Hello there! Not sure about getting into Van Life

[bullfrog !]

There are two big “ifs” to consider as in how hard physically are you able to work and how many years your body will allow you to do that physical work. A college degree sometimes gives you more less physical options to work or continue to work if you are injured.

 

[Gr8ful]

It should be about doing what makes you happy as my oldest son loves his job. I manged the oldest lumber co in the state, did all the lumber & commodity buying & bought & sold machine shop equipment on the side as well as antique aircraft parts, small homebuilts, ultralight & that's what I loved to do, buy & sell. My last big buy was a complete working machine shop with 28 working machines in the shop & 28 machines in the back room torn down getting rebuilt & painted green all for $1500. The owner had died 5 years before & the son just wanted the space to do woodworking. If you need college later than get it later when needed as things are moving fast & a 25 year old degree probably won't even be close to current 25 year technology then IMHO.

 

[towboater]

There are two big “ifs” to consider as in how hard physically are you able to work and how many years your body will allow you to do that physical work. A college degree sometimes gives you more less physical options to work or continue to work if you are injured.

I am all about the trades, but I also ask young people starting out to look at their local banker and other college grads at 65 then look at their local tradesman at 65 and which ones look a little or a lot more beat-up. Just sayin. Best wishes.

 

[bullfrog !]

As someone that spent his first several years in the trades I saw a lot of disabling injuries result in those people having to go back to retrain or college to find areas they could make a living at. You could always tell when the state vocational teachers yearly conference was in town! Many trades require as much or more time and training to get certified in than colleges. I spent a lot more time learning and getting certified in several trades than I did going to college. Turned out at least for me college was a lot easier. A very smart man once told me you can ruin a really good hobby you enjoy by making it a job that pays! Finding something you enjoy working at isn’t always the same as doing something you enjoy as the added responsibilities involved with a job may take up the majority of your day.

 

[Gr8ful]

None of the 3 jobs I descibed would be anyone's hobby. Do you really think a current college education in game making tech will be relevant in 25 years? I try to tell young people 2 things, #1 Never miss an adventure & #2 Have long term disability insurance. I blew out 4 disc in my lower back because the power co lied & said they'd trim not cut down a 4' maple & a 4' oak that were here when the house was built in 1890. One herniation was internal & the lady in rehab used 160# of traction. She missed the internal & said she did the worst thing she could but I've never been into sueing anyone. I was 49 & kidded about retiring at 50 which I did.

 

[bullfrog !]

^^^I wasn’t replying to your post! I was referring to my experiences and those I have worked with, but yes there are still organizations that require a degree even if the job doesn’t, many teaching positions and federal government positions, heck even the military for example, and even those that don’t often base pay on academic credentials. I agree most plumbers, electricians and a fellow that does house inspections for mortgage companies make much better money than most people with arts and humanity degrees. Funny you should mention a 25 year old gaming degree as with most degrees people need to continue their education and in fact I know one now in the defense industry working with simulators updating them to interface with the newer technology. He was actually hired because there aren’t many people who are familiar with the old systems designs and he makes much more than the average tradesman. Lol!!! Most of us young bucks thought we would die young or live forever and never need or could afford long term disability insurance, now that there is some good advice for people doing physical work in the trades.

 

[DannyB1954]

It may be easier to freelance once you have worked for someone else. They will not need to know what you are living in. You may even be able to work mobile with them. You are young, so no harm in trying different things.
One word of caution is living in a vehicle has its downsides that Youtubers don't like to talk about. They want to not only convince others but themselves that they are doing the right thing. I lived on boats most of my life. Sometimes I wonder if I should not have just rented a room somewhere and banked all the money that I sank into the boat.

 

[Gr8ful]

Long term disability ins is the same price as short term (6 months) I broke my back at 49 & it will pay till i'm 65 but with ALS I won't make the year but turn 64 on St Patty's day so it was a good investment. Pay for it after tax & you pay no taxes on it. Also stay out of debt & many people don't know if you live on Social Security, SSDI, SSI, a pension, IRA CDs credit card companies & hospitals can't touch your bank accts. HELPS is a non-profit law firm helping older people www.helpshere.org 855-435-7787. They have lots of you tubes explaining it. I hooked a friend up & HELPS sent letters to his creditors & he hasn't heard a word in over 2 years from any creditor. It was set up by congress many years ago but not many seem to know about it. It's so sad to see someone who's been thru a serious illness & draws little SS have to choose between food, meds & paying a rude bill collector because they don't know about this.

 

[LargeMarge]

i'm afraid...experiences i always dreamed to do would get sucked away from today's society standards -

...I face fear of the unknown... but i fear that...

.
Two points based on my seven decades:
.
a)
My Mantra:
* 'One door closes, a hundred other doors open.'
.
A tool used by many -- including researchers, therapists, athletes, and the occasional welder/farmer in an ExpeditionVehicle -- is EFT, tapping to dispel discomforts such as fear.
Emotional Freedom Technique uses a set-up phrase, then a circuit of light tapping on certain specific junctions around the face and torso.
.
We participate in a long-running EFT group, drop-ins are encouraged.
.
Another way to look at fears:
* "I am holding on to the 'familiar worst-case scenario' because the 'unknown worst-case scenario' would require ______ [fill in the blank]."
.
.
b)
"... today's society standards..."
February 2023, we have zero guarantee those standards -- or that society -- will exist beyond next week.
.
I tried to break that to you as gently as I could.
Our world of 2021 and before no longer exists.
As far as I can see, the only way to run-in-place (or gain ground):
* adapt early and often.
I think the best method to accomplish this:
* gaining skills,
* gaining experience using those skills.
.
PS:
I also think acquiring a bunch of stuff -- 'preppers' and 'survivalists' -- is a placebo, masturbating by the lazy instead of putting in the necessary work.
.
.
I hope this helps!

 

[rruff]

I would love to hear your opinions on this topic, and thank you for your time!

Everything is possible. It probably won't be easy, though.

First thing... pursue a career that can easily be done remotely, and save money! Maybe the first job won't be high paying, but it should get you valuable experience. Maybe this isn't your ideal situation, but really try to enjoy it anyway, as you are preparing for future freedom. Don't worry about being stuck for 50 years; that won't happen unless you choose for that to happen. Live frugally, and save as much as you can. Get established in a field or specialty that you can do remotely, and that appears to have long term prospects. You need to do this *before* hitting the road. The transition will be so much easier then, as you will already have experience, business, and prospects... and money saved up.

If that doesn't work, another option is seasonal jobs. This is pretty easy if you are frugal. Hospitality work in summer or winter resorts are a good option... but you must have a tipped position! Which means you are good at dealing with tourists. I made enough in one 7 month gig to live for ~5 years and not work. It might be tough to hit that kind of ratio, but even 7 months working and 2 years off would be pretty nice. This all depends on how frugal you are.

Supporting a family like this would be really challenging. $800/mo... really? Granted you will get all the subsidies if you are that poor, but in the US those might be tough to get if you are moving around as they are state based. Don't know about Italy. Plus, your wife would need to be really on board with this. Kids will be fine until they are teenagers.

There was a doctor back in the 60s or 70s who raised I think 13 kids to be beach/surf bums. They all lived in an RV (that wasn't even that big!) and he worked temp jobs. Not something I'd find appealing, but.... many things are possible.

 

[Gr8ful]

My advise is try an RV that you can resell & get your money back if it's not for you. I always do that on things I buy to keep & if I buy something to sell I have to double my money. I tried to teach this to my sons you can have anything you want if you get a side hustle & save about $50k, buy it where you can make money & sell it when you see something else you want. Anything you want one at a time. That $ amount may be low in today;s market but buying & selling make people more money than working for someone else. Sales make the most $$ but ask any high schooler & no one says they want to be sales. I had expensive toys but never used $ from the family budget. You'll need a place to live no matter what you choose to do so try the nomad life even if it's parked on the college back lot. never know you may love it. Good Luck!

 

[Malamute]

HELPS is a non-profit law firm helping older people www.helpshere.org 855-435-7787. They have lots of you tubes explaining it. I hooked a friend up & HELPS sent letters to his creditors & he hasn't heard a word in over 2 years from any creditor. It was set up by congress many years ago but not many seem to know about it. It's so sad to see someone who's been thru a serious illness & draws little SS have to choose between food, meds & paying a rude bill collector because they don't know about this.

The link you have is not to the site you think it is. Its misspelled. There needs to be an i between the p and s.

 

[SunshineVibes]

My two cents - be absolutely militant about who you give your time and attention to.

Also, you might check out some of Mike Rowe's views about "dirty jobs." Not everyone has to have a degree to have a good career (or a launching pad to the next endeavor).