GarryH

My name is Garry Harriman, a 45 year old grumpy middle aged man currently at a crossroads. Life does not always turn out as you`d have liked, and after leaving my 19 year UK military career behind me in 2006, I found myself bouncing around North America. My then Canadian wife hailed from Goose Bay, in Labrador, a very remote community in North Eastern Canada that was cut off from the rest of the nation and had a sub Arctic climate. I had no mortgage and worked several jobs allowing me to make and bank thousands of dollars, but I did not want to remain in that place, it was not the `real` Canada. my wife and I drifted, separated and divorced. I met an American on line and moved to Georgia.....not what I was planning in a million years!

Retrospect is always a prudent thing post events, and I should have stayed in Canada, got citizenship (that I was in the process of doing) and then moved from Labrador later on and once my house was sold and split. Well, I did not. I got the you know what out of there, met my new southern gall, married and stayed here! The issues I have with the US, and Georgia in particular are the low paying jobs ($9,00 and hour) and the seemingly little opportunity in this state. The heat and humidity are not pleasant either bit my biggest worry of all is this inhumane, for profit health care provision over here nation wide that means more people go bankrupt for getting ill or inured than they do for any other financial reason.

I had coverage, both my wife and I, via the `affordable care act` but lost it due to errors on the part of the providers and the Market Place (fed` govt` agency brokering the subsidy) where we forced onto a higher costing plan that we could no longer afford. We then lost coverage and were hot with a hefty tax bill later on! Even with insurance, copays, out of pocket expenses and limited coverage means that illness or injury could still cost you dear and your home and possessions can be seized.

Moving to another state is an option, I know, but the issues there are higher rents, costlier homes, and the health insurance issue remains the same. Further, the disparity and polarization of wealth and lack of wealth is so obvious here, it`s almost mind blowing to me. The TV is horrendous and we only need You Tube and Netflix to get all we need from `dumb down the nation TV`. I also am dumfounded by the mass delusion people suffer from here, more so in the southern bible belt re` religion and their absolute faith in Jesus and God......when I tell people I`m am atheist, it is like saying I`m a child molester.....and engaging people in logic around their religious argument is pointless.....faith wins, all the time and evolution is still just a theory! Gun ownership and mass shootings is a common occurrence and I believe the problem is far more complex and not just a gun problem but more of a cultural issue too.

I find myself missing things in Britain that I did not think I would, like leafy lanes, villages, pubs, British TV, British humour, cheap holidays to Europe (as long as the UK stays in the EU) to name but a few. I realize. too, however, that the UK has a serious housing shortage and housing bubble and also serious employment problems, but I find myself missing the UK more and more. I like Americans and America, and there are many beautiful things to see here, but the prevailing attitude to consumerism, the love of money, and all areas looking the same with the same bill boards, the same fast food outlets, the same highways linked together and having to drive everywhere make the US seem alien to me even though we are both culturally the same. It is also evident to me that politically, the US is owned and governed by mass corporate power with an oligarchy form of government been in place and democracy really an illusion.

I would love to hear from other Brits perceptions of the USA and the state they live in and also to hear form any one who feels the same kind of ambivalence to the USA as I do and contemplate coming home in the not too distant future and all the issue that too confronts one!

Cheers

Garry Harriman

Pulaski

To make a go of life in America you need to either run your own business, or have marketable qualifications, in most cases a degree, and preferably a masters degree. If you don't have your own business or good qualifications, life can be pretty depressing.

Me? I like it here, just up the road from you in NC, and despite the shortcomings, I have no plans to go back to the UK, ever. Even if I wasn't married with family, I still wouldn't go back.

Noorah101

You don't say what your current status is in the USA, but you could always become a USC and spend time between both USA and USA.

Rene

GarryH

Hi guys

Thanks for the responses

I am a Permanent resident, applied to have my 2 year conditions removed (it takes a while) and will apply for USC in July when I am eligible. I have a 4 year UK college degree in counselling, but, it is not transferable here. I am a security guard right now due to my 19 year RAF career.......and getting that job was tough!

Regards

garry

Pulaski

Degrees are "transferable", but employers may choose not to accept them, especially if they don't understand the details of the degree you have.

If your degree isn't opening the right doors for you, you might want to look into getting your degree evaluated with a view to getting maximum credits towards a degree from a US institution.

ddsrph

As a retired US military I am curious how the British military retirement works. Here you need 20 years to qualify for any pension. If you get those years all active duty the pension begins immediately upon retirement. If you do some active duty but stay in active reserves and get at least 20 good years you retire when desired but don't get any pension until age 60.


Regarding your degree I would look into using it to qualify for graduate school in US and get your masters which would lead to automatic credentials based on your advanced degree.

robin1234

Have you looked into working in corrections, either state or federal (when you become a citizen.) Lots of counseling and related jobs in prisons, and often prisons look favorably on civilian professionals who have a background in security and the armed services. My wife worked as a teacher in a prison, and a lot of her peers (teachers, counsellors, nurses etc.) were veterans.

ddsrph

That's good advice and at least on the federal level salaries are good. It is certainly a growth industry and the jobs can't be sent to China.

GarryH

Hi, all.

This is a great site indeed...all manner of questions and queries answered here. Thanks to all who have commented....just joined so lots to learn yet. Pensions in the UK military are not as good as here in the US. I worked with a lot of retired guys and, after 20 years, you can get at least 50% of your salary and unlimited health care via the VA or `Tri care` and lots of guys have disability on top of that (many, I think, regrettably, are claiming for bogus injuries which pisses me off). My pension was immediate upon retiring, but it is not much and I can` live on it, but it will increase when I`m 55. As for my college degree in counselling, yes, I can look at getting it evaluated, but going to college is very expensive here. I do intend to try for DoC or even the police when/if I become a USC, and that is probably the only thing that keeps me motivated at this time in relation to staying here. However, if it were not for this insane health care system over here, I would feel a lot more comfortable in staying......at any rate, who is to say that the NHS is not already on its way to full privatization anyway if PFIs are anything to go by!

I look forward to learning more about this site, and `meeting` new people on here!

Take care

Bye for now

Garry H

bewildering

So you are a college educated veteran with a small pension. Your situation does not sound too bad to me.

Do you enjoy counseling? Is that what you want to do? If so then you just need experience. Volunteering is the way to get that experience. With your military background I imagine the local (VA?) hospitals have volunteer positions. I know the local hospitals in San Diego have numerous volunteering/internships opportunities available.

GarryH

Yes, I do love it, and have lots of experience in many different fields. However, without a US bachelors or masters degree, it`s useless and I have lost count at the amount of interviews and applications I have sent and had! My pension is only $600 at this time, it will go up slightly when I get to 55 and I do have some money. maybe moving out of Ga is an option and I have sent lots of applications.....many employers are put off due to my location at this time. I am not wanting a pity party or anything like that, it was just a big shock to me at how difficult it is to get by here. I was earning a lot in Goose Bay, Canada, and here, I make $9.00 and hour as a security guard! I know my situation could be a lot worse, but before I put what I have into this country, I need to be sure! I have a great wife and friend this time around though, a she`s gorgeous too1 Having health insurance would also make us both feel more secure! It`s not all bad here, and I do know that the UK is in a very, very sorry state too!

Cheers

Garry H

nun

I like living in New England.....one drawback is the cost of living, but the average New Englander isn't a wacko....or if they are they seldom wave a gun in your face, spout religion or believe Ayn Rand was a decent author.

Pulaski

Same here, and shame on you for perpetuating the idea that it might be otherwise.

I think I have been asked ONCE in 12 years which church I attend, and never once been so much as invited to go to someone's church (other than the occasional religion peddlars at the door, and I think we got more of those in the UK than here), nor pushed into discussing religion.

I have also never seen anyone brandishing a gun, nor had anyone say anything about Ayn Rand.

mrken30

My wife has a masters in counselling and could only find jobs paying $15 an hour.

There is no way she would ever get her money back from doing her degree.

I find the food sub standard in the US compared to the UK.

Things are very different were I live, less bible bashing, just naked bike riders and homeless people.

I plan to stay in the US primarily because housing is very slightly cheaper, but my salary is a lot higher than it would be in the UK. I may retire in the UK in 20 ish years.

I have just returned from the UK , my first time since I moved here 7 years ago. I had forgotten about hunting for parking paces, the manic grocery stores and the lack of stop signs and traffic lights.

Maybe you could save up and visit England to remind yourself of the good and bad things.

ddsrph

Another possibility you might look into is becoming a state parole officer. You have the perfect qualifications with military and counseling experience. It is also a growth industry with the high costs of prisons and the desire to get as many as possible back as useful members of society.