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1) Start a business. For example on Ebay. If you make a profit, they will take most of your money away in fees to the point it's not even worth the time put into listing and shipping. Or take out a loan and open up a place, and fail because nobody can afford your service in this economy.
2) Go to college. Only everyone goes to college so you are likely not to get a job for it, and you're left in servitude paying off your student loan debt. There are plenty of people still paying off their loans from the 1980s.
3) If you're lucky enough to find a job, most of them pay barely over minimum wage. Perhaps enough to share an apartment with a friend or partner, but by no means enough to start a family. The work is also more often than not very mundane and stressful, usually retail or cold calling.
I don't think this is justified in a country with so many resources. There needs to be a structural change.
1. Starting a business is always a good option if you covered your bases.
2. A college education is valuable if you major in something in demand. I haven't finished my degree yet and am already making over $20/hr. It isn't alot. but it isn't bad for a starting salary and if the USA tanks then I can move to a different country.
3. Gain a skill and you won't have to do monkey work. If you go to trade school you can move to Australia or Canada and be making 6 figures within 10 years.
I think that's part of the problem too. We're being worked to death. Nobody in the entire world is overworked as much as us Yankees. Even the Japanese don't slave as hard as we do.
The main issue in my opinion is the price of real estate. People have to work hard to prevent being homeless. I consider flipping houses somewhat of a predatory profession since it makes it much harder for people to make a living, it's also part of what caused our economy to collapse.
Americans work less now than ever in the country's history. We are hardly being 'worked to death'
Americans work less now than ever in the country's history. We are hardly being 'worked to death'
I think you're taking that out of context. For one thing, our population was a lot younger in 1964, so a greater proportion were working-age. Another thing, unemployment was much lower then. People who are actually fortunate enough to have jobs work more than 50 years ago or at least about the same.
Thirdly it was optional for women to work back then. Nowadays being a stay at home mom is a huge luxury.
Location: Just transplanted to FL from the N GA mountains
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These threads crack me up... because each generation has had or will have hardships. Different problems perhaps, but nothing someone else hasn't already gone through.
Aaaah crap antoher thread seeking to ellicit what exactly, sympathy?
I'll give you a little empathy but no more.
Re-cap; High School Guidance counsellor 1960 "you must get a degree; you must go to a College or University. You will not amount to anything at all working in a factory or for someone else".
Result: BA's became as proliferate as dog poop. BSc's not far behind. Shoe stores started requiring BA's to sell runners fer chrisake!
Upshot; those of our generation who graduated and found our degrees essentially worthless decided to take a trade where you actually build something. Subsequently found regular work and parlayed that into starting a business in one of those fields. You get good at something and someone will pay you to provide it.
Stop with the "well here I am with my paper in hand now where's the pot of gold I was promised."
NO ONE in the history of this planet got a guarantee handed to them when they were smacked on the backside to commence their breathing!
Have some had it easier? YEP but some have had it a hell of a lot tougher as well. Your generation can EXPECT welfare assistance. Your generation can EXPECT some job placement, retraining assistance. Your generation can EXPECT and will avail themselves of the bankruptcy escape hatch.
Many other's could or would not.
Harsh. yep!
That's the lesson we learned back when if you didn't get a passing grade in ALL subjects you FAILED a year and got set back. If you didn't deliver during your summer job or part time job after school you got fired and your dad was waiting for you when you got home to explain the "sullification" of the family name with some painful consequences if it boiled down to your laziness.
C'mon Belmont get a grip and lower your sight line to a target within range then use that as a building block to greater things.
Location: Just transplanted to FL from the N GA mountains
3,997 posts, read 4,145,129 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BruSan
Aaaah crap antoher thread seeking to ellicit what exactly, sympathy?
I'll give you a little empathy but no more.
Re-cap; High School Guidance counsellor 1960 "you must get a degree; you must go to a College or University. You will not amount to anything at all working in a factory or for someone else".
And some of us, even as late as the late 70's... still couldn't afford college. So we worked as hard as we could and made it without that college degree. But.. we had it easy?
These threads crack me up... because each generation has had or will have hardships. Different problems perhaps, but nothing someone else hasn't already gone through.
The fact is that today, no matter how you behave, are educated and willing to work, it's became harder and harder to get a decent pay and start a family on your own, if compared with say 15 or 20 years ago, when it was easier.
We are not talking of loosers or uneducated people, if they don't find a job it's their fault but we're talking of normal guys here, like the op.
And if these kind of people see no future it means the problem is not invidual but rather political.
There too people who are rich, live well, have power etc despite no deserving those while there are too people, especially the youngers, who would deserve a high pay, a nice house etc but don't have
Unless they migrate to Canada or Australia...
The problem is not just starting at the bottom it is staying at the bottom as growth and promotion opportunites are eliminated by economic stagnation.
I agree with this, we are all waiting for the baby boomers to retire, but they keep working later into life. When they do leave the position is consolidated. Definatly is happening where I work, the pyramid is shrinking above us.
I disagree. I am GenY (27 years old) and am doing fine. I got my foot in the door with a larger company, went to graduate school at night while working full time. After that I worked 75 hours/week on a 40 hour/week salary to build a skillset that was in need and finally, five years after graduating I got a very well paying job doing what I want to do. I just had to pay my dues for five years to get there. Most of my friends think I am insane to have such a time intensive schedule while at the same time wonder how I make the money I do. I don't see how they don't put 2 and 2 together.
Most people my age don't understand the concept of paying their dues...
One who gets it!
Upside: I predict that somewhere in the not to distant future this one will perhaps take a risk and start a small business and look for more of his ilk to employ, thereby completing the circle as it has been for time immemorial.
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