I used to be jealous of an American rat

Hi! I’m Peter, CEO of Kickresume, and these career-related stories caught my attention this month — and might catch yours too.

I was born in the heart of Europe (some call it Eastern Europe, though I wouldn’t agree). 

And when I was a kid, America was it. The dream. The place where everything was bigger, better, and more exciting.

When I sat in front of the TV, Kevin McCallister had an entire mansion to himself, packed with enough gadgets to fight off two grown men. I had a wooden spoon. 

He was supposed to go to Paris but somehow ended up in The Plaza Hotel in New York by accident. My family went to Balaton—a shallow, muddy lake in Hungary—on purpose.

Even Stuart Little (a literal rat) had a private jet. I had a hand-me-down bike.

To me, America meant success. 

And to be fair, even now—from a business standpoint—America still is unmatched.

More opportunities, fewer regulations, less bureaucracy. If you’re ambitious and want to make serious money, as far as I can remember, the US has always been the place to do it.

Current events aside, it’s no surprise that the idea never completely left my mind — should I move there?

(Don’t worry, I’m not going to talk about current US or EU politics. No way I’m getting anywhere near that topic.)

Is it still a stereotype if it's true?

But before I could start packing my bags, there was one thing to consider: the way people work. 

And if you believe the stereotypes, you’d probably say that Americans and Europeans couldn’t be more different in that regard.

Some even say that Europeans ‘work to live,’ while Americans ‘live to work.’ 

Europeans supposedly spend their days sipping on espressos so small they evaporate before they finish a sentence, taking two-hour lunch breaks to debate existential philosophy, and disappearing for the entire month of August like it’s a basic human right.

Meanwhile, Americans are glued to their laptops, clocking in 60-hour weeks, rationing their seven vacation days per year, and treating “I’ve been so busy at work” as both a complaint and a brag.

Of course, I wouldn’t base a life decision on stereotypes alone.

But I was curious—how much of this is actually true?

So I decided to find out. We surveyed over 1,200 people from both sides of the Atlantic and the results were fascinating. 

I mean, I expected some differences. 

But man, did we find some DIFFERENCES.

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Vacation? Yes, I heard that it’s nice

So, what does the data actually say? Are the stereotypes true? 

Well, it turns out there’s some truth to them.

First, Americans work more—by a lot. About 40% of them clock in between 41 and 50 hours per week. Europeans? Half of them work a more reasonable 31 to 40 hours. 

That’s basically an entire extra workday every week.

Then there’s vacation time (or lack of it). In the US, 49% of workers took 10 or fewer days off, and a staggering 26% took five days or less! That’s basically a prolonged weekend!? And only 6% of Americans managed to take 25+ days. 

Meanwhile, in Europe, 59% of workers took at least 21 days of vacation last year, with 30% taking more than 25 days. 

(By the way, here’s some food for thought. When we asked both groups about the number of hours they’re actually productive every day, they gave us the same number—eight hours.) 

Okay… but maybe the Americans don’t actually mind all that? 

Well, the data suggest that they do.

In Europe, 51% say they’re happy or very happy with their work-life balance, compared to just 34% in the U.S. At the other end of the spectrum, 31% of Americans describe themselves as unhappy or very unhappy with it—nearly double the 17% of Europeans who feel the same way.

And when it comes to stress, it doesn’t look great for the US either.

In the US, 52% of workers say their colleagues often or always seem stressed or unhappy at work. In Europe, that number is just 36%.

(By the way, if you’d like to check out the full survey report, here it is.)

So not only are Europeans taking more time off and working fewer hours, but they’re also reporting better work-life balance and seeing less stress in their workplaces.

At this point, I have to ask myself—if I moved to the US, are the bigger numbers worth the higher level of stress?

No one wins, but some have time to nap 

At one point, moving felt like a real possibility.

Yes, I could probably grow my business faster in the US. The opportunities are there, the market is bigger, and the business culture moves faster.

But then I got older. And my priorities changed. 

Now, a happy, stress-free career is worth more than squeezing out extra growth at the expense of work-life balance—for myself and my employees.

America is an incredible place for business, but it’s clear that those stereotypes about work culture aren’t just stereotypes—and despite the constant glorification of hustle culture, it seems that many people aren’t actually thrilled about it.

And while Europe has its flaws, people here value work-life balance and, at least when it comes to their careers, are genuinely less stressed and happier.

So, for now, I know which side of the Atlantic I’d rather be on.

But why should you care? 

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I used to be jealous of a rat, not the rat race

These days, people tend to think that moving will solve their problems. But it's always a trade-off—at least when it comes to work.

For my American readers, yes, Europe has the work-life balance thing figured out. But salaries here aren’t as high. And that’s true for virtually all of Europe. Particularly in tech, finance, and entrepreneurship.

Also, if you are someone who enjoys the hustle and is very career-driven, you’ll likely not get the fulfillment here.

On the flip side, if you’re tired of always being “on” and want more time to actually enjoy life even at the cost of a smaller income, Europe might be a better fit. People here actually log off and disappear for weeks at a time, which, depending on your perspective, is either inspiring or a complete nightmare.

And for my fellow Europeans, if making as much money as possible is your top priority, it might be worth selling your soul considering.

So if you’re thinking of moving, make sure you know what your priorities are.

PS: I really picked the perfect time to compare the EU and the US, didn’t I?

I’m a CEO. Ask me anything. 🚨

I thought I’d try something new—I’ll be hosting an AMA on LinkedIn.

You can ask me anything about this topic, job hunting, entrepreneurship, or anything career-related that’s on your mind. Maybe even about my newsletters?

• When? Now until Friday, February 28th

• Where? On my LinkedIn (Drop your Qs in the comments under this post)

• Why? Because job hunting is a mess & I might have some insight to help

Drop your questions, and I’ll do my best to answer them. Leave your questions in the comments here: LinkedIn AMA

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Random piece of career advice

Which resume format is the best in 2025? Well, that depends…

Different resume formats are best suited for different kinds of job seekers. A fresh graduate’s resume will look different from that of a senior-level professional.  

So, choosing the one that fits you the best depends on your experience level or what you want to achieve.

There are 3 standard resume formats are most commonly used when applying for jobs: 

1. Chronological resume

2. Functional resume (also known as Skills-based resume)

3. Combination (hybrid) resume

Each of them has different attributes and serves a different purpose. Here's a chart with a quick overview of each format to help you pick yours:

You’ll find more about each resume format along with examples of well-formatted resumes you can use as your starting point in this article.

I hope you didn't think I'd forget! 

As a token of appreciation for your excellent scrolling skills, here’s a 20% discount code for Kickresume Premium. 

Catch you later! 

Peter