Exactly, I live in relatively wealthy Western Europe and emigrating to the United States would still be a hell of a lot of work.

It's not 1900 where you can just jump on a boat. Comments like the one you quoted just seem completely divorced from reality.

I moved from one of the shittiest Eastern countries to the "relatively wealthy Western Europe". And it was 2018 where I "just jumped on airplane".

How am I detached from reality when live in it?

Within the EU?

That's an exception due to the freedom of movement rules which don't really exist anywhere else.

Outside.

Maybe the US is but if you have proper education nothing stops you from migrating to switzerland. Dont like german? No worries french and italian are options too.

Did you actually see how this really works before forming your opinion? The only thing my family needed to migrate to Switzerland was one job contract for my mum, not even a well paid job but some future potential due to relatively good education. The most complicated part was not paying way to much to get our stuff over here.

Its not to different in many other countries. The thing is, if you are somewhat valueable (i.e. learned a job that has a higher need) you have a realistic chance.

So all you need to do is rewrite the first 18 years of your history to obtain a "relatively good education"....

People are not paying their life savings to get smuggled into Europe on a small, overcrowded boat because it's easy to move here.

I get what you are saying. But 99% of people reading this will have some kind of degree. Prolly 90% a tech one.

Yes without education, no chance.

Of course not! You should get the same results as someone who worked their ass off,no matter how many mistakes you make in life!

What first world country can people emigrate to without a sponsor, a degree or specialization?

Or money. Money works too.

None i guess, but gladly many people have the possibility to get some kind of degree these days. Just because you come from a poor country does not mean you have no means of learning a job.

I think you haven't been to a poor country. Case in point India is more than 20% illiterate.

I spent a few months in SEA (Combodia, Thailand, Malaysia) and i met several people who moved from their poor families in the country sides to the cities worked at a job and some even studied next to working. I honestly don't know how the economics work out, but these people decided they want more and changed to life in a way to make this work.

I totally agree that this is not possible for everyone. Even in Switzerland a percentage of unfortunate people never really had a chance based on their inability to help themselfs or function within the system.

Of course several million people coming from poverty have had good outcomes via education. Heck, I moved myself from a 3rd world country to a first world country. But for the vast majority college education is inaccessible. Even the state sponsored free primary education is pretty much inaccessible with absent teachers and barely functioning schools.

BTW, Malaysia is a middle income country. Visit some of the displaced tribal communities in India and you will have a different perspective.

Half the women in this Indian state are illiterate. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_In_Bihar

There are 2M college graduates in a population of 100M. That's almost 1/3 the size of US population.

Why do you think you're entitled to emigrate there?

I'm not the one saying that people living in low income countries can just emigrate to high income countries to solve their problems with poverty.

> You have to do a lot of work to get there.

For some of us, no amount of work is enough. You're simply at the mercy of whoever is supposed to process your papers.

> You have to do a lot of work to get there.

Oh no! I have to do work? Guess it is time to roll over and just die. You can't expect me to work for something!

> All that work is wasted years compared to someone who was just born there in the first place and can focus 100% on their actual path of getting rich.

All your work of getting rich is wasted years compared to someone who was just born rich in the first place and can focus 100% on their actual path of getting uber rich.

How's that sound? Maybe instead of focusing on some abstract definition of rich you should focus on what amount makes you happy?

First step to happiness is to stop having destructive mindset of "bah, he started with more money than I did".

I probably won't buy Ferrari in my life, and I'm okay with that. I probably won't buy luxurious house or start unicorn startup. And I'm okay with that. But I will achieve relatively wealthy and good life and be content with that.