O P I N I O N
THE SOAPBOX
Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
— e.e. cummings
Becoming an adult in 2016 is harder than it looks; as a struggling adult, if you don’t get a good job out of high school and start saving, then you may always struggle.
I was taught to always work to get what you want for yourself — my parents have never handed me anything — and for that, I am glad. I have been working since I turned 15, and still am. Still, some days it feels I have done so much and yet moved no where. Costs for living are at an all time high, apartments run from $1,330-2,150 a month in 2016 (depending on where you choose to live.)
Managing school is another subject. If an individual decides to pay on their own then they need a full-time job to pay for it. However, then the person’s education suffers. If you want to get a good job in the future, you are required to get a degree. Without a degree, you can’t always work in your preferred field. On the other end of the spectrum, if you don’t work and go to school full-time then you have no money to supply your financial needs.
I have two jobs and what I make at both of them is not nearly enough to live on my own. When is enough enough? Salaries, in my opinion, need to be raised for young adults to be able to make it on their own. It is hard to find work nowadays because this current generation has been hit hard by unemployment rates, making it hard to live on your own. The rate of young adults living at home has increased by 25 percent since 1996. In 1996 a first-time homebuyers had to raise around 2.7 times their salary; the figure in 2013 was 4.47.
I heard a young adult female once say, “It almost seems easier to be unemployed these days, and get unemployment benefits from the government.”
Another downfall about trying to “adult” is also trying to have a social life. Trying to manage school, work and social time is hard because individuals are trying to map out their futures while still staying connected to things and friends that they enjoy. There have been times where I have to turn down friends invitations because I’m writing a paper for school or working overtime to make more money. It feels like I’m constantly struggling only to still be stuck at home.
We can’t just be meant to work our whole lives away and miss out on truly living.
Get up on your Soapbox.
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