What advice would you give to a young person today?

[UmbrellaEllaEllaElla]

I feel a lot of young people are usually given advice that is more applicable to how the world used to be rather than the current reality many live in.

What advice would you give a young person today who isn't inheriting any or much family money? How can they build a good life in today's world?

@letshaveanicecuppatea

I used the sunscreen song at our sons Naming Day for the reading as it made perfect sense and great advice for him (and everyone else there!!).

But most importantly, start a pension as soon as possible!!

Degree apprenticeship with a guaranteed job as long as you pass everything my DS is doing this first year of training on 25k plus no student debt.

Pension ASAP
Rock solid contraception
Don’t do drugs
Dump wasters quickly and never date or stay with someone out of pity
Learn how to say no
Never lend money and never let anyone know how much you have

Came on to literally say this!! Perfect advice.

And be the kid that opts out of social media as much as humanly possible.

Agree with don’t go to uni for the sake of it, learn a trade, and save as much as possible. Couldn’t disagree more with do something that scares you everyday, utterly ridiculous tripe that will not end well for reckless sixteen year olds.

Save, save, save, save.

Don’t buy a new build leasehold flat.

I think it would be pension and travel too.
Possibly Id suggest settling somewhere not prone to flooding or drought.

Secondary HOY here, NEVER EVER EVER send a nude photograph of yourself to anyone. Nudes are shamefully used as currency today and you will never get the photo back once it’s out there

Yet another:

• don't go to university
• learn a trade. Several if you can
• learn a language. Several if you can
• aim to work for yourself
• travel. Travel. Travel. As much as possible.
• never turn down an invite to a gathering or party. The best things come from these.
• speak to as many people as you can and learn how to be social.
• foster your friendships, make as many as possible around the world
• run
• visit a dentist regularly.

With these things life will be amazing.

Critical thinking.

I’m already teaching my eldest to make sure he gets his algorithm right on social media. If he comes off of it feeling shit he needs to use it differently. I’ll also be teaching him not to chase likes and to try and use the internet in a way that works FOR him.

Decide what you really want- don’t just tick off life goal boxes.

Ignore social media.
one person who really loves you and has your back is better than 50 acquaintances.

Practise self awareness but with love. Work out why you react a certain way in certain situations and what caused it.

Eat healthy food and work out.

lots are saying learn a trade- yes but have a career too- having two options means if one fails you have a safety net.

Tell us more about not buying a new build leasehold flat, please. DS1 is just about to do exactly that and I've felt uneasy about it (lease not very kong, services charges quite high, no outside space!) but he and DH love the place.

Yes. Love this reply. If nothing else, this.

So I know so many people (including myself) who bought new, expensive, leasehold flats in new exciting developments. At least half of us have faced them being virtually impossible to sell. Some because of cladding, some just because they’re not worth what you’re told they’re worth and another 5 shinier, newer developments pop in the next year and no one looks at the older developments.

A lot of people who bought as single people or young couples who then had kids, have high incomes to afford nice houses but tell me how trapped they feel in tiny flats because they just can’t sell. A fair few who became reluctant landlords to leave. Others who sold at a loss and are happy just to chalk it up to experience.

Obviously it was a success for some - who just used it at the right time as a step on the property ladder, but the percentage who regret it deeply is pretty high amongst the people I know.

💯

Socialise with people different from yourself sometimes

Look after your feet. People always say look after your teeth, but you walk on your feet and when they're buggered, they're buggered.

Don’t go to uni, unless your desired job actually require a degree e.g doctor
Do not opt out of your work pension scheme

Thank you. That's helpful.

Undergraduate university in the UK is just a way for universities to fund themselves, preferably with international students who pay 3x more than UK students. At certain top-10 globally ranked universities, UK students are in single figures on some STEM courses. Getting in a load of debt to feel completely left out and isolated in your own country is absolute misery and the university will give zero shits.
UK students would be better to get a degree apprenticeship.

I'd tell them that if they want to do a degree then do that. Don't be pushed into training in a trade if that's not what they want to do.

Undergraduate university in the UK is just a way for universities to fund themselves, preferably with international students who pay 3x more than UK students. At certain top-10 globally ranked universities, UK students are in single figures on some STEM courses. Getting in a load of debt to feel completely left out and isolated in your own country is absolute misery and the university will give zero shits.
UK students would be better to get a degree apprenticeship

This wasn’t the experience of my DC. They went to a uni near a lovely city, one joined the American Football team, the other was secretary of the history society and travelled each year with the group. They enjoyed the gym, library, going to balls etc and now earn more than their friends that didn’t go to university.

Learn a trade.
Learn about financial independence.
Grow veg and food.
Dabble in languages so you can leave this godforsaken country if you want to easier.
Don't trust the government or employers.
Always put yourself and your nearest and dearest first
Don't presume the healthcare system will be able to help you.

Only go to Uni if you're a specific career path in mind that requires a degree.

If you're not going to go to uni, then learn a trade, such as electrician or gas engineer, or even train driver - something where there are "barriers to entry" such as a professional regulator or specific training, so that you're not going to be competing against those who've not done the training etc., such as joiner or decorator where people tend not to care if they're experienced/qualified etc.

Ensure you get the best possible school qualification, i.e. GCSEs - particularly in Maths and English. They're "door openers" in later life should you wish to retrain or change careers (yes you can do them later in life (or equivalent), but it's harder and more costly) - best to do your best at school when it's cheap and you've got the time to study!

Learn about money, make sure you understand compound interest, credit card charges/interest, taxes. Control your spending, never get into too much debt and never default. A bad credit rating can have very long term consequences, limit your options and cost you more!

Broaden your horizons, friendship groups and contacts. There's a lot of truth in the saying "it's not what you know, it's who you know" at all levels of society. Knowing a "friend of a friend" can be a door opener in so many different ways, even getting a reliable tradesmen, someone to fix your car, first on the list when finding a flat to rent, etc - the saying doesn't just apply to rich people getting their mates a job in investment banking!

@Mothwingdust

Dump wasters quickly and never date or stay with someone out of pity

Such good advice, especially the "wasters" bit. I don't think many people would date/stay out of pity for long, but I do think far too many don't heed the signs of a "waster" and either don't realise they're one or believe the usual crap they spout that they'll change, they're waiting for the right opportunity, etc - some may do, but most remain wasters for the long term and take down people close to them too!