Delete comment from: Captain Capitalism
Old, old post, but worth commenting on.
So much of this I agree with. Some of my biggest life regrets thus far (I'm 29) are:
- Going to college immediately after high school. I believed that I "needed it" or else I'd simply be pushing back adulthood for an even less appealing alternative of working a crappy, low-wage job.
- Going immediately to a four year school. I could've spent more time researching jobs that my education could help me land (I was a math major, which was good, but I literally had no idea what to do with my degree besides possibly being an actuary). Moreover, think about how ridiculous it is that a suburban princess majoring in English has the same general career ideas as a Math major; teachers don't really bother to tell us what we can do besides stay in the academic nest egg.
Aaron's right; outside of a few industries (tech coming to mind), if you're under the age of 40, no one will take you seriously, so why waste your time killing yourself to join the rat race? Sadly, one other observation I've had is how tragically warped my generation is when it comes to expectations of a partner. The advice of "work hard but don't kill yourself" is completely lost, as it seems like women either want to marry whatever loser they happen to be in a relationship with at 23, or wait until they're 35 for the guy that is a C-level executive who still magically has tons of hobbies, a massive circle of friends, a bodybuilder physique, and likes to travel the world. "Taking your time" is a tough pill to swallow for a generation brainwashed into such polarized branches (either you're some run of the mill person, or diving head first into the rat race by 22, like I did).
Jul 23, 2015, 8:21:55 PM
Posted to Advice for the College Youth