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I am currently in my mid/late 20s and living in Latvia (Eastern Europe). After getting my Bachelor's and Master's degrees from a local university, working for a

I am currently in my mid/late 20s and living in Latvia (Eastern Europe). After getting my Bachelor's and Master's degrees from a local university, working for about 5 years with gradually increasing salaries/hours (started while studying), saving and/or investing on average around 50% of what I make, I have about 50'000 Euros saved up. It's better than some of my peers, worse than people in the more wealthy countries, but still feels both like a necessity and something that's also not enough at the same time. In the last year, I've seen my investments (bank managed funds) go from being +10'000 Euros over the value at which I got in, to being in the red, to slowly recovering now. The inflation isn't all that good, either. I'm taking a short break from working altogether to upskill myself and work on some personal projects, so it's nice to have savings for cases like these (as well as things like unforseen medical expenses, though most are manageable here), but something tells me that I'll need to keep living a somewhat spartan lifestyle, getting some limited peace of mind in exchange for that, saving similarly wherever I work next. To be honest, I feel bad for people in high cost of living areas, especially those who have cars and families to take care of, as well as debt - the economy should probably be in a better spot, and certain groups of services should be more affordable than they are now.

dr-detroit 4y ago
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sedivy94 4y ago
I am overjoyed to hear that you are able to take sabbatical to upskill. That is a dream of mine… unfortunately I’m burned out from the slog of living paycheck to paycheck. 28 y/o. Worked three jobs prior to COVID. All three jobs evaporated in the same week. Moved from Midwest to California seeking opportunity. Now I’m serving a low-tier IT role making 55K in SoCal and it’s… really depressing honestly. I feel like I’m stuck here.
- nickd2001 4y ago
  The following might sound a ridiculous suggestion but is the kind of thing I did in my 20s at times. Could you drastically cut your cost of living for a temporary period, in order to, while working, pay off bills / get some savings, and/or, when not working, do a sabbatical and up-skill? I mean by doing something radical like, live in a tent for the summer, house-sit, work a few hours at a backpackers hostel in return for somewhere to sleep, live in an old bus or trailer somewhere - some rather basic accommodation that only a young-ish person can really cope with that is super cheap. Maybe somewhere connected to a farm where there's some free or cheap food. Maybe live on rice, beans, tortillas, pasta and basic fruit and veg for a bit? Or if that all sounds too wild or unrealistic, how are your qualifications? Could you study part-time for a decent university qualification if you haven't already got one, via a state uni possibly distance or possibly local? Or merely a shorter bootcamp and make sure you shine at it? Might be a slog but it'd pay off in time. I don't think you are stuck actually because you are gainfully employed in the tech sector , you've got the crucial foot in the door, its a matter really of getting capability of programming and then demonstrating that to the right people. Being poorly paid but in the right industry I think has a definite light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck :)

dr-detroit 4y ago

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sedivy94 4y ago

I am overjoyed to hear that you are able to take sabbatical to upskill. That is a dream of mine… unfortunately I’m burned out from the slog of living paycheck to paycheck. 28 y/o. Worked three jobs prior to COVID. All three jobs evaporated in the same week. Moved from Midwest to California seeking opportunity. Now I’m serving a low-tier IT role making 55K in SoCal and it’s… really depressing honestly. I feel like I’m stuck here.

nickd2001 4y ago
The following might sound a ridiculous suggestion but is the kind of thing I did in my 20s at times. Could you drastically cut your cost of living for a temporary period, in order to, while working, pay off bills / get some savings, and/or, when not working, do a sabbatical and up-skill? I mean by doing something radical like, live in a tent for the summer, house-sit, work a few hours at a backpackers hostel in return for somewhere to sleep, live in an old bus or trailer somewhere - some rather basic accommodation that only a young-ish person can really cope with that is super cheap. Maybe somewhere connected to a farm where there's some free or cheap food. Maybe live on rice, beans, tortillas, pasta and basic fruit and veg for a bit? Or if that all sounds too wild or unrealistic, how are your qualifications? Could you study part-time for a decent university qualification if you haven't already got one, via a state uni possibly distance or possibly local? Or merely a shorter bootcamp and make sure you shine at it? Might be a slog but it'd pay off in time. I don't think you are stuck actually because you are gainfully employed in the tech sector , you've got the crucial foot in the door, its a matter really of getting capability of programming and then demonstrating that to the right people. Being poorly paid but in the right industry I think has a definite light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck :)