You'll get mugged in New York and car-jacked in Florida, but you'll own a five-bedroom house with a pool and air-conditioning within a year.

Is that your idea of life in the United States? If it is, your perceptions may come up against a large dose of reality. Life in the U.S. is neither quite as dangerous nor as high-flying -- when it comes to success -- as many believe. Even if you've got an airplane ticket, a job and the required visa, you may not be prepared for the cultural adjustment of living and working in the United States.

"The United States, like any country, is a distinct culture, in and of itself, despite the fact that it is so heterogeneous," says Dean Foster, worldwide director of Berlitz Cross-Cultural. Many people coming to the U.S. have perceptions of the country formed from years of viewing Hollywood movies and TV shows. "The reality of life," Foster says, "is going to be radically different."

One of the major differences stems from the perception of the United States as a violent, gun-toting society. Crime, in fact, has fallen dramatically in recent years -- especially in major cities. "It's not as dangerous as you think," Foster says.

On the other hand, the ease of success -- another much-heralded notion about the U.S. -- is not something to take for granted. "Success isn't going to come so easily," Foster says. "People come and think they're going to have a million dollars in the bank next year." The bottom line? Don't count on it.

Cross-cultural training programs, such as those offered by Berlitz, can be crucial in helping you adjust to life in the United States. If you're coming to the U.S. for a specific job, ask the human resources department at your company about any cross-cultural orientation services that may be available. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of companies offer such training.

In the absence of an organized cross-cultural program, consider these issues as you start a job in the United States:

• Friendliness. Americans often seem extremely friendly, even at work. But that friendliness is not necessarily an open invitation to personal friendships. Other cultures are often much more formal than American culture, says Foster, and people new to the U.S. may find it frustrating when on-the-job friendliness does not extend beyond the workplace.

• Individuality. "The individual is king here," Foster says of the United States. That individualism may extend to the workplace, with even low-ranking employees attending meetings and expressing their opinions to bosses. "This kind of emphasis on the individual is staggering," Foster says. Simply recognizing such differences can help people understand the social dynamics of an organization.

• Management Practices. The emphasis on the individual often extends to management practices, where individuals -- rather than teams -- may be rewarded for excellent work. The emphasis on individual achievement may be unfamiliar to someone from a culture that prizes the work of the group, rather than the individual.

"We live fairly atomized lives relative to the way people live in other countries," says Foster. "For them, that's jarring."

Is there a solution? A conscious effort to understand your new environment can help, experts say. Foster advises companies to set up "mentor" programs to assist new employees from other nations. Another option is to seek out people from your country, either at your company or elsewhere in the United States, who can share their own experiences and prepare you for what to expect from a job assignment in the U.S.