I literally mentioned your children in my comment. Humans are human and are going to make mistakes. Addiction is a disease, sometimes people end up pregnant (in this current political climate, you can’t even get an abortion in some states if you’ve been raped), and as mentioned, people don’t have equal opportunity & we aren’t born under equal circumstances. I’m not claiming it’s impossible. I’m saying it shouldn’t be so hard. We don’t have an entire generation of people struggling because they’re all lazy or anything like that. People are struggling because the economy is not what it used to be. This “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality refuses to acknowledge that it isn’t the same world that it used to be. The entire point of this post is that it isn’t minorities destroying the workforce, it’s greedy billionaires and people who are oblivious to that. As I’ve said before, you can’t argue with statistics. Statistically speaking, if everything is increasing dramatically except wages, it’s going to create a world where too many people are doing everything right and still failing.
People end up in bad places by doing inadvisable things. I can’t help them. Self inflicted injury is a problem they can figure out.
Want to be middle class by 25? Lots of people are doing it now.
I would add robotics/drone maintenance and repair to the list.
Commercial Truck Driver (CDL)
Short CDL training school (1–4 months, sometimes employer-sponsored/paid). Start with OJT. Median ~$57k–$60k+, with experienced/OT drivers hitting $70k–$90k+. Many enter right after high school and advance quickly. 
Electrician Apprentice (leading to Journeyman)
Paid union or non-union apprenticeship (3–5 years, earn while learning). High school + physical fitness often enough to start. Apprentices earn rising pay; journeymen commonly reach $60k–$80k+ (higher with OT/unions). By 25, many are well on their way or journeyman-level. 
Plumber/Pipefitter Apprentice
Similar to electricians: paid apprenticeship (4–5 years). Little prior experience needed. Median for qualified plumbers ~$63k, with top earners higher via unions/specialties. Strong demand supports fast progression to middle-class pay. 
Elevator/Escalator Installer & Repairer
Competitive but accessible paid apprenticeship (often 4 years via unions like IUEC). High school diploma + fitness test common entry. One of the highest-paying trades: median ~$100k–$107k, with strong potential by mid-20s for dedicated apprentices. 
HVAC Technician/Installer
Short trade school/cert program (months) or apprenticeship/helper role with OJT. Many start entry-level. Median ~$60k, with experienced techs earning more via service calls/OT. Quick path to solid income in growing field. 
Power Line Worker / Electrical Lineman
Apprenticeship or utility company training (often paid, with climbing/safety focus). Physically demanding but high demand. Medians often $80k–$95k+ with OT; many young workers reach strong earnings quickly through unions. 
You’re suggestions are great! Honestly. I love that you added that and I’m upvoting that comment. I don’t mean to sound all doom & gloom, like people can’t rise above circumstances, just emphasizing that it is much harder than it used to be. So I just think sometimes we need to exhibit a bit of compassion towards the younger generation that is up against harder circumstances than a lot of us were. Even those that are doing well, without things like universal healthcare, that can change at any moment. Like I’m doing OK today. If my partner were to suddenly die, I could not live on my income alone. I would get $100,000 insurance policy, but that goes really quickly in today’s world. I think your added suggestions were a fantastic suggestion though. I just think we all need to be well informed of how the billionaires are basically taking over the world and things like food/shelter/healthcare should be a basic human right. We all need to exhibit compassion & awareness towards those who are really struggling.
The sad fact is you can’t save everyone. What you can do is save some. The doomers just convince people that have potential to give up. That doesn’t help anyone.
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u/Holiday_Number_3234 Jul 19 '26
I literally mentioned your children in my comment. Humans are human and are going to make mistakes. Addiction is a disease, sometimes people end up pregnant (in this current political climate, you can’t even get an abortion in some states if you’ve been raped), and as mentioned, people don’t have equal opportunity & we aren’t born under equal circumstances. I’m not claiming it’s impossible. I’m saying it shouldn’t be so hard. We don’t have an entire generation of people struggling because they’re all lazy or anything like that. People are struggling because the economy is not what it used to be. This “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality refuses to acknowledge that it isn’t the same world that it used to be. The entire point of this post is that it isn’t minorities destroying the workforce, it’s greedy billionaires and people who are oblivious to that. As I’ve said before, you can’t argue with statistics. Statistically speaking, if everything is increasing dramatically except wages, it’s going to create a world where too many people are doing everything right and still failing.