I was reading a post yesterday on earning more than parents, which is an interesting topic. I remember when I was a kid someone mentioning somewhere that a child could expect to do 50% better than their parents and while there is more to that statement than money alone most likely, the stats seem to show that the inverse is true, we might very well be doing 50% worse.
The bit of the article I found intersting and will discuss just a little here today is:
I do not have the data to prove, but I do have a gut feeling that being immigrants to a country challenges an individual in certain way that no other thing does.
@azircon
I don't have the data either, but as third generation, first generation immigrant, I think the same, being an immigrant in a country does challenge in ways that nothing else does - but it is very difficult to explain this to someone who hasn't experienced it first hand.
A lot of people look down on immigrants in their respective countries without seeing them for what they often are, people looking for a new life with better opportunities with the will to risk starting from scratch. A lot of people assume that "better opportunity" means economic, but that is not always true.
For example, economically, I should have stayed in Australia where I had a network, support, spoke the language, was on a career path and owned stuff. However, here I am in Finland and the only thing that came with me from Australia was a suitcase of clothes, most of which were completely unsuitable for Finland - since I had been living in the tropics for a decade.
Starting from scratch is not easy at the best of times, but when one has no network, it can be a magnitude harder. People take their relationships for granted, but an immigrant knows how important they can be. While we like to think of ourselves as individuals, it is rarely the case.
But, there is a selection bias in play with immigrants too, as they have not only chosen to leave their home country, they also have the ability to leave. This likely indicates education and mindset - I don't know what this indicates in terms of IQ, but I suspect there might be a correlation - I am probably an outlier to the lower end.
There are language issues as well as various prejudices to face, there is the need to build relationships, the exposure to high employment and economic uncertainty and among other things, the need to be able to cope with all of the pressures that are faced and still compete with the locals - who on average will have network, economic support and not face similar social roadblocks. This is no easy task and I think a lot of people who say " go back to your own country" should have a think about what it actually takes to participate and whether these are the kinds of people that the country might actually want to retain - but people don't think of course.
I think that in general, I have done okay for myself although I have nearly always struggled economically and because of a breakup with a girlfriend, I had to almost start again 7 years into my journey. The cost of failure is high without any kind of safety net and I have paid some very high costs. What I wonder though, will my daughter be better off for it?
She will be the child of an immigrant father who doesn't speak the local language, but she will be fluent. She will grow up in a family that likely doesn't have as much financial availability or access as the neighbors, but hopefully she won't go without basics. She will be influenced by her environment as we all are and there will be differences from the average - Will she be stronger, or weaker?
Virtually all parents want what is best for their children, but many also want their children to "fit in" to the average, even though this might reduce their opportunity to be the best version of themselves. We want our children to be independent and think for themselves, but also get upset if they are singled out by the average for being different without thinking, perhaps part of the value of being different comes through the being singled out for being so - the ability to cope under stress and manage not fitting in.
I put a great deal of value on being bullied as a child, teased for being different and excluded from the popular groups - all groups in some cases. These days we remove the bullies and give far easier paths for our children (on average) as if there is no value in dealing with negative - it is shortsighted in my opinion.
But an immigrant has to face all kinds of trials and tribulations (some positives too) in order to be a part of the community. While locals are born in, an immigrant has to earn their place and generally under a greater amount of scrutiny as everyone is watching, everyone is wary, everyone is suspicious. there is a different standard applied and to be accepted, an immigrant has to perform to a higher standard.
This doesn't make them better than a local in any way per se, but there is going to be differences in experience that could mean that an immigrant is more willing to do things that a local is not - like work a crappy job for which they are well overqualified. I wonder for myself for instance, how much of my work ethic is down to the example of my father who was incredibly hard working and how much of his was down to his father? Will my daughter follow in my footsteps - is it through demonstration or is it genetic?
There are many factors that come into play and haven't been mentioned here, but I think that it is worth considering that an immigrant is likely subject to a selection bias that filters for a certain kind of person, often people who might be more educated and perhaps more social than not. In many ways, it is kind of like filtering for an early adopter mindset, people willing to take a risk and bet on themselves, enter into uncertainty and hopefully, use their resources well.
Outcomes will always differ.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]