One thing that America does well compared to many other places is that you can become quite successful while only speaking one language.
In Montreal, Canada, for example, it is quite difficult to carve a lucrative career if you can't speak both English and French at a high level.
Yesterday, while working in the lobby of my apartment complex, I overheard a fresh immigrant doing a remote interview in French with a national bank for some kind of financial analyst or clerical position. From what I've gathered, she came to Montreal two months ago from a North African country and was looking for a full-time job in finance. She has a Master's in Finance, which she obtained from a university in her home country. Judging from the ease and fluency she was answering the questions, I could tell she was a smart and (probably) qualified individual.
My heart sank when they started discussing pay, which started at a measly 23.50/hour CAD. I shuddered as that was hardly a livable wage in 2023, even in Montreal, an MCOL city. Nevertheless, she seemed receptive and gladly prompted the interviewer to continue with the interview. Her reaction was inspiring. Imagine being among the elites of your home country and happily subjecting yourself to drone work and pay in a new country — being fueled only by the faint hope that hard work will one day lead to wages commensurate with your education level.
But then the interviewer threw her a curve ball. They started testing her English. They asked her a question in English and requested her to respond in that language. She couldn't do it. She said something along the lines of “I understand your question, but I don't know how to answer it in English.”
Despite some reassurances from the interviewer, the interview ended shortly after that. I am almost certain that she would not get the job because of her inadequate English. I felt sad for her because I understand how difficult it is for an adult to pick up a new language.
Her experience is not unique in Montreal. This is just one of the many places in the world where you're required to know multiple languages in order to be successful in the job market. What's worse is that being multi-lingual does not even increase your asking wage.
This is doubly true for writers like me. Tech writers in Montreal are expected to produce documentation in both French and English for wages that pale in comparison to what's offered in Toronto or Vancouver (and especially in the US). This is why I've never worked for a Montreal company (and don't plan to) despite being a resident.
I understand that there is no fix to this situation. Montreal is a bilingual city and it is not as economically robust as American metropolises. There's no way around it; you have to know both languages and make do with mediocre salaries.
And as much as I enjoy living here and have no immediate plans to go to the US, I can't help but think that the unilingual environment in the latter is an amazing boon that is often forgotten.