Issue #044, October 8, 2013

Survival Tips for those Under Thirty in a Recession

Hello,

It used to be if you wanted to succeed in life, all you had to do was get that college degree, and you were virtually guaranteed a job in business, where you could work your way up into management and have a secure future.

But as those who are under thirty will attest, such days are gone. College costs have shot up while producing little in return. Graduates end up with huge loans and no job prospects. Only about a third of all adults in their early 20s are working a full time job, and American families that have a head of household under the age of 30 have a poverty rate of 37 percent.

So what should you do if you're under thirty, or if you have children and you want to make sure they can support themselves when they're grown?

It's time to get radical and rethink the notion that a college degree is a must-have for every single person in America. You really can have a great, fulfilling life without attending college. Just ask anyone who has his own carpentry or plumbing business.

It's also time to rethink the whole you-must-have-a-huge-house-in-the-suburbs-to-be-successful notion. What in the world makes you think you'll be happy if you're struggling to pay off that mortgage each month?

If instead of encouraging our kids to pursue the great American dream of going to college so they can spend their days in an office just to pay for an overpriced house with a postage stamped lawn, what if we encouraged our kids to pursue a different life? What if we encouraged them to find a piece of land somewhere and build their own home to avoid a huge mortgage?

What if we homeschooled our kids, and taught them gardening skills so they can grow their own healthy food and taught them to live on a budget so they wouldn't have to earn as much money to get by? What if we encouraged them to pursue different careers, such as having an agritourism farm, or a chicken farm.

We can encourage our kids to pursue beekeeping, raising chickens and goats, and learn self-healing through holistic medicines so they can avoid that expensive doctor's office. We can teach them to be even healthier by cooking from scratch and avoiding fast foods.

We can show our kids how to get off the grid, store our food without electricity and cook without a stove. And finally, we can learn how to be prepared for any situation.

It's time to think creatively and reshape expectations. Stop trying to fulfill the world's expectations. Pursue simple living instead. That way you can lead a successful life no matter what the future holds.

Until next time, happy homesteading!

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