Re: Oo Oo.. nah...
 

Michael, I guess this is too obvious to be the correct answer, but I'll give it a shot - they survive on minimum wage because they have minimum expenses?

Larry

Delayed gratification...
 

???? :-)

How about....
 

...they become successful wherever they are - because they can't afford a plane ticket to Australia to beat-up the guy who's causing them frustration and anger??

(only kidding)

-Anon

The Advantage...
 

The immigrant arrives in a country with boundless opportunities...He has no pre-conceived notion about what is "good" or "bad'...Since he has "nothing" he views "anything" as a step up...He has a "can do" attitude and "failure" is NOT an option!...He doesn't say, "I can't do that" or "That will not work" as many native born do...He is not thinking that if he does not succeed the "government" will "bail him out"...So I guess you could say that "attitude" is everything here...

Rooster
www.rockerwisdom.com

This is also true. How is that an advantage
> though?

> It's an advantage they have the moment they
> arrive in the new country.

> Michael Ross




"Don’t get ripped off!"...

Re: The Advantage...how about lower expectations (DNO)
 

Ego
 

Migrants don't bring a fancy lifestyle with them. They have no fake standard to maintain to impress others because no one knows them. This helps them keep their ego in check. e.g., I have a masters degree like the father from Poland. What would my peers think if I used my masters degree as a window washer...

Re: Migrant Success Secrets
 

They knew what they wanted and did what they could to get there.

Phil

Are you looking for...
 

Hi Micheal -

while I have my own theories, are you looking for "lack of debt" - they live within their means? And in conjunction with that, have a very different standard of what it is to be successful - don't have the "keep up with the Jones's mentality. Can get by with much less?

Tam

Re: How about....
 

> ...they become successful wherever they are
> - because they can't afford a plane ticket
> to Australia to beat-up the guy who's
> causing them frustration and anger??

Darn it, anon...

Keep going with that line of reasoning... they dream of buying the ticket one day and ambushing him with a sock full of pennies.

Very funny, and I'm scraping together my change right now.

-Erik

the objectivity of the outsider
 

One advantage an outsider has is the ability to more clearly see the obvious opportunities and problems unhampered by the judgement and cultural baggage of the insider.

Whenever we label ourselves (American, Christian, lawyer, mother) we assume a set of shared preconceptions as the price of that membership. These judgments and unwritten rules color and warp external reality to fit the picture the group has of it's position in the world.

The outsider has (at least for a limited time) the opportunity to see things more objectively.