[clicks]

I see what you're saying, but I think you/rayiner are still missing the point.

There are fresh graduates in America right now that can't find jobs. More clearly, these fresh graduates would be homeless/living in poverty were it not for a little help from their parents, either that or they're holding on to the last shreds of help that our welfare institutions provide. These folks could leave America and find jobs elsewhere that might give them a very, very nice looking income.

I have a friend who was a history major who couldn't find a job right out of college, he went to China with really no clear idea of what he would do there (besides being an 'English tutor', which his sister already living in Shenzen was)... and what do you know, some company decides to hire him to be their spokesman. It turns out businesses in China will pay white/Western-looking people some serious money for gigs like this. He's now in China, with a Chinese wife and it seems to me he's pretty happy with the decision he made. Opportunities like this do exist, and they're actually not that uncommon. Leaving America for a better life is now very much a viable option. Not for everyone, sure, but for some it could be the best decision they ever make.

[tptacek]

Rayiner addressed that point directly: first, it's a first-world myth that recent college graduates in the US would be living in anything resembling poverty by world standards (again with the running water, flushing toilets, electricity, inspected produce, guaranteed emergency room health care); second, if your whole argument is that there might be more money abroad for a new grad, well sure, but don't romanticize that opportunity, because it comes at a cost.

[clicks]

> the running water, flushing toilets, electricity, inspected produce, guaranteed emergency room health care

You're still missing the point.

You emphasize guaranteed emergency care, but what about general non-emergency healthcare costs in America? If it's +1 for guaranteed healthcare in America, it's +1 for India when you can actually practically afford some life-saving x-ray or some surgery operation that costs literally 20X as much in America. Electricity is available in counties we're considering -- sure, it goes off intermittently but the results are not extraordinarily catastrophic. Practically speaking, the produce that the masses get is arguably better in a lot of 3rd world countries than it is in America -- less GMO, less carcinogens. I was born and raised in India -- my memory of fruits and vegetables/meat I ate there is SOOO much better than how it is here in America. We had flushing toilets, and we had drinkable water. And I am not even from a wealthy family, just normal middle class. My great-grandma lived to be 101, and my grandma right now in India is 103.

[tptacek]

The life expectancy in India is 65.5 years. Less than 3% of Indian townships are served by water treatment plants.

[clicks]

That's because of extreme poverty on the very lower end (also, I always wonder if these age expectancy numbers are taking into account low child mortality rates). If you take care of yourself well in India, you'll be fine.

To be clear, I'm not advocating here that hey if you're in poverty here might as well leave the country, I'm saying if things are not working out spectacularly, you're stuck with a dead-end job (or are having trouble finding employment despite a degree), and you are adventurous/wouldn't mind a big cultural change, you can think about it carefully and plan things out and you'll be fine. Getting out of America for a better life is a very real and viable option in this day for some people.

[tptacek]

The very lower end? 97% of Indian townships lack water treatment. Only 30% of Indians live in major metro areas.

[clicks]

It's reasonable to assume that in the context of our discussion, the hypothetical young America would probably choose to locate himself in a metro, urban area where there's ample supply of good water.

But, I agree with you India probably isn't the best possible choice here (but still, as others have pointed out, if you have America money (say, 80k), you'll be living there like a king). There's still a lot of other countries besides America that might be a good fit for you.