Do You Feel Overworked?
Well that is because you are. The average American has to work 3x as hard as the previous generation to live the same lifestyle.
Do you feel like you don’t have as much leisure time for your hobbies, sports, family time, and just a little “me” time? That’s because you don’t. The average person, in the previous generation, spent 2x as much leisure time as we do now.
You see, times are a changing. We are in a different Age, than our previous generation. If we do not change with the times, we will continue to work harder and harder, and will have less and less, until we are left behind.
An Example Through the Ages
The Agrarian Age
There was a time when Kings and Queens ruled the world. The Kings and Queens and Noblemen owned the land and the surfs worked the land. The land provided the food and shelter needed to survive. Wealth was based on land and how much of it you owned. Wealth was only in the hands of the few. There were two classes of people. The rich and the poor.
The Industrial Age
Then came the Industrial Age. Hand tools were replaced by automation and machines, the assembly line was born. Wealth was no longer based on raw land and what it could grow, but on the buildings built upon them and what they could be used for.
Large corporations were formed, and although the wealth was still in the hands of a few, the wealth was shifting. This is the time when technical schools, colleges and universities became popular. These large corporations needed managers to head different departments and lead those less educated. Thus another class was born. The rich, the poor, and the middle class.
The Information Age
Also known as the Computer Age. This is the Age we live in today. Now, wealth is based on information, how fast you can get it, and how quick you can put it to use. Previously, wealth was available to only a few, but now it is available to anyone willing to take hold of it.
It is debatable on when the Information Age actually started. Some say it isn’t quite here yet but most agree that it started in the early 90s with the creation of the world wide web giving anyone, who could access a computer, a “wealth” of knowledge at their fingertips.
Are You Living in a Dying Age?
As we saw a shift from the Agrarian Age to the Industrial age, so shifted where employment grew and where wealth was created.
For the farmer that chose to stay in the Agrarian Age and not move on to the Industrial Age, what happened to them? You don’t see too many farmers any more, do you?
My dad was brought up, go to college and get a degree, work for a big company and you will do well in life. Unfortunately it was on the latter end of the Industrial Age.
I was told growing up that if you get a bachelor’s degree you will make about twice as much as those with just a high school diploma. And if you have a master’s degree 25-50% more than a Bachelor’s.
According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, the amount a young adult will earn with a high school diploma is about $30,000 per year. The amount a young adult will earn with a bachelor’s degree is about $46,900 per year.
That doesn’t sound like a lot to me!
Look at these staggering statistics below:
Did you know the average cost of a home in the U.S. has risen 17 times since the 1960s yet the average income in the U.S. has risen just over 6 times. Take a look at this:
- Average cost of a home in the 60s was $14,000, average income was $7,000
- Average cost of a home in the 70s was $40,000, average income was $13,500
- Average cost of a home in the 80s was $95,000, average income was $23,150
- Average cost of a home in the 90s was $127,000, average income was $34,500
- Average cost of a home in 2000s was $238,000, average income was $44,500
Or what about education? The average cost of a 4 year degree in the U.S has risen more than 12 times since the 70s. In 1960, the cost of Harvard’s annual tuition was $1,250, yet for 2014 the cost of Harvard’s annual tuition was over $40,000, for just one year! That is an increase of over 32 times!
Now please hear me out, I’m not saying don’t get a degree. What I am saying is this, what Age are you trying to live in? Are you still trying to live in the Industrial Age? Are you getting left behind just like the farmer?
I am not telling you to quit your job, but if you are not trying to build some type of business, on at least a part-time basis, then you may get left behind.
If you want to know more about how to build a business in the Information Age then I suggest you check out my review on Wealthy Affiliate. It will show you from start to finish how to build an online business right from your home.
Click on the link above now. Don’t be the farmer. Don’t get left behind.
If you have a personal story about how the different economic ages have affected you or about building a business in the Information Age, please leave a comment below. It is greatly appreciated.
Jason
Founder
BestOnlineMarketingSystem.org
photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/49503168860@N01/4257136773″>an unwitting victim…bwahahhahahaa</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>(license)</a>
photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/106574022@N04/10797655024″>House and keys</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>(license)</a>
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