My wife tells me I'm rapidly sliding into "grumpy old man" status but I feel the need to stick up for those just getting started - at least in the US but I expect it's similar in much of the rest of the world.
I run a technology business that employs about a hundred folk in their 20's. These
kids work much harder for less
money (in real terms) than I did at the same age in the '70's and '80's. In fact, it's now expected that they will offer their labor for free at "internships" to hopefully get a better chance at a paying job. They have to interview and compete to
work for nothing! What a raw deal!
When they get a job, they have much higher payroll
taxes (to pay for the
health insurance and
retirement of the wealthiest age group in the US - the over 65's who on average collect far more from these
kids than they ever "paid in" - and hardly ever think to say thank you to the people paying.). No one expects Social
Security can continue to be such a good deal - and there aren't pensions anymore - so the kids also have to save for their own
retirement. Geez, did you worry about retirement in your 20's?
While I was growing up, I knew a bunch of guys living on
boats (not to mention watching Sonny Crocket on TV living on his Endeavor 42 in South Beach on
Miami Vice
). The difference was that good
boats were much more expensive then in real terms. The affordable ones were old and
wood. They would sink the moment the
rot got ahead of the owner. The apparently unlimited life of
fiberglass has made cruising under sail a financially viable alternative to living out of the back of a VW van or hitchhiking through
Europe with a backpack. Both of which I did. I'm in favor of a similar adventure for every young person. Sailing most of the way around the world in a delaminating
boat is a great adventure!
I don't see how the Bumfuzzle's work is any different than the old and honorable occupation of being a travel writer - except that the new Paypal commerce model lets them sell their work at a lower
price compared to a traditional travel book because a large publishing house doesn't keep 90% of the money. This doesn't make the writing any easier or less honest.
And, I'm generally optimistic. Climate change is a huge problem but not close to the global nuclear war I worried about. And these kids are much healthier and physically active than my generation. I expect they'll be in good physical shape to a much older age than us. That means they can look forward to a whole lot more years of sailing -- presumably sailing around in what will then be 100 year old
fiberglass cruising boats
I can see the future! It's a 100 year old guy sailing his 100 year old
Hunter 
Carl
What else are you going to retire on? Govt promises or IOU's? 
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