Schooling and Employment: Introduction

Amongst the many reasons why immigrants come to America, the opportunity to climb the socio-economic ladder has been the motive for hundreds of years. Some arrive with set skills that they then apply to an occupation, but many come with the dreams of acquiring skills in the American education system towards a high-paying job. American schools are unique in that anyone can take advantage of it and anyone can do well in it, and immigrants are often surprised by how liberal and encouraging the environment can be. However, immigrants also often face challenges in education and employment. Like learning English, education is a necessary stepping stone for attaining employment, and yet there are those who face the legal and financial issues of not having citizenship regardless of how hard they have worked.