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OP, one of my best friends in high school was really intelligent, but not interested in academics. While in school, he did shorts apprenticeships in all kinds of fields. We couldn't figure out what he was up to. Well, in his last year of high school, he quit school (please graduate if you haven't already!) and moved to his grandfather's cattle ranch in NE, where his mom had grown up.
It all started to make sense. He could fix anything, Did welding, machinery repair, electrical work, you name it. I went out and visited twice and it was amazing how little he needed to live on between farming part of the ranch and being able to repair and maintain almost everything himself. Years later he became the caretaker for a hunting lodge in CO owned by a tech VP in Silicon Valley. He had a great little cabin on the property and lived about 20 miles from the nearest town. The owner of the lodge was only there a couple weeks every summer with a party from work, so the rest of the time, my friend had the whole place to himself. I never saw it in person but the pictures of the area were stunning.
My point: Get some skills you can carry with you that are in high demand. Then you can go anywhere you want. Don't be in a rush to get to that rural area - prepare yourself so you can support yourself with something other than a minimum wage job when you get there. That preparation can be something requiring a degree or a technical vocation - it doesn't matter.
Be aware that most conservative, rural areas have a strong religious tradition and most of one's social connections revolve around the church so if you are not a member of one you will be hard pressed to find friends, help, etc.
That being said there are needed skills in such areas. Do some research and try to narrow down your choice of area and then see what that region has a need for. Most anything in the construction trades is a likely need, especially the more specialized things like plumbing and electrical. In my area skilled handymen are in great demand for those things that require some knowledge but not a full on license.
There is not a single locksmith in my county but there are several farriers, back hoe businesses, well drillers, etc. Maybe become a certified home inspector, that's generally a steady business.
I hope you will find what you are looking for and that it brings you much happiness.
Be aware that most conservative, rural areas have a strong religious tradition and most of one's social connections revolve around the church so if you are not a member of one you will be hard pressed to find friends, help, etc.
This perception is entirely a matter of your region.
In the rural area where I have settled [<10 people per-square-mile], we became active in the American Legion, the VFW, the Masonic lodge, and the Grange.
If we had settled down in the Bible belt then obviously we would have had to join a church.
This perception is entirely a matter of your region.
In the rural area where I have settled [<10 people per-square-mile], we became active in the American Legion, the VFW, the Masonic lodge, and the Grange.
If we had settled down in the Bible belt then obviously we would have had to join a church.
Yes that is key. Not being picky about the social opportunities. I never thought I'd like Tai Chi
But in the wintertime, in 7 feet of snow and the town is closed 50% of the time, the TAI CHI break of 1 hr with coffee for 30 min afterwards is one of the few social opportunities for 4 months out of the year.
Yoga is offered but I've never been able to get into that.
Yes that is key. Not being picky about the social opportunities. I never thought I'd like Tai Chi
In the wintertime, in 7 feet of snow while the small town is closed 50% of the week, the free TAI CHI w. 30 min of coffee time keeps you sane. It's is one of the few social opportunities during the treacherous winters.
Free Yoga classes are offered but I've never been able to get into that.
This perception is entirely a matter of your region.
In the rural area where I have settled [<10 people per-square-mile], we became active in the American Legion, the VFW, the Masonic lodge, and the Grange.
If we had settled down in the Bible belt then obviously we would have had to join a church.
We resettled in a town of 800-900 people, the highway welcome sign calls the county:
“The Jewel of the Blue Ridge Mountains, been here 2 years, folks I have met and have been involved with keep their political and religious views to themselves.
Possibly in a more urban/suburban area one may encounter a more in your face approach.
We’re on a very large tract, as are most, My closest neighbor is over 1/2 mile away, I stop by to chat a couple times a month, keep the conversation light then move on, good people and some of the finest geography.
Hey! I'm a 18 year old male from suburban Minneapolis trying to figure out his life. I am not quite sure what I want to do as a career. But what is most important to me, is that I want to live in a RURAL area! I really do not care for city life, or even large towns. Frankly, if possible i would like nothing to do with any town over about 10,000 people. There are a few specific areas that I consider my favorites. But they are all looking terrible in terms of prosperity, as they are all losing jobs and population. So I guess what I'm asking is what kind of careers would I need to look at in order to live someplace I would want to? And what are some good rural areas to live? Please don't attack or mock me, I'm just trying to figure things out. Also, I don't want to live in The West, The Plains States, or The Northeast. I don't want to go into why, but I do not want to live anywhere in those regions, or anyplace that is socially or culturally liberal. So I'm strictly thinking of towns in the Midwest or South with populations under 10K. I know all of my criteria might be impossible to find nowadays, and that's really sad that things have come to that. Thanks for any help!
Look at things this way. People have been brainwashed in this country for at least a few generations to believe they must work at a "job" 40+ hours a week for most of their life. A century ago people in rural areas did not work at "jobs" for an employer. They were by and large farmers who worked for themselves or those who did work to support the farms. The local store, the blacksmith, etc. My great grandfather and all the preceding generations before him in my family never worked for others. They were all farmers. Some of them were involved in local politics too. They raised virtually all their own food except wheat (the soil on the old family farm was never suitable for grain production), supplied their own heating and cooking fuel via the woodlot, and so relied very little on he outside, cash-based economy. So all this being said, figure out exactly what it is you want. If you want to be a farmer, find a way to learn the required skills and find a way to get the money for the initial investment in the farm (which is substantial, remember all land is not created equal). If farming holds no appeal you'll need to find another way to support yourself.
Pretty obviously the "plan" provided by OP ends in living a dirt-poor lifestyle, in a place with poor opportunity, ignorance, and general poverty of culture. In the South, presumably. I saw more than a few towns like that in North Carolina, I'm sure there are tons more in Mississippi in-particular, that being (I believe) one of the poorest/under-achieving states in the union on multiple axes.
Not sure why someone would 'decide' at age 18 to extremely limit future opportunities. I have little use for humanity but it was patently obvious when I was 17 the road to riches involves the complete opposite of just about everything listed: obtain a STEM degree, move to an area of opportunity (like SF, or LA, or Seattle). To hell with the politics, who cares what nuts think, I figure? Build foundation skills in something up and coming, like Cloud development (Azure, AWS), or a modern programming language. Keep in the revenue stream, build equity brick by brick without making stupid life-errors (marrying young, having children, refusing to finish a Bachelor's degree). Brookings Institute lists the following three:
1. Graduating from high school.
2. Waiting to get married until after 21 and do not have children till after being married.
3. Having a full-time job.
Or live in Palookaville, MS and wind up working at the S-Mart as a clerk for $7/hr. Really? Sorry, can't aid and abet that with 'advice' that flies in the face of just about every megatrend for professional work in the United States, next 20 years or so.
In other words, be a cog in a cubicle.
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