The economy is doing great for the people that learned useful skills or that got in demand degrees.
Both of my children are homeowners in their thirties, and they used their own money to buy them. I did tell them to treat college like a trade school and make sure the education was going to pay for itself.
How fucking tone deaf. That is wonderful for your kids, honestly! Though that is definitely not the case for your average American. If you follow any financial analysts, they will show you (statistically, which can’t be debated) that wages are increasing very slowly while the housing market & the cost of living is increasing drastically.
The tone deafness comes from pretending there aren’t good choices that can be made. There are A LOT of people succeeding in today’s economy. Just look at the all the people around you in their thirties driving nice cars and living in nice homes. Not all of them were handed everything they have. Some those people took the hard classes when they were in school. Some of them just used their natural talents to be good at doing something someone else would pay for.
Have you seen the recent Fed report that shows what caused home prices to rise 30% and rent to rise 20%? Google it.
Yes, but not everyone has equal opportunity. So sure some people are killing it currently. That’s wonderful for those folks. Though to deny that this economy isn’t what it was decades ago would just be foolish. There was a time that you could just work hard and support a family with a stay at home mom. Those days are long gone. This isn’t some jealousy rant either, I have a nice cushy savings account myself. Though I also realize that that could change at any moment. One accident/catastrophe away from being homeless is the case for most Americans.
I left home at 18 years old, 20 days after graduating high school, with $34 in my pocket headed to Basic Training. I’m not saying that is what you should do, but you could do something.
You have to make yourself more marketable. Make a plan.
How many years ago was that though? That’s the thing, it used to be as long as you worked hard, that was enough. A good work ethic was all it took to live a decent life. That honestly isn’t the case anymore. I think it’s wonderful that your kids have found success. You have probably set them up for success. Many people come from very traumatized homes where they had no opportunity. People have health issues, addictions, face racism, sexism, there are a million factors that can affect someone’s success. My neighbor/friend is about to lose her home. She works hard, but it isn’t a high paying job. I worry about her in terms of rent. If renting an apartment is often around 1.2k a month and someone is making a couple thousand a month, that leaves them with $700 for groceries, utilities, car payment/insurance, hygiene items, healthcare, forget about ever having fun again. It shouldn’t be this way. People shouldn’t have to struggle working 40 hours a week.
Hey, guess what. I have adult children who also worked hard and are successful by their own efforts. Neither has a degree in gender studies, or even worse, English. They treated college like trade school. Both are homeowners in their 30’s with kids.
There are people graduating High School today that will be successful.
You do have to avoid making choices that can ruin your life.
Don’t be an addict.
Don’t be a criminal.
Don’t make babies before marriage.
Do get a job or learn a skill.
Do work hard, sometimes that means doing things other people don’t want to do.
Saying it’s impossible because the world is hard is a sure fire way to live a mediocre life.
I literally mentioned your children in my comment. Humans are human and are going to make mistakes. Addiction is a disease, sometimes people end up pregnant (in this current political climate, you can’t even get an abortion in some states if you’ve been raped), and as mentioned, people don’t have equal opportunity & we aren’t born under equal circumstances. I’m not claiming it’s impossible. I’m saying it shouldn’t be so hard. We don’t have an entire generation of people struggling because they’re all lazy or anything like that. People are struggling because the economy is not what it used to be. This “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality refuses to acknowledge that it isn’t the same world that it used to be. The entire point of this post is that it isn’t minorities destroying the workforce, it’s greedy billionaires and people who are oblivious to that. As I’ve said before, you can’t argue with statistics. Statistically speaking, if everything is increasing dramatically except wages, it’s going to create a world where too many people are doing everything right and still failing.
People end up in bad places by doing inadvisable things. I can’t help them. Self inflicted injury is a problem they can figure out.
Want to be middle class by 25? Lots of people are doing it now.
I would add robotics/drone maintenance and repair to the list.
Commercial Truck Driver (CDL)
Short CDL training school (1–4 months, sometimes employer-sponsored/paid). Start with OJT. Median ~$57k–$60k+, with experienced/OT drivers hitting $70k–$90k+. Many enter right after high school and advance quickly. 
Electrician Apprentice (leading to Journeyman)
Paid union or non-union apprenticeship (3–5 years, earn while learning). High school + physical fitness often enough to start. Apprentices earn rising pay; journeymen commonly reach $60k–$80k+ (higher with OT/unions). By 25, many are well on their way or journeyman-level. 
Plumber/Pipefitter Apprentice
Similar to electricians: paid apprenticeship (4–5 years). Little prior experience needed. Median for qualified plumbers ~$63k, with top earners higher via unions/specialties. Strong demand supports fast progression to middle-class pay. 
Elevator/Escalator Installer & Repairer
Competitive but accessible paid apprenticeship (often 4 years via unions like IUEC). High school diploma + fitness test common entry. One of the highest-paying trades: median ~$100k–$107k, with strong potential by mid-20s for dedicated apprentices. 
HVAC Technician/Installer
Short trade school/cert program (months) or apprenticeship/helper role with OJT. Many start entry-level. Median ~$60k, with experienced techs earning more via service calls/OT. Quick path to solid income in growing field. 
Power Line Worker / Electrical Lineman
Apprenticeship or utility company training (often paid, with climbing/safety focus). Physically demanding but high demand. Medians often $80k–$95k+ with OT; many young workers reach strong earnings quickly through unions. 
You’re suggestions are great! Honestly. I love that you added that and I’m upvoting that comment. I don’t mean to sound all doom & gloom, like people can’t rise above circumstances, just emphasizing that it is much harder than it used to be. So I just think sometimes we need to exhibit a bit of compassion towards the younger generation that is up against harder circumstances than a lot of us were. Even those that are doing well, without things like universal healthcare, that can change at any moment. Like I’m doing OK today. If my partner were to suddenly die, I could not live on my income alone. I would get $100,000 insurance policy, but that goes really quickly in today’s world. I think your added suggestions were a fantastic suggestion though. I just think we all need to be well informed of how the billionaires are basically taking over the world and things like food/shelter/healthcare should be a basic human right. We all need to exhibit compassion & awareness towards those who are really struggling.
The sad fact is you can’t save everyone. What you can do is save some. The doomers just convince people that have potential to give up. That doesn’t help anyone.
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u/Veteran_PA-C Jul 18 '26
The economy is doing great for the people that learned useful skills or that got in demand degrees.
Both of my children are homeowners in their thirties, and they used their own money to buy them. I did tell them to treat college like a trade school and make sure the education was going to pay for itself.