[coldtea]

>I'm happy for you but this is a super privileged viewpoint that most people can't really learn from. I'd be happy too if I could just take a year off and do whatever I want. Most people can't do things like traveling to different cities and trying out a new place for 3 months.

Most people 18-25 can.

First, tons of people at those ages actively burn tons of money on BS like a useless college degree (and not even the kind that lands you an actual job). Not doing anything would be an improvement for them (and cost less).

Second, you can do that with no money at all (tons of people do it on $5 a day style, or getting some work where they travel to pay for the costs, or just using one of the several of networks where you can exchange places for free, etc.). I know lots of people at that age that work for a few months and live off that for the rest -- and I'm not talking about making a full yearly wage on those months, they just live on little. When you're young a futon and a few pieces of stuff will do. (I actually know older people living like that too -- in cultures where not following some career and making do with little is not considered "white trash" or "hippie", e.g. in the countryside in Europe and so on).

Also, you seem to be harshly criticizing the author and what he done in this span, but how are your choices working for you? Not great from what we read in your comment.

[debt]

"tons of people do it on $5 a day style"

Fallback is important though; that is the "if I run out of money, seriously, then what do I do?"

There's a huge different between a $5/day lifestyle and a fallback to your parents basement vs a $5/day lifestyle and a fallback to, well, I guess I'll be living on the street.

The difference in cognitive load and stress between the two is staggering. Having a fallback is a very privileged position to be in.

Most entrepreneurs don't want to admit they can fallback to a parent's basement somewhere as it kind of kills their image.

[coldtea]

>The difference in cognitive load and stress between the two is staggering. Having a fallback is a very privileged position to be in.

I dunno, in many cases I know (or used to know, not so young myself anymore) the fallback was either "back with the parents for a while to sort things out", "find some place to rent with/without a roommate(s) and get a job" (which could be waiting tables too). Nobody really has any "fallback" in the sense of money in the bank or family fortune.

So not much privilege required. As said, when you're young and without spouse/kids.

[watwut]

No, most 18-25 years old can't. For starter, 25 years old without college tend to have kids already. Some have other relatives that they have to help to.

Those without college degree have scrappy jobs if they have them and those with degrees as you said are in debt. Worst off are those with college debt but who did not finished college.

Nevertheless, young people without degrees can't really reasonably abandon their life.

[dorchadas]

> Nevertheless, young people without degrees can't really reasonably abandon their life.

Maybe in America. But when I was in Spain this summer, I met some Aussies who do seasonal summer work then go blow it all on word trips yearly. Said it was decently common among a certain crowd of people.

[coldtea]

Yep, it's quite common. And as you say (and I mention above re: temp jobs etc too), it's a "certain crowd of people" not in terms of money, but because of having the mindset to do it.

[astura]

Yeah, young people do seasonal work in America too then decide not to get a job when their work runs out. I knew a few people that did that, all had a fall back, most lived in the parents basement.

[yzmtf2008]

> tons of people do it on $5 a day style

How? That's $150 a month, I'm not sure if you can even find a place to live with that money.

[coldtea]

Traveling the world there are several places where $150 a month is more than the locals make. And even where they aren't, there's things like free-camping, getting a place with several friends together, and so on.

Even in a first world country with $1500+/month average wage, getting by on holidays with €150-€200 is something a lot of younger friends do, if anything because they have to (not many saved from poorly paying and scarce regular jobs anyway). If you bunch up a few together, or just go camping, it's quite cheap.

[matwood]

The world or south east Asia? Even Eastern Europe is going to be tough on $5/day.

[coldtea]

Asia, Africa, Latin America, even parts of Europe.

For comparison, in Greece there are tons of young (and older) people actually working full time for ~ €400/month.

(Before the crisis, in say 2006-2010 those were called the "€700 euro generation" for making around that amount per month, then considered very low).

Here's a similar case in Spain: "“We’re not mileuristas. We are just poor. I wish I could earn €1,000, but my generation is earning between €700 and €800 a month,” he says, adding that he personally takes home around €450 a month for a 20-hour week, and describes himself as underemployed."

https://elpais.com/elpais/2015/05/14/inenglish/1431604981_25...

[User23]

On the plus side, learning to disregard resentful negative people is an important life skill and parent is helping teach it.

It's far better to be positive. For example a good friend of mine founded a successful crypto shop. At the time, I thought the idea was stupid. However I didn't say that, I told him I wanted him to succeed and I was happy to listen to him describing what he wanted to do and how he was going to do it. Now our friendship is even closer and he's doing great. While it's unlikely given his personality, if I had been negative I might have talked him out of a big success and that isn't what good people do.