Planning for Adulthood

[Pua'i Mana'o]

if I were 21 again, and didn't have a SO or children for whom to be concerned, what would I be saving up for? What would be my line of big™ purchases?

•first home
•start up my first business or expense sheet to qualify my first career (e.g. college, tech training, licensing courses)
•buff automobile

I am undecided on how to order this. What would you do? What else would you do that isn't on this list?

Yeppers, its the couldawouldashoulda thread.

[GeckoGeek]

Re: Planning for Adulthood

2,1,3

Cars are a horrid "investment".

[1stwahine]

Re: Planning for Adulthood

What an excellent question!

If I had to do it over again, I would go to college after High School.

I didn't. I wanted to pursue my Roots and I did. I don't regret it. Den I purchased my first Restaurant at the age of nineteen.

Education enhances one's chance to reach goals and dreams.

Auntie Lynn

[acousticlady]

Re: Planning for Adulthood

ohhhh - tough one! Let's see..... right after high school I thought I wanted to be a costume designer. Even started school for it. Then I got pregnant, got married and dropped out of school. 9 years later went to college and got into physics. So, I wouldn't be where I am without things going the way they did. What if I never got married and had my son at the tender age of 18? I seriously doubt I'd be in the same place I am and I seriously doubt I would have worried about house, car, retirement. I probably would have worried about partying instead of family, house etc.

So I guess the answer is - I wouldn't want to do it differently. I like the way my life has turned out.

By the way, I never gave up designing costumes. But I do it for fun, not a career.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: Planning for Adulthood

Hey Acoustic-lede, this isn't the "regrets" thread.

Let's try this again:

Today is 2007. You are 21 yrs old; kidless, SO-less. What would you save for? What would you aim for? How would you chart your course?

[adrian]

Re: Planning for Adulthood

If I could go back to 18, then I'd save money, get my drivers license, and don't care what I drive - as long as it won't break down on me and have AC.

*continues to read the thread for tips*

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: Planning for Adulthood

Adrian, how old are you?

[Peshkwe]

Re: Planning for Adulthood

I think I'd have to go

1) reliable used car

2) learn business, marketing and investing along with the art classes

3) Get a nice roof over mah haid

4) Get the buff car

[glossyp]

Re: Planning for Adulthood

I'd hit the road and go see the world. I wouldn't get a job for any other reason than to raise enough funds to buy that first plane ticket and I'd be gone. Oh, wait. That is what I did. And, yes, I'd do it again. There is plenty of time for adult life when you hit your late-twenties and I think you're better equipped to know who you are and what you want, if you go out and live outside the zone of the familiar and safe. Not for everyone, but for those with a yen for adventure, highly recommended.

Great thread idea!

[acousticlady]

Re: Planning for Adulthood

Let's try this again:

Today is 2007. You are 21 yrs old; kidless, SO-less. What would you save for? What would you aim for? How would you chart your course?

Haha ok - let's see. I'm 21 and it's 2007.....ummmm get my parents to pay for me to be in college whooping it up? I know this isn't a regrets thread but I had sooo much responsibility on my shoulders at 21 that if I were 21 today w/out kids and SO then I wouldn't want any responsibility........or think about saving for anything or worrying about where I was going. Kinda like all the 21 yr olds I run into at school .

[WindwardOahuRN]

Re: Planning for Adulthood

If I had to do it over again I wouldn't change a thing. To do so might mean that I wouldn't have my husband, my children, my grandchildren, my life of today.

No, it hasn't been all roses. Right down to an eviction notice on my door in January, with a newborn and a two-year-old, snow on the ground, not a pot to piss in...

Sure, I have regrets but, all in all, it's been a good ride.

We play the hand we are dealt. Shifting gears, we travel on. Take the good with the bad, hope the bad outweighs the good. I opt for jubilance with small victories. Otherwise, I would have crumbled and been swept away.

That's life, babe.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: Planning for Adulthood

*mumbles to self*

((must revise, since this clearly ain't workin'))

what advice would you have for that special young adult, who is getting ready to embark on his/her 20s? The kid just passed Go! and collected $200. Lots of ambition, but really no clue in which direction to head. Word=oyster sort of thing.

[timkona]

Re: Planning for Adulthood

I did it pretty good too.

BUT, I will always wonder if I had gone to my ROTC physical in Oakland during my senior year of HS, what might have happened. I have a lot of respect for the military, and what it can do for youngsters. Best friend became SpecOps.

For smart kids in rural parts, with little or no money in the family, the military is by far the best option. Afterall, the ONLY true cutting edge education for the smarty types can be gotten in the US military. Anytime MIT or Stanford comes up with something truly remarkable, it is often swept under the military rug.

[acousticlady]

Re: Planning for Adulthood

*mumbles to self*

((must revise, since this clearly ain't workin'))

what advice would you have for that special young adult, who is getting ready to embark on his/her 20s? The kid just passed Go! and collected $200. Lots of ambition, but really no clue in which direction to head. Word=oyster sort of thing.

you see..... that is a completely different question. It's also something I have to do all the time. I'd tell them to search their heart and soul. What would make them happy. Where do they want to be in 20 or 30 years? Do they want to spend their lives accruing money and things or do they want to be able to say " I love what I do and who I am?" Generally these are 2 very different tracks. The paths that lead to money and things require a different mind set than going after your passions.

[adrian]

Re: Planning for Adulthood

Adrian, how old are you?

21

I gotta learn something from you old futs.