Okay so quick summary of my life as a 21 y/o M. I grew up in a small town in NY, lived there up until I finished high school. After I graduated I moved to a much more urban city about 25 minutes away from where I grew up, while also going to a local community college. About a year ago, after community college, I started working for an electrical company as an apprentice and knock on wood but it’s been going pretty good ever since.
The main reason I went to community college in the first place was because I didn’t know what to major in. However I genuinely like the electrical work that I’ve been doing the past year in fact I even took two courses at a local trade school. Being an electrician is a pretty good career as it’s always in demand and their pay is fair to say the least.
Now this is where my question comes into play, I feel like people are always talking about how you should move to new places and strive to see the world and such. Don’t get me wrong I love traveling and I plan on going out West later this year for a week. But I’ve only really ever lived in two areas relatively close to each other in one state. If I settled with this career path I have and kinda just start my 9-5 life in my very early 20s without having a true college experience or something similar would I be missing out on a lot of life or settling in too early?
19 comments
Different people like different things. Don’t let the opinions and expectations of others convince you that what you like is wrong, especially if it’s what you have now.
Consider this: Two people can only afford the cheapest coffee available. One of them is picky about coffee and looks down on cheap coffee. The other can’t tell cheap coffee from expensive coffee, and is perfectly content with the cheap stuff. Which one is probably happier? What would happen if the second person listened to the first when they explained that the coffee they’re drinking is bad?
Happiness and contentment are just about all we have in the end. Don’t worry about missing out if this is a life you enjoy. What would you be missing out on?
I very content with 9-5. My salary is good enough to where I can do the things I want to do. I never had a desire to own a business
As long as you have a roof over your head, some good food, and good friends, you’re doing fine. People or commercials will sometimes imply otherwise. Who cares?
You get to pick what you want to do in this life.
No, absolutely nothing wrong with it. The stupid thing is modern media and people keep watching YouTube vids of people with influencer lifestyles and then try to be them, it’s dumb and unrealistic. Most Americans have 2-3 weeks of vacation and very little savings, they can’t be chillin on a yacht on a daily basis.
Life your life the way you want it. Maybe 4 years later you want to focus on making more money, and that’s totally fine. Right now if you love your life, then why live someone else’s?
Life is easier when we don’t pay attention to the numerous media and social media bullshit merchant’s.
The only thing that really counts is your own personal happiness, life satisfaction and how you form a good part of the community around you.
Sounds like you are doing pretty well to me on all three of those things.
No in fact I think in a lot of ways it’s great. I would think about some things though. You are basically renting your financial well being. I’d look into forms passive income and have that for stability. Nothing crazy but a rental property or a hobby business that doesn’t eat your time. Just save and or invest that. Nobody NEEDS a lavish lifestyle you can live and work the same way.
I (43M) love the work in my trade and I don’t ever want to leave it but I have recently decided that I wanted to be financially self sufficient. I wish I had made better decisions at your age.
I’ve lived my whole life in a ten mile wide circle and I’ve worked a 9-5 throughout my career. I don’t yearn for anything else because it’s all I ever wanted to begin with. It has allowed me to travel to many places and even afford to buy a house in an expensive city. Does it earn me clout to tell that story? Not really, but who cares?
You’re 21 so you don’t know yet. Maybe you would be content, maybe you wouldn’t. Live your life and answer your question.
I mean if you want travel, then you can still get time off working a great 9 to 5 and travel for a couple of weeks every year. And if you want more money (although being an electrician pays well), just read books on investing and eventually you can earn as much as a business owner.
And if you’re good where you’re at, then that’s fine too.
I earn $60,000 a year and love my job but I do want a new car, so I’m doing some things on the side, but I’m not paperchasing like money’s going out of style.
I love my 9-5 life. My family and friends have similar schedules so getting together for happy hours or weekend plans isn’t an issue. I get paid well enough and I have more vacation than I know what to do with. Also with WFH I’ve gotten the added flexibility of getting things done around the house during the work day, which is a great bonus.
I spent the latter part of my teens and early 20s in the military and then most of the rest of my 20s working at a casino while I went to college. The military was a different lifestyle and not really relevant to your experience… but the casino gig was toxic as fuck. I worked second shift and lost every weekend and holiday to that job having to deal with idiots and assholes every night. The pay was decent and it was an easy job so it was hard to leave but it really damaged my mental health to the point where I just had to find something else to do. My sleep schedule is still fucked up 5 years after I left the industry.
Working a normal job with normal hours is fine. I would have killed for that kind of stability in my 20s. Travel and have other experiences if you’re able, but using your 20s to build some stability in your occupation and finances will pay off too.
No. Most people is content by it. Otherwise there would be way more rioting in the streets.
If you like it, why does it matter what other people think?
If you are in NY, move to NYC.
I used to be all about trying to climb the ladder at work. I decided it wasn’t worth the stress and extra hours. I’d rather work 40 hours and go home. Weekends are for family and adventure, not grinding out an extra sale.
Over the past few decades young people have been told that you *must* go to college sit at a desk to be happy as an adult. The truth is the world *needs* electricians and contractors and HVAC technicians and plumbers and mechanics and welders etc and you can make a good living doing it. Keep yourself in shape, keep up with preventative medical care, and be safe on the job as these jobs are tough on your body if you don’t take care of yourself. But it’s a solid career path.
If you’ve found contentment in a simple lifestyle, be happy that you’ve found contentment. I have moved several times in my life searching for IDK what, never really finding it. My siblings however, all found contentment in staying in our hometown, raising families, and buying homes.
I used to think they were lame when I was younger, but now I feel great envy that they have nice homes and families. Who would have thought that investing in yourself was the better long-term plan than being a nomad?
Always wanting something more is complete torture, never being happy with what you have. And if you don’t feel that torture, and you’re just happy being you, feel grateful for that.
Does part of you wonder if you’ll look back and regret it some day?
> If I settled with this career path I have and kinda just start my 9-5 life in my very early 20s without having a true college experience or something similar
There’s no reason you can’t do both. If college is a goal, there is night/weekend/online school. If you just want the “20s” experience, 9-5 doesn’t preclude that *at all*. You can still go drinking & clubbing, go to concerts, hang out with other people your age doing whatever hobbies you have, etc.
The potential problem is not your job choice, but that you see it as somehow “settling” and a final choice, when it is neither.
The only other thing I will add is that keep in mind that your body will eventually betray you, and you won’t be able to keep up with physical labor as well as you do now. I know you’re an electrician and not a roofer, but it’s something to keep in the back of your mind — you may need an exit plan one day.
The only people demonizing the 9-5 work life are kids with rich parents who don’t realize how privileged they are, and don’t realize how little they contribute to society.
Or people who think the shitty resin they make for etsy makes them better than those with real jobs.
Or sociology majors that failed at life by every metric that exists.