Maybe working ones way up is the wrong turn of phrase. I meant working your way up to a comfortable life. I know you aren't going to start entry level and rise to CEO. But I can cover my needs and a good deal of my wants. That's all I meant.
I won't speak for anyone but myself, but I meant that, as well, when I said its a near-impossible pipe dream that died with my generation. You'll work your ass off, but you're much more likely to live hand-to-mouth than you are to have anything at all resembling comfort. You and some others got lucky, but overall, your chances of having that happen are very, very slim to the point that relying on it is tantamount to financial suicide. Even with a shit degree, you'll still make more than people who don't have one at all,
that's the point. The debt is crippling, but honestly, most people don't have a choice. For example,
I don't have a choice. I'm a software engineer. To move up, I
need a degree, otherwise, I'd be stuck in a junior position, and that's best-case. So, I either sit at the bottom, or take on debt, but gain the ability to get meaningful promotions and, with them, more money and all the benefits that brings.
Sleepy, if I can give you a piece of advice I had to experience to learn. If your unsure what career path to take, one will find you. If one doesn't make that decision, that person will find themselves somewhere looking around going "Well shit".
Taking a passive role is a good way to end up destitute, if that's what you're saying. You have to seek it out and, sometimes, you have to do things you don't necessarily like to make the money to enable you to pursue a hobby you enjoy.
