12.
“I am a Gen X’er , and the standard steps that are supposed to have worked for our generation barely even worked for me. So, I’m completely able to understand why it’s exponentially more difficult for Millennials and Gen Z’ers to achieve these milestones.”
“Even with no debt coming out of college, I still could not afford to live on my own until I was almost 29. This was because I was caught in the massive layoffs that crushed the workforce (particularly young, fresh out of college types) when the late ’90s tech bubble imploded (a period also noted for the financial scandal disasters that aggravated this condition; such as Enron, Worldcom, Tyco, and Arthur Andersen).
As a result, I was out of work with not enough experience to get the only jobs that existed at that point, while CEO, Boards, and Senior management cut expenses so their paychecks and dividends remain untouched. For the next three years, I could only get temp jobs, interspersed with periods of unemployment. So, even with no college debt, and being able to live at home, this still left me financially devastated.
When I did finally land a full time, long-term job, it was just enough enough to make the tiniest bit of financial steps forward. It still took me more than a year to be able pay down the newer debts and be able to move out and rent an apartment, with multiple roommates. And, while that job was serviceable, I stayed in it much longer than I should have because of the fear of being out of work again (understandable after nearly three years of that experience).
So, now, many years later, I do actually own a home and have a solid paying job. But, the experiences (and ongoing financial roadblocks, including shockingly worsening health insurance coverage) has left me in a place that the idea of getting married and having kids has never even remotely seemed like something that was attainable for me.”
—joeschoe33
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/meganeliscomb/the-odds-are-ridiculously-stacked-against-them-gen-xers-are
