I made aliyah through Nefesh b Nefesh when I was 23. I met my wife within a year after I got here, and I’m currently working for a high-tech company in Beit Shemesh.
When people speak negatively about Eretz Yisroel all they are a little but of the modern day Miraglim. But it is very important to come here with a plan. I’m assuming you were here learning at some point and that’s what hit you with the “Israel Bug.” When you do come as a single bochur, it is vitally important that wherever you do go, you stay connected to a yeshiva.
Definitely do not stay in America hoping to meet a girl how has your dream of Aliyah. This gives you a very narrow margin of girls to choose from. With any girl here that’s not even an issue and you have a much larger number of girls who will fit what you’re looking for hashkaficly.
Parents are not an issue that I had to deal with so I can’t speak about it, my parents were very supportive of Aliyah and they themselves are coming this year.
Definitely contact Nefesh they will give you valuable resources to make your klita easy and help you with a direction you can go with here. Plus if you are looking for education the State pays for your degree or for a training program. Free.
I also got hit with the strong desire to move Israel in my early 20’s, and worked very hard to make that dream a reality. And now looking back I’m completely convinced that there was some spiritual direction that pointed me in my direction. My beshart was here, my profession was here.
You absolutely see the Yad Hashem here, people in American will never understand that. Your daily life is completely governed by HB”H and it’s so much easier to see it here, even if on a Gashmiyus level it’s different here then what one has in America.
I just want to stress though that you need to be smart about coming here. You need to have a basic plan. Talk with Nefesh and make contacts with people living here. I was exactly in your position when I came and with the help of Hashem I made it and am making it.
It is possible to make it here, and it’s the place every Jew should be. Don’t listen to anyone’s negative comments, what happens to another person is their tikkun, not yours.
Hatzlacha