America isn’t the dreamlike “land of the free” that we once believed it could be. Although the Oxford English Dictionary defines the American Dream as “the ideal that every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative,” that ideal is far from reality. In fact, the whole idea of the American Dream has always been nothing more than an illusion.
In this country, success often stems more from privilege than from hard work. Similarly, prosperity comes from generational wealth far more than it extends from determination and self-initiative. America is now corrupt, and the traditional American Dream is now outdated.
What Happened to the American Dream?
For a long time, the American Dream was straightforward: go to school, get a good job, settle down, start a family, and retire. But many Gen Z Americans aren’t chasing this version of the American Dream. We don’t see these goals as attainable for us, and we find a lack of fulfillment in such a capitalist-driven “dream.” We dream of a peaceful democracy just as much as we dream of making a peaceful life for ourselves. But in today’s society, both of these goals seem difficult to achieve.
For many U.S. citizens — including myself — the new American Dream is to leave the country.
Discovering Various Teaching Abroad Programs
The summer before my senior year of college, I extensively researched how to move to Europe. The idea of graduating and then immediately finding a routine 9-5 job in the U.S. unsettled me. Living in America in our current political climate also sounded nightmarish. Ever since the beginning of 2023, when I studied abroad in Spain for five months, I knew I needed to find a way back to Spain. I had heard about Americans living abroad as expats, and I thought that it wouldn’t be too hard to do myself. If I lived abroad before even reaching the legal drinking age, I could certainly live abroad as a 23-year-old woman.
In researching, I found several year-long English language assistant programs in Spain. These programs allow non-EU citizens to move to Spain and work part-time in Spanish primary and secondary schools. The main duty of the job is speaking to students in English and assisting the main classroom teacher. This program allows non-EU citizens to work under student visas and receive monthly stipends to cover their living expenses. It could grant me an entire year in Europe, away from the United States’ political, environmental, and economic chaos. I picked a program, paid the deposit, and started anticipating my new life abroad.
Preparing to Move
What I love most about Spain is its more relaxed pace of living. The Spanish value rest over working yourself to the bone. After finishing a hectic senior year of college, this lifestyle sounded enticing.
I tried to teach abroad this year in southern Spain, but my original placement was cancelled, so I deferred my placement to next year. In the meantime, my friend and I are saving up money, enrolling in a language school in Southern Spain for a few months this winter, and traveling when we can.
My American Dream
Choosing to leave the U.S. is a privilege. But it’s also a challenge — and not just because of the visa paperwork. While I have created a stable life for myself in the States, I am choosing to leave it behind for a greater sense of independence. To me, a true American Dream doesn’t include a fancy house, a family, and a retirement plan. Instead, my American Dream is the ability to explore the world, make cross-cultural connections, and grow as a person.
For the longest time, I feared change and discomfort. I now know that being human means letting life challenge us, and that to be students of life, we must explore. As humans, we crave new experiences, even if they come with a side of fear.
Relocating and building a new life abroad is no easy task. A move this big comes with stress, homesickness, financial burdens, and language and cultural barriers. However, it also comes with the opportunity to make new friends, see breathtaking world wonders, and turn risks into rewards. That’s my American Dream, and I’m going to pursue it.
If you could move to any place in the world, where would you go? Share in the comments!
Featured Photo by ActionVance on Unsplash.
Really thought-provoking. Do you think the idea of the “American Dream” is evolving globally, or is it still rooted in traditional U.S. ideals? I’d love to hear how others define it today.
So you’re a slacker who went to college and studied nothing, and now you get paid for unskilled labor. You are a dropout, and somehow feel superior when in fact you contribute nothing to anyone. Congrats, kid.
It’s interesting how experiences shape what we call the “American Dream,” especially when expectations don’t match reality for some people. In contrast, I’ve seen discussions around property stability and valuation systems that can affect long-term decisions, like insights from Desoto estate appraisal which add another layer to how people view settling down. Situations like this really show how personal circumstances can completely change one’s outlook on staying or leaving a country. At the end of the day, everyone’s definition of “better life” is different, and that’s worth respecting.
It’s becoming more common to see people questioning long-held ideas about success and relocation, especially when expectations shift over time. Personal priorities often change after real-life experiences, and that can reshape what “dream” really means for someone. For individuals looking into official public information and case details DeKalb County Search can help provide structured access to records. These conversations really show how personal and complex the idea of opportunity can be.