This article comes from SurvivalBlog.com
By Hugh James Latimer
Everywhere you turn experts are predicting that the world is heading into some very troubling times. At every level, they say we are heading into a period of history that will see major upheavals in economics, politics, education, food production, housing, jobs, and basically everything. These major changes will effect everyone on earth. That is why so many people are trying to prepare for these changes before they happen in full force, and most experts agree the best way to prepare to meet the challenges of living in this kind of future is to have a skills-based education rather than following the traditional model of theory-based education.
That is why it is better to learn to become self-sufficient rather than spend your precious time and money going to college, at least for now. In fact, if you follow this alternate path of education, in order to be best prepared for the new reality, in four years time you will be well on the way to financial independence; you’ll also be healthier, have a nest-egg to invest, and have well-developed multiple skills. You will be at least a decade ahead of your high school pals who went directly to college.
Recent college graduates are looking at spending the next 10 to 15 years of their lives working just to pay off the Federal student loans they took out to pay for their expensive college educations. Graduating into an economy that has 25% unemployment for college grads, most are not finding jobs in their chosen field of study and instead are consigned to work that pays $10 an hour or less. Is there any wonder why so many are forced to move back into the homes of their parents? It is currently estimated that fully 1/3 of college grads are living at home with Mom and Dad. How can they afford to live on their own and have an apartment, as well as pay for rent, utilities, food, transportation, and still have a life, when student loans must begin being repaid immediately after graduation?
According to CNN, in 2012 the average student loan debt is $29,400 and is expected to take 10 to 15 years to repay. By the time the loans are paid off, current college graduates will be entering middle age. How will many of them ever be able to save enough to pay for a home of their own, marry, or have children, let alone afford a new car and have any extra disposable income to pay for vacations, dining out, movies, or pursuing hobbies?
Here’s what you should be doing during the next four years, to be better prepared to meet the emerging “New Realty”:
Learn to find or create a job to earn money,
Negotiate a place to live until you can move into your own home,
Plan how to invest the money you are saving,
Learn to grow food,
Learn to buy real estate, and
Develop multiple means of income. (I will explain this later on.)
The goal of accomplishing the list above is to:
Work and save as much as you can,
Find a property you can purchase with some of your savings to own it free and clear,
Learn to garden or provide other legitimate means to drastically reduce your grocery costs,
Develop your property to its highest and best purpose, which will enable you to be financially free,
Having accomplished all this, you will have learned multiple skills and the means to provide yourself and others with food and shelter. This will give you more choices, and allow you to become financially free, while you are still able to enjoy it.
The best way to accomplish all of this is to think of it as your “real education” and to commit to working your plan for four years as if you were attending college, only this is your practical education. Without a real commitment to accomplishing each step of the plan, you won’t reap the benefits it will deliver. So resolve right now to commit to the process.
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