I found an article recently published by the Wall Street Journal, discussing the state of young men in the United States. I didn’t get to read the whole article as it’s behind a paywall, but the gist is pretty clear: young American men are falling further behind economically and socially. They’re more likely to be living at home with their parents and spend more time alone than ever. I can relate in a way. I live with a family member but I’m far from wealthy. But I live in a poor country. Most people live with their parents into their 30s. I won’t be spending my late 20s like this. I definitely have a plan. So while I can understand why American men might be struggling, I do find it a bit baffling how they struggle so much in a country so full of opportunity. Given that I’m in my mid 20s, the time for wallowing is generally over as far as I’m concerned. I want to help provide solutions for young men and let the ones younger than me improve their lives. I think I’m reasonably well positioned to do this, as I’ve figured out how to get “ahead” of the general population in my country financially.
Get educated
Getting educated doesn’t necessarily mean going to college. You can educate yourself through community college and certifications. IT certifications are a great way to supplement your income. You can educate yourself unofficially. There are lots of skills that people will hire you for if you can simply prove that you’re able to perform. Writing is one of those skills. The more you know, the more empowered you are to discern whether others are trying to help or hurt you. The more you know how to do, the more useful you are to the world.
Use time alone to work
I saw a tweet a few days ago pointing out that a wife and a job weren’t a birthright. I happen to agree. The world has gotten a lot easier to live in. Being alone can suck depending on your personality type, but it sure beats dying at age 6 of Mumps. We’re extremely privileged. If you want to meet people, work hard so that you can have more free time, afford more experiences, or move in the future. There’s always a place for everyone.
Stay home and start a business
This is the easiest thing ever to do in the United States. There are things people can do where I am, but we’re pretty much limited to creating content in order to have a chance at making big money. Wealthier Americans literally carry 100s of dollars in their wallets. Their credit cards have limits in the 10s of thousands of dollars. A guy with a credit card reader and the gift of gab should be able to make good money in the United States, without scamming people. There are lots of businesses that can be started in America. If I were in the US, I would focus on home/real estate stuff, finance, energy (solar especially), or America-specific content creation. Starting a business is easier than ever now. If you live at home, working for 1–6 months at a basic job should give you the required startup capital. Sure, being a young man in today’s climate might be rough, but you’re in the United States! Get some money and enjoy life.
Save money
If young men are increasingly living at home, it might be because they are looking to save money. If they are saving money, I don’t consider them living at home and spending time alone to be “falling behind”. It’s important to focus a bit on making money when you’re young. Your net worth will drastically impact the trajectory of your life. Putting in the work between ages 22 and 25 will pay massive dividends. If young men living at home aren’t saving money, then its either that they aren’t making money, or that they’re spending all of it. Both of these issues have obvious solutions.
No excuses
I always am the first to tell people to live in reality. We’re going through a recession, because inflation is rising faster than GDP. A lot of the older generations are clueless about pricing. That being said, it’s still possible to live a decent life after a few years of hard work and elbow grease. There’s absolutely no reason for young men to be falling further behind. I talked about how no one cares in the West. That’s true, but there’s also a bunch of money and total freedom. Unless you’re disabled, there’s no reason to be spending your whole life stuck.
Starting a business outside of the US has been immensely difficult for me. I’ve had a lot of little successes, followed by crushing failures and setbacks. It’ll have taken me 7 years of work to reach the financial level of the average American when I’m through with this project, and I will be able to live a decent life. America is expensive, but not that expensive. A lot of services are built in, that’s what you pay taxes for. I’m not totally sorry for a guy working an average American job. There has to be a way for him to create options in his life, considering people around the world frequently have so little.
I don’t know why young men are “falling further behind”. Maybe the data’s wrong. Maybe more young men are like me: cooking something up. Maybe young men simply don’t care anymore and have transcended making money. Who the heck knows. Either way we live in a world with a lot of opportunity, but the incel mentality seems pervasive nowadays. I need all my readers to fight that.
Thanks for paying attention.
