US:

I live in a weird mix between suburbia, rural land, and two major cities. Not typical for most everyone in the USA, but a cool mix of things.

Education is highly valued, but not respected by most parents, so you see a lot of kids and teenagers just floating on by and waking up to a really harsh reality around 18-22 when they start working.

The first harsh reality in my area: If you're not working, you're a piece of shit. People might not say it, but there is a tremendous amount of judgement towards those who are unemployed. If you're younger they don't consider you a real adult/a freeloader, and if you're in your twenties, you're just a failure to launch.

Most younger people have part-time employment, or very ruthless fulltime employment for hourly wages and wacky schedules. 9-5 is not the majority.

For me, life is okay because I've been employed for 5 years in a row, made it through college, and have a decent resume. I also don't take purchases on credit, which is a HUGE industry here. It's got a hand in almost everything, and a lot of people fall into the pit traps and pile up credit-card or car loan debt.

Sometimes it's be necessity, but most people I've seen just wanted something brand-new and didn't think they should wait for it.

The USA is a huge place, and the way of life can change dramatically depending on where you go. In my region of the North-East, I would say the attitude is somewhat depressing. The winter saps the life out of people, and though the spring/summer/fall are great, it eventually comes full circle.

Eventually I would like to move South. People in this region are friendly once you get to know them, but rather frosty before that. Work is also tough to get at any reasonable salary, so you're left fighting over pennies.

Money I guess, constantly thinking about Money. That's what it's like to live in the USA. I'm sure some places aren't like this, but it's tricky sometimes.