do what you tell me" I liked to imagine he was referring to the TNG character.

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External_Koala971@reddit

Or maybe 007’s armorer?

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Due_Satisfaction2167@reddit

Easy to fire makes it easy to hire. Meaning companies can afford to take more of a chance on candidates who might not fit a traditional background.

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Quenzayne@reddit

We’re a society based on the belief that anyone can start from nothing and become successful. We’re literally built for it.

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televoid1@reddit

I recall that in Germany they separate children early into a trade school or university path, which seems to limit future paths for “late bloomers”. Adults in the U.S. can decide what to study based on interests and abilities, and learn a different trade if the first path doesn’t work out. That was what I saw in Germany 35 years ago…perhaps things have changed.

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BoBoBearDev@reddit

I grew up in Taiwan. A lot of people like to mention lack of safety net, but we didn't have the safety net either, especially when I grew up, homeless just dies. The reason is simple, there are too many qualified people for a simple job. When my mom did it, it is like 200 applications for 1 position if I recalled correctly. And she has to job hop because the owner ran away with money or dead. Fast forward to now, Taiwanese can only afford a 2 cars garage sized apartment for 470K USD. That's the true about spending. The housing cost is so high, they don't have money for junks and everyone growing up frugal instead of buying junks. I grew up only having 5 new clothes for 15 years. Everything else is 2nd hand. The circulation of money is slow. It relies on making money out of export, which is actually very codependent.

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karmapolice63@reddit

We're a "developed" nation with very few social safety nets so you have to be quick on your feet to be able to do anything.

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Due-Introduction-760@reddit

For me personally, it's the lack of a stable carrier, lol. I've switched industries like 4 times because I can't seem to build a career in any of them. Either I don't get paid a living wage, I get laid off, the industry is mentally taxing, or the job has a bad work life balance. It's literally adapt or starve.

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sourheadz@reddit

Mostly due to the values in our economy. The US is ultra capitalistic with very little social services from the government. This makes our economy and culture very competitive and individualistic. Reinventing yourself can be a way of competing for something better. This grind is looked on favorably in our culture. It is much easier to start a business here and having many failed businesses is not unusual as you try to be successful. There are downsides to this grind as well but you don’t ask about those so 🤷‍♀️

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Charming_Bobcat_2613@reddit

The US doesn’t have a “know your place” culture. There’s no traditional limits on social or economic status development. I know a few people who grew up in small towns without a dollar to their name who now work in tech and live in the nicest suburbs in the biggest houses with the nicest cars and own boats that they keep on Lake Erie in the summer. That kind of progress isn’t looked down upon and we don’t scowl at them for wanting more, in fact it’s inspiring to most people. That kind of spirit is very common in the US, we’re taught that we can be whatever we want if we work for it from a very young age. The mindset is cultivated from birth and I’d say it’s an inherited quality more than anything because there are definitely some people who don’t see life that way at all.

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Least-Citron7666@reddit

I would also add that companies often prefer to hire or promote from outside. The usual justification is that people coming from other organizations bring new ways of doing things. This happened to me as well — I wasn’t given a position at my institution even though I had worked there for several years; instead, they hired someone from outside.

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earthhominid@reddit

Theres and old American political joke that we vote against our class interest because poor Americans all see themselves as merely temporarily embarrassed millionaires. This definitely has had some negative consequences **gestures broadly at contemporary American culture and politics** However, it does also create an approach to life that fosters a lot of capacity to reinvent oneself and shift plans

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Rarewear_fan@reddit

Less legal red tape with employment and laws High risk, high reward culture for working and excellence A culture that rewards high achievers who use any method (ethical or not) to get there A culture that doesn't demonize failure as something you can never recover from A government that (mostly) doesn't interfere with all of these processes.

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nowhereman136@reddit

American culture values high risk and high reward situations

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Longwell2020@reddit

Got no choice america is pvp mode in business.

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Cheap_Coffee@reddit

Capitalism is literally player-vs-player.

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muphasta@reddit

It helps that we have a rather easy ability to change our environment easily. If someone lives where it gets cold in the winter and can't deal with snow, relocate south. No immigration to another country required. If someone lives in the mountains and wants to be near the coast (or vice versa), again, one can up and move with very little paperwork. We have a lot of education opportunities (cost varies greatly), trade schools, and the military, all options to better oneself and improve their situation. I think that people are also able to take more risks here. One of my good friends immigrated from the middle east and has his own successful business. His wife is from a European company and they moved to her hometown for a few years and he learned that they were quite intolerant of immigrants in that area. He had a very difficult time conducting any business, even though he spoke the language. (this is of course a one-off anecdote and may not reflect how other people may be treated in other parts of the world)

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CreativeRiddle@reddit

We are country built from immigrants who took a chance, packed a bag, and made a life elsewhere. Regardless of how many generations we are from that individual their story is part of our imagined heritage. We celebrate risk takers, we root for those that fail to get up and try again. To be like an American, you just need to dream big, make a plan, ignore nay sayers, and consider failure a hurdle not the finish line.

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Riker_Omega_Three@reddit

Because America is a nation of immigrants Most of the people who built the foundation of this nation hundreds of years ago left their homes with little to nothing and started over, built a life etc etc Many of those families, had to start over after the great depression Many of those families...left the lives they built on the east coast to chase dreams on the west coast And in the modern age...you still see that built into the culture Most kids are encouraged to go off to college We don't have a massive train system. If you don't have a car, you're not getting home on the regular to see your family if you go to another state for college So you leave everything you know to go somewhere else and start over from scratch And before the economy got so shitty...and younger generations were living at home longer after HS and college...young adults were encouraged to go out on their own Yet again, completely starting over Being able to re-invent yourself, and build something new over and over again is part of the American ethos Other cultures are more family oriented. You live at home, your family helps you out, your family helps raise your kids, it's seen as the duty of each member of the family to help with the rest of the family I think that's awesome And I think there is a happy medium in there somewhere between those two mindsets

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MakalakaPeaka@reddit

Who is “we”? Why are you assuming we’re better at it? Do you have a data-set and source?

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New_Entertainer_4895@reddit

It's precisely America's lack of history that allows it. In most of the world has very strict social orders. People have been living in an area for hundreds of years. There are complex rules and social norms which limit people from changing their position in life. Half of America's population's ancestors only moved there in the past 150 years. Italy has strong regionalism. Someone from the south of the country who moves to the north is likely to find themselves limited in opportunities to an extent. This doesn't exist in the US to the same degree at all. If you're a Californian in Texas you're not going to be limited in what jobs you can get on the basis of being from California. The US is one of the few countries which allows immigrants to become CEOs. It's almost impossible for non-Germans to climb the top of a company in Germany. The social order is strict and ossified, non-Germans can work in German companies, but there is a clear social ladder. Germans from different parts of the country may even struggle in different areas of the country. In eastern european countries or China, where you had horrific wars and violent revolutions that destroyed the existing social order, you do get more dynamic situations like the US. But those are still much older countries so they're still not as dynamic.

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groundhogcow@reddit

If we don't we starve. They will throw u sto the wolfs and no one is coming to save us.

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_Diggus_Bickus_@reddit

America has little to no concept of class beyond income, and when a friend makes it we tend to celebrate for them with nothing but happiness and think of it as an uplifting story. Never lived abroad, nor do i know where you live, but I've heard that's not true everywhere

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ABelleWriter@reddit

The personal reinvention is the opposite of uncertainty. If my job disappeared today I could easily reinvent my career to do something different that would pay at least what I make, because I have a bunch of skills that employers want, especially for management. My current job and last job look nothing alike at a glance, completely different industries. But when you realize that they are both management and people skills jobs, well, yeah. Makes sense that I can do both well.

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beardiac@reddit

I think it depends on what you mean by career pivots. If you mean making the choice to change career fields, American capitalism allows for a lot of paths that require minimal training or background. For shifts that do require specialized schooling or certifications, those people often have good safety nets in the form of people who can support them until they are ready to support themselves again. If you mean bouncing back from volatile job markets, a lot of it is just pure need - heavily connected to the fact that our healthcare is tethered to our employment. So being without a job often means being without healthcare (which a decade or so ago also meant that even if you did get a new job quickly, you might not get pre-existing conditions covered if you had any). This paradigm makes for people in such straits to be highly motivated to land another gig quickly. We also collectively are really bad at saving for either an unemployment buffer, retirement, or any big expenses (this also is somewhat to do with our healthcare system and the amount we have to pay out of pocket for things). The shift away from stable, built-in pensions to investment-based voluntary retirement funds like 401k's also plays a part in this lack of preparedness. Bottom line, a lot of what you might perceive as gumption and ambition can under the surface be mostly fight-or-flight responses in dealing with a system that's not really built for our success as much as it is for the companies we work for and their profits.

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vinyl1earthlink@reddit

Many more employers here only care if you can do the work, not what degree or credentials you have. I dropped out of the Yale English Literature PhD program in 1979, and became a computer programmer instead. Yeah, you might have to take low pay and work at an undesirable place for a while, but they'll take you.

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JackWagg0n@reddit

I believe that there are many opportunities for school, trade school and apprenticeships. When my job as an industrial photographer was eliminated, I went back to school for Graphic Design. I admit, I was lucky. My wife supported my decision to do this full time, rather than get a job while in school.

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Bluemonogi@reddit

Our country was populated by a majority of people who were pivoting and reinventing themselves. Maybe it is in our DNA or we just made it normal for people to change things more often.

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thenerdbrarian@reddit

By career pivot, do you mean getting laid off on an employer's whim and hoping to God that no one in your family gets sick and saddles you with massive medical debt before you can find alternative employment? Few people take that risk just to "reinvent" themselves. They're just trying to stay a few steps ahead of financial ruin.

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Tonic_Water_Queen@reddit

No. Things are very bad here in the USA for jobs.

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Outside_Reserve_2407@reddit

A historian named Frederick Jackson Turner wrote a book called "The Frontier in American History" which claimed having a vast frontier to "start new" shaped the American character of individualism and person reinvention.

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zeroabe@reddit

Simply that we culturally understand that we really can do anything we put our minds to? We live in the land of opportunity. We’re able to undergo massive [lifestyle] changes to meet goals, because we know they’re achievable? How would you summarize this facet of American culture? (I do not think it is uniquely American, but I do think it is descriptive of American culture)

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AwarenessGreat282@reddit

>We refers to non Americans. Is that how it is out there? Us compared to the rest of the world collectively? I don't think the rest of "we" would agree with you.

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_edd@reddit

1. I don't think America is necessarily great for career pivots. 2. But strong economic growth over nearly a century means businesses are growing and adding new opportunities.

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North-Astronomer-800@reddit

I read Bob Geldof's book "Is That It?" In that book he described how he had several ideas for starting some enterprises on his own in the UK. He went on and on about how many hoops he had to jump through to do things legally, and in the end he abandoned his ideas because of the bureaucratic interference. Don't know if it's true, but he compared it to the situation he experienced in Canada where there was much less restriction.

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AcitizenOfNightvale@reddit

Have to be adaptable here. Personally I’ve worked my ass off to be flexible as possible: got into the horse industry and through that picked up metal fabrication in case work dried up, since I had hands on skills I shifted over to a sawmill, developed milling and carpentry skills, shifted over to Saddlery for inventory skills, shifted over to electrical work- all those aside from electrical I rose to management positions, via that I jumped into a job where I do property management, maintenance, mechanic, farming, ranching, etc Eventually this job will dry up once my boss passes away, I’ll oversee selling everything off. Between all my combined work experiences hopefully pick up a job quickly. Originally was interested in maybe working for state/national parks, a game warden, librarian, maybe art. Due to the political climate the folks my age that went into those things have been screwed over and don’t have other skills to rely on. Jack of all trades, master of none, often times better than a master of one. Though I’m a perfectionist and do all my work immaculately. Had someone give me a solid lecture early on that since I’m not a cis white dude, I need to work 5x as hard as everyone else if I want to get anywhere but I’ll still be discounted. And so I do, both in going above and beyond and in getting discounted.

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Smooth-Reputation502@reddit

I don’t think it’s by choice. American companies are allowed to exploit and treat their employees like crap, pay a measly wage, no benefits, and if the business decides you are of no value anymore, you get tossed to the garbage heap of unemployment and told to go reinvent yourself if you want a job

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fullerm@reddit

Because our employers and job fields are not as loyal to us as other places, we aren't afraid to jump ship as well. By the way, it didn't used to be this way, and some boomers think we need to put in 30 years for a watch or a rocking chair, as they did. What they don't understand is that without scaling up, 30 becomes 50, and even then, it is still a struggle.

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ancj9418@reddit

I think Americans are slightly more likely to take risks because we have to in order to get ahead. That said, career pivots and reinvention are not as easy as the media makes them out to be, either.

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CSachen@reddit

A combination of high drive chasing high salaries and never being satisfied being less than your worth. And an understanding that a weak social safety net won't save you so you have no choice but to succeed.

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rmric0@reddit

Compared to other developed countries Americans do pretty badly in a lot of quality of life metrics (stress, happiness, healthiness) thanks in large part to a lot of this uncertainty - it's not about being better at handling uncertainty and instability than some other places it's just that it's the way things are and you don't have a choice.

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mundotaku@reddit

My wife is European and I an Venezuelan-American. If you are European, yes, the US allows people to pivot to different careers at any time with little to no hassle. Personally, I began in advertising and currently work in Corporate Real Estate, and I am working to transition into the public sector. If you are latinamerican, I think it is pretty similar down there. I have no idea about Asia or Africa.

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uwu_mewtwo@reddit

We can talk about mentality or culture whatever, but there's also one big structural reason. US bankruptcy law is much friendlier to debters than in many other places. Bankruptcy is relativly easy to declare and a bankrupt person can mostly keep their home, car, and other possesions. You can fail here and still get out from under your debt more or less intact.

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PerfectlyCalmDude@reddit

As an American, mobility is emphasized in our culture. I can't speak for other cultures as a whole, but I've spoken with English speakers from outside the US who changed industries and that part of their stories sounded a lot like what you'll hear from other Americans.

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CtForrestEye@reddit

Many people don't adult until age 40.

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Ok-Energy-9785@reddit

Because we don't settle for mediocrity and encourage ourselves to be better

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Active_Luck_8663@reddit

I think the answer changes depending on which non-American country you're talking about. But I have a few theories that could be more or less relevant when comparing the US to different cultures: Social class is far less important than individual wealth in the US. US bankruptcy laws mean there are relatively fewer long-term consequences for failure. The way Americans gain trust is far more task-based than relationship-based, so if you are efficient and effective, it doesn't really matter what your past is as far as we're concerned.

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DebutsPal@reddit

Job training is paid for by the individual not the government. In many countries the government will not pay to retrain you, here if you can pay for it you can do it

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arcteryx17@reddit

This day in age a lot of jobs are administrative which is easy to switch careers as those skill sets are similar no matter where you go. Also a lot of service industry jobs which boils down to customer service skills. Trained workers, engineers, technicians, trades, etc. Aren't as easy. I am in the Telecom industry as an engineer and my skill sets keep me to a small handful of companies in departments with few people. I fear having to move on from what I do.

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tzweezle@reddit

Don’t believe the hype. For every person who is resilient there is another mired in anxiety

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No_Piccolo6337@reddit

I think our culture of individualism requires us to “sell/market” ourselves as good hires who can be innovative and easily pivot when faced with obstacles. These qualities benefit employers.

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Salty_Dog2917@reddit

We who?

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SerBenjicotBlackwood@reddit

People who can't fucking read apparently, OP specifically says that in the post.

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Trambopoline96@reddit

non-Americans is still such a broad category that it's not helpful to make a useful comparison. Maybe take a minute to think about why people would want more information instead of being a prick about it for no reason.

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PedanticPolymath@reddit

All he says is "non-americans", which is basically baked into him asking the question of Americans. It adds no additional specificity or detail that wasn't already present in the question before he added the edit. Are all non-americans a unitary set of culture and circumstances? All non-americans are identical in their behavior? Will the answer for why Azerbaijani people don't act like Americans be the same as to why Khosa people don't act like Americans?

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Lugbor@reddit

Because non-Americans are a monolith with exactly the same culture and mindset across the globe.

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Salty_Dog2917@reddit

I can read. Just an fyi asshole that’s an edit

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Bstallio@reddit

Tall poppy syndrome

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allmediocrevibes@reddit

Largely because we have to be. The lack of social support and regulation compared to Europe, gives us the ability to pivot faster. US companies are not as constrained. Not saying its necessarily a good thing, there are trade offs to both sides.

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BananaEuphoric8411@reddit

America was founded upon reinvention. Colonists came here specifically for opptys they didnt have in Old World. And America loves a redemption story - which is all about change.

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Massive-Telephone374@reddit

I think it’s opportunities available. In the US we have a lot of choices and opportunities for change that in other places are maybe not available. There are most certainly people who are not afforded as many opportunities as others for many reasons. But for the most part there are resources available to help people reach their goals. So in a nutshell hope.

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Traditional_Way1052@reddit

Lack of a meaningful safety net makes you surprisingly agile and adept.... Signed, a desk jocky turned teacher

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DOMSdeluise@reddit

non Americans is such a vast and diverse group that this is not a possible question to answer op

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dumbledwarves@reddit

Our market is more open and sometimes we have to.

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Fantastic_1ne@reddit

We are so stressed the F out that a lot of us just keep it moving when one gig does!’t pan out. There’s also lots of opportunities depending on where you live, who you know, etc. Really no secret sauce

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thunder-bug-@reddit

Who is we

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SerBenjicotBlackwood@reddit

Bro can you read, it's in the post.

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turfnerd82@reddit

Non American is very vague that's going to be for a thousand different reasons.

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TumbleFairbottom@reddit

It is now. Looks like an edit.

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Successful-Coffee-13@reddit

If we are Europe, then my idea for the reason is the impact of trade unions. With trade unions, roles are more formalized - x amount of years of specific experience, xyz degree, bachelor-master, etc. You can know everything about SAP in and out, but still make less than a person who just started using it only because they have a master’s degree and you have a bachelor’s degree. The objective is to avoid unfair conditions, so they define objective criteria for who gets paid what. This comes at the cost of less flexibility in career paths - you’re more likely to be pigeonholed for the rest of your career than in a more “jungle” system like the USA.

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Addicted2Weasels@reddit

One of the key differences is that Burkina Faso only had a 30% literacy rate. This likely makes HR filter out a lot of resumes

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joepierson123@reddit

Employers can fire you for any reason. So lots of openings. Also 50 states that all speak the same language and have the same laws, mostly

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RikkiLostMyNumber@reddit

Americans are good at dealing with uncertainty because we have to be. Our system doesn't really support us in any way if we get sick, get into financial trouble, etc. This attitude carries over into lots of other things, some of which are positive, but most are not.

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Danibear285@reddit

Who the hell is “we”

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terrovek3@reddit

You know, everyone else, apparently.

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scotsworth@reddit

Not sure what you mean by "we" but I'll take a stab at it. While there's a lot to rightly criticize about American work culture, the individualized nature of our culture **and** less government-driven employment safety nets lends itself to people who are more willing and able to change careers and personally reinvent themselves. In Europe, for example, there are a lot of people who have jobs/careers that are effectively "golden handcuffs" - they have pensions, healthcare, built in raises, vacation that grows over time... AND it's way harder to fire someone who has been in an organization for forever due to extra employment protections. So career pivots and reinvention are not only less likely, they're kind of discouraged. In the US, you can typically get fired at the drop of a hat unless you're a teacher or other government employee.... and even then, all it takes is absurd leadership putting an Elon Musk type in there and boom you're fired anyway. Again, there's a lot that's not good about this. But one silver lining is resilience and reinvention isn't just encouraged by American work culture, it's a necessity if you want to eat.

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Fun_Apricot_3374@reddit

I can’t really speak to your country’s culture, but America is hyper-individualist, if you are good at X thing, you can probably be good at Y thing. Your individual achievements and skills are what get people to feel confident with you being able to take on new things. Dealing with uncertainty…? I mean I would think India is way more chaotic than the U.S. how do you deal with traffic, Indian traffic looks uncertain af. You just go through the process and work with what you can, if you fail it’s not over, the U.S. culture also encourages failure as both a way to learn and a way to show you tried.

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jckipps@reddit

The American mindset is less career-oriented, and more accepting of a person doing a variety of tasks throughout their life. It also seems to be the most accepting of entrepreneurship. We don't look askance at somebody for "throwing ideas against the wall to see what sticks" like many other cultures do. I don't know specifically 'why' this is, just that it is that way. I could theorize though, that it might have something to do with many Americans having chosen to come here in recent history. Most of us are only a few generations removed from our immigrant ancestors, who took a serious risk to leave their homeland in search of something better. That same mentality could still be showing up today in how we view our careers.

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robinthebank@reddit

Career pivots are tough when healthcare (and other accumulated benefits) is tied to your employer. I’ve always admired the Swedish way to provide pension benefits based on age.

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No-Contact6664@reddit

Americans have an entrepreneurial spirit. Generally we say fuck you, I'll make my own job. We don't have the weight of expectations from family and society to be as proper. We have more income and class mobility. There's no where we don't belong and can't go in our own minds and we believe it. Nothing is out of our league.

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NIN10DOXD@reddit

A mix of factors, we have to adapt because there are fewer safety nets we are laid off, fired without cause, or off our job/industry becomes obsolete. Further, we have a strong entrepreneurial culture. We embrace moving and changing jobs. We also promote risk taking. I think these are all reasons why Americans are adept at pivoting.

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SharpestOne@reddit

A lot is set up that way. Even if say, you start a business and it fails, the law is set up to shield you from lifelong personal consequences, so you can turn around and start another relatively quickly. In other countries if your business goes bankrupt, you’re fucked for decades if not for life.

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Physical-Bus6025@reddit

Because we are "We the People."

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Crayshack@reddit

It really depends on exactly what culture you are comparing us to. Different cultures have different forces in play that keep people locked onto certain career paths. Those forces exist in the US as well, but perhaps not as strongly as in some other cultures. So, I think what you really need to ask is "Why are those forces so strong in certain other cultures?"

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CycadelicSparkles@reddit

This seems like a rather broad characterization of both Americans and the rest of the world.

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Hot-Brilliant-6807@reddit

class is a bigger deal in many other cultures. it's hard to move outside your class.

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fossil_freak68@reddit

There is huge variation at the individual level, so it's tough to generalize too much, and idk who we are compared to. If we are comparing ourselves to Europeans I think you can't underrate the role of immigration. If you are not a native American or the descendent of slaves, you are in the US because someone down the line took a massive gamble and traveled across the world to start a new life in America. We basically siphoned some of the most risk tolerant people from countries all over the world on a scale of 10s of millions of people. That's going to have a strong impact on the culture.

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