Is there no hope for the future?

In this article, I will share my point of view as a young person in today's world. I want to say before you continue to read this article, you are welcome to disagree with me. I am using this space to express my thoughts and opinions on what it is like being young and looking into the future.

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What is it like right now?

Right now, the light seems to be quite dim. House prices are rising so quickly I cannot keep up, electricity and energy prices are to increase by 54% this upcoming financial year, consumer inflation is at 5.1%, an all-time high, national insurance and tax are increasing in the same financial year. But when I look around no one seems to be phased. This might be because I read a lot or keep up-to-date with finance and economic news. I may be overreacting and there may be nothing to worry about and maybe it is not as bad as I think it is. This may be true to a certain extent but there is no denying living costs are increasing faster than increases in salaries. Jobs are harder to get, even entry-level jobs. Nowadays, it seems like you need 400 years of experience, a BSc, MSc and a PhD to get a simple sales job. You need the experience to get the experience, it is hugely flawed. But like many, there is not a whole lot you can do. I found myself a position as a data scientist, I have been fortunate to have had this opportunity. However, I see my peers struggling to get an entry-level job, even in retail with a STEM degree. At times it seems like a waste of time.

Social media, I see people take every chance they can to talk badly about social media. There is a reason for that, as many young people like myself are pressured to be successful at unrealistic ages 17, 18, 20 and sub 30. The average person my age may not even retire by the age of 70 with the increase in retirement age. However, the average expectancy has not changed drastically. Say you retire at the age of 70 you and maybe you have 10–20 years left to 'enjoy'. When thinking realistically or pessimistically life seems to be sombre from this one perspective. It may seem like there is less hope the younger you are. As you get older, how many more hoops and obstacles do you have to clear to take one step.

I understand what you have read so far might not give you an incredible amount of optimism. That is okay, because sometimes it is useful to assess life with a pinch of salt in this case the salt is pessimism. But at the same time, I am here to maybe provide you with some solutions to these problems by making you aware of what is happening. I write so you as the reader can improve while I improve and learn as I learn.

What is my advice for people my age?

- To be financially literate, you need to understand how finance works when it comes to mortgages, rent, debt and credit cards. By understanding this you can get the most out of your life when spending on goods services and real estate.

Read more. I cannot stress this enough to understand the world you need to read. I read about finance, granted I may not understand every technical detail when I read financial news. By simply making the effort you can learn a lot. The internet has a vast amount of information all it needs is your active effort. But you need to critically evaluate the information you see online because not everything you read is true

Save. You might be young and think I cannot wait to leave home. I suggest you assess that decision as rent, house and utility bills are increasing rapidly. The logical step would be to stay at home and save as much as you can. You would be surprised how much extra income you are left with when you do not have a mountain of bills to pay. Here are some places where you can cut back if you do not live at home. Subscription-based products, do you need them? Ordering too much fast food, cooking at home is cheaper depending on your geographic location. Walk if you can, do you need an Uber? Just by making healthier choices, you can live cheaply, for example, I do not drink or smoke so that is another expense I save on.

Enjoy your life on a budget. The last thing I want is for you to save and feel disappointed with life. You might be thinking, how can I save and enjoy my life? There are many things you can do to enjoy your life on the cheap. I encourage you to go out with friends, you are young and you should enjoy it. You could simply catch up with an old friend in a coffee shop; if there is a policy to buy a product you can buy the cheapest item. You could go to the movies, tickets are relatively cheap when I was studying at University just 6 months ago each ticket was just £5. There are countless things you can do to enjoy life on the cheap while you save just use Google if you have no ideas.

Invest. Please invest in yourself first, before investing in Stocks, Crypto, ETFs and Real-estate. Before you even step into the real world your grades matter your academic success is what your employers see. After you gain experience your grading won't matter as much. School and education are important, no matter what anyone on the internet tells you. You might hear things like, 'The school system was built to make workers, not thinkers' that's simply not true. You can be academically successful and be innovative. The problem is many people do not actively apply the theory to real-world issues. After you invested in your education and did the best you can, you now have the chance to increase your income from your day job. This means you have more to invest in yourself improving your health and investment ventures.

Invest in assets. Now you can start to invest in Stocks, Crypto, ETFs and Real-estate. You established yourself through education, active reading, you are gaining financial literacy, you are making good decisions by saving and you are enjoying your life. Now, you can take on risks and start investing for yourself in the future and enjoy the rewards later on in life.

Be hopeful. This might seem the opposite of what I said, but I want you to think pessimistically sometimes and sometimes optimistically. I am illustrating two sides of the same coin. On one hand, it seems hopeless to be financially free and reach your dreams due to many obstacles. But at the same time, we live in an age where one video on a social media platform can make you millions. Despite that I want you to think realistically by improving aspects of your life I mentioned earlier. Education, financial literacy and investments.

Balance

It may have not been obvious but my underlying point is balance. As a young person looking into the future, I have to balance optimism and pessimism to get a realistic view of life. Can I be the worlds richest man? Probably not, but can I achieve financial freedom and enjoy a large proportion of my life without working ever again absolutely. The more information you have, the better decisions you can make. As I have said before being successful is not about making the right choices all the time, it is about making a series of decisions good or bad that lead to a net positive effect, this goes to any age. However, the earlier you start the earlier you can enjoy the fruit of your labour.

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As always this is your friendly online nerd sharing my knowledge with you, until next time stay safe :D. If you enjoy what I write be sure to give me a follow, it helps more than you know.

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