A Letter to My Teenage Self: How to Survive a Crappy Economy
Posted in Adulthood + Money, Best of the Blog, College + Career + Cash, Funny Stuff + Finances, Health + Wealth on August 2, 2012
Dear teenage me,
How’s life? I heard you’re ready to apply to a bunch of colleges this fall. I bet you don’t really know where you want to go or what you want to do with your life (actually, I know you don’t know).
Lucky for you, I’ve spent some time in the real world. And here’s a surprise: when you graduate, there won’t be any jobs. It’s called a “Recession,” and it’ll be a doozy for college grads. So you can look forward to joining the masses of underemployed twenty-somethings in a few years.
Oh, and sell your Washington Mutual stocks while you still can…
But I don’t want you to have to “settle” just because unemployment is high. So here’s some advice (whether you want it or not) about what you can do now to survive a not-so-good economy when you graduate:
1. Learn a highly valuable, rare skill
Please, for God’s sake, learn at least one tangible, relevant skill. It doesn’t have to be related to your passion. Just become good at something that’s in-demand.
Because I’ll tell you this: being a generalist will only get you so far in a bad economy. Teach yourself how to code. Become a self-taught marketing expert. Take a class in graphic design.
Want to be unstoppable? Combine that rare and valuable skill with something you love. Become the only painter you know who can build an entire website from scratch, and offer to do the same for the greater artist community. It is possible to be creative, profitable and valuable all at once. You’re already passionate, so learn something useful.
2. H-U-S-T-L-E
It doesn’t matter if your resume says you’re “highly organized” and you have a degree in women’s studies (see above). When it comes to making money, you are only as good as the value (perceived or real) that you provide to others. Start figuring out how to provide value for money, before you’re thrown into the job market after college.
One of the best ways to do that is to start a side hustle. No, not street walking or dealing… think like an entrepreneur and test out any and all money-making ideas that pop into your head. Experiment, tweak, and see what works. And again, this doesn’t have to be related to your passion – you’ve already got plenty of that.
If you start trying to make money on the side now, you’ll know exactly how to market your skills by the time you graduate (and you’ll have a better sense of what you’d like to do with the rest of your adult life).
3. Fail now
Don’t tell Mom this, but you can stop going to class. Try getting a B+ for once in your life. You’re a smart, ambitious girl. Take a break from homework and papers and use that talent to create something in the real world.
Have you ever thought of taking a year or two off before you go to school? Or starting your own business, just to see if you can? I know it’s not the norm. But what better time in your life to try something, even if you fail?
Run with your ideas. Fall down the rabbit hole. Take some time to experience the real world before serving your four years of indentured servitude in college.
Just keep testing out all of your wild and crazy ideas while you don’t have any responsibilities like paying down your student loans or buying groceries. Some things might stick, some things will be complete failures. If you keep experimenting (and failing every now and then), you’ll be led down paths you never thought of.
—
And one last thing: it’s about your high school sweetheart. I’m sorry to say that it won’t last. But don’t worry, because you’re too good for him anyway … and you’ll find a stellar guy in your mid-twenties 
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I love letters to yourself – they are fun to reflect and write. I was pretty smart during college (but I was forced to be) because I couldn’t get student loans and my parents helped me 0% with college, so I had to work full-time while taking classes. So, I built up my skill and tried really hard, and I’ve recently had two competing job offers and I haven’t even graduated. I think failing a little is super important.
I hear you – being forced to “be smart” and scrape by kinda stinks in the moment, but pays off in the long-term. Congrats on the job offers!
Brilliant! I wish I’d had this advice when I was 16. The way I chose a college and a major was so arbitrary. No thought went into what would be marketable after college.
The question is: how do we get kids to care about this stuff now?
i love posts like this one …
i especially like #3..
I rushed my way through college, taking summer classes to finish up my degree as soon as possible..
in retrospect.. why in the world did I do that? why was i in such a hurry to grow up? life got so much harder after I graduated from college. in retrospect, i would have taken my time and enjoyed the college experience a bit more.
Plenty of time to be a grownup later! I didn’t want to say it in this post (I’ll save it for next week!), but rushing into college means that you can’t take the time to reflect whether or not college is the right choice for you. For some people, it’s not – but they might not know that if they don’t take the time to think about it before they enroll.
After reading this I can safely say I am a generalist. LOL.
LOVED this and had to retweet it! If only I knew then what I know now- but I agree with all of this! If you can’t start a side hustle, get a good internships and volunteer at dream-career oriented places while you can still afford to work for free! Ask lots of questions and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Loved this article..I wish I could send it to my former self!
Thanks Shannyn! Let me know if you end up inventing a time machine before I do…
Excellent post!
Building on a rare skill that is high in demand and pays well is so important, but rarely do students understand that.
That needs to be discussed with students when they are in high school and they are going through the whole what do I want to be when I grow up scenario.
I would also add, based on my college experience, that while you are in college it is wise to work in that field if you can either as an apprentice or an intern.
Too often people get summer jobs that have nothing to do with their education and when it comes time to apply for a full-time job after graduation, they have very little work experience which makes it all the more difficult to survive a tight economy.
This is excellent! I particularly like ‘fail now’ though I’ll stretcj the age limit of this one a bit – it applies to any age and it is never late to gain the confidence to start failing. The first point – ‘learn a valuable skill’ is a bit more problematic – what is considered valuable skills changes vary fast at the moment. Could we say – core or generic competence, do you think?
I’ve thought about this same letter so many times myself! I really wish I would have learned about investing and side hustles a LONG time ago. I’d be in such a better position today. Cute idea for a post!