The youth of today

I was young once.
Yes, that is a strange way to start a post but it is true.  I've been pondering the talk these days going round that the youth of today have it harder.  I wouldn't exactly say the youth of today have it harder, I would say that youth have always had it hard.  It takes hard work to succeed and to make a living.

I read with interest Rob Carrick's article which published the cry for help of a 29 year old.  I then read an interesting interpretation from the Financial Post.

I was in some ways like the young writer.  When I started my working career, I made under $30,000.  Now 15 years later at the same company I have managed to double that thereabouts.  I felt underpaid then and still feel underpaid now.  I think everyone feels the same way.  There needs to be some objectivity about what your work is worth in an industry at a certain time.  When i graduated from College, due to a slow economy I decided to may a diversion in careers.  You do what you must to make a living you know!  While the work was different from my chosen field, I did get to use some of the similar skills I learned.  The work was even interesting and enjoyable.

My point is that you have to make your way and adapt to get through life.  To complain like the world owes you something is pointless.
To feel helpless that you can't marry and so forth is just defeatist.  Getting together with someone else is one of the best financial decisions you can make.  It not just romantic reasons you hitch up with someone.  I know we don't think of it that way usually, I certainly wasn't thinking of my wife as part of my financial plan when I  fell for her.  Your combined resources, not just the financial ones will make you bother stronger and wealthier in every sense of the word.  How did this post get so profound?  The point is, I never realized that when I felt so poor 10 to 15 years ago, I was not that bad off and I think the young writer needs to realize this.  We put off things like buying a house and having children because we felt like we could not afford it.  perhaps that caution was warranted, but I now feel we could have moved faster.  Regrets? No, just live and learn.

I wish the young writer good luck, they will find their way as long as they don't despair and look for easy answers.