I grew up very poor in the U.S. Poor as in, my single mom earned $6000 / year with little federal benefits to raise four kids. But, now, I'm in my late 30s and very successful. So, in that regard, I love the U.S. For the upper middle class and wealthy, the U.S. is like an adult playground. And, I don't mind the long hours of work; I still get plenty of work-life balance.
But, honestly, the only way that this occurs (unless born rich) is if one is smart, ambitious, hard-working, cunning, and lucky. If one is poor and doesn't have those attributes, they'll have a very hard time here. For instance, intelligence will not get one very far, alone. I grew up gifted and talented. All of my siblings were also gifted and talented. But, of my family and classmates, only 20% made it out of poverty. In that way, the U.S. is quite horrible.
I think the times are a-changing. Upward mobility is on the decrease and inequality on the increase. Only a small subset of industries are currently seeing rags-to-riches stories and if one is ideological, the options may dwindle further.
This is what I liked about my upbringing; my parents weren't rich either, but at the same time my quality of life was decent. Thanks to government funding, I was able to get a decent education (bachelor's degree, I could go for a master's but I couldn't be arsed) and as a result a very good job (I've got the best job of anyone I know besides my colleagues). Upward mobility is very good here, unlike in the US where as far as I know you either need to have your parents save up half a house worth of college funding, or some magic college fund that only kids in movies get by playing in bands or being good at sports, or however that thing works. It's an equal opportunities system.
Which unfortunately has been cut / downsized thanks to the economic crisis and probably capitalist goals, so the generation after me has less opportunities and can't, for example, do a master's after they do a bachelor's without working alongside it or taking out a big loan.
You can also shackle yourself for decades by borrowing money on student loans, some of which you can't discharge in a bankruptcy thanks to legislators who thought the student lending industry needed a handout.
But, honestly, the only way that this occurs (unless born rich) is if one is smart, ambitious, hard-working, cunning, and lucky. If one is poor and doesn't have those attributes, they'll have a very hard time here. For instance, intelligence will not get one very far, alone. I grew up gifted and talented. All of my siblings were also gifted and talented. But, of my family and classmates, only 20% made it out of poverty. In that way, the U.S. is quite horrible.