Well, you all have clearly gotten to your conclusions and sagely decided as a group why the lazy, entitled, screen-obsessed youngsters aren't moving off of their couches despite having no other financial problems that you yourself didn't encounter. I guess I'm a masochist for coming back to this conversation, but I will not say that I didn't try to explain why younger people may not be diving, even though no one here is actually listening to what us youngsters are saying.
First, let’s address what people have been saying about and to me and young folks in order.
I definitely disagree with your position that to get credit you need to build credit. There are countless examples in the recent past to show that’s not true. You do need to sign and initial. Also there are many ways people can save money, for example you can probably get less expensive phones other then apple. Also if student loans of concern the military is a great option. I don’t disagree that healthcare is very expensive and way overpriced and every situation is different.
Oh good, you’re doing that thing where you try to politely disagree while mock-agreeing with me to condescend and make me feel bad if I counter you. Please, give me an example where anyone with bad or no credit got a good deal with reasonable interest rates. Since you are trying to speak for an entire generation, I expect large population sizes in your examples instead of one-offs for statistical significance. Also, when the heck was the last time you got an apartment, a loan, or a credit card with bad credit?
Re: the phones – oh I do. I had a 7 year old HP laptop that I finally upgraded from after I couldn’t even open a Word document and I have a 4 year old phone that I got for cheap when it was already 4 models out of date. If I ever want to get an actual phone plan instead of buying minute by minute, I’ll have to buy a new phone because it isn’t 5G compatible and that’s what everyone is changing to.
Re: the military. Your answer to people who can’t afford basic necessities is for them to enlist in the army. Yeah I heard of that plan, my ancestors enforced it. It was called slavery. You want people to risk death, trauma, PTSD, sexual assault, and abuse because they can’t afford rent? Wow you should run for government, you’d fit right in.
I suspect that most activities and hobbies have cyclical popularity and perhaps a dip in popularity for a short term could take some stress off of reefs.
Today's kids definitely appear less into outdoor activities in place of video games and internet, however I'm not sure if kids in the 8-16 age range being infatuated with video games explains people in the 20-30 range not being into scuba diving.
I don't buy the idea that things are so much tougher (economically, culturally, etc) on the current generation compared to the past to afford hobbies either. A person doesn't need the latest and greatest phone that's $1,200, my 7 year old smart phone works swimmingly. I'm posting from my 11 year old laptop which I also use to edit my UW photos. I don't think 18 year olds are being held at gun point to sign up for 100s of thousand in loans for degrees that can't support the debt. As far as I'm aware co-op, internships and similar still exist today to help pay for school.
I think it's just priorities and it appears that having the latest gadgets and other stuff like that is a higher priority than outdoor (at least scuba) hobbies for younger generations.
And I don't mind at all being younger than most on the dive boats with me, it's an opportunity to learn and hear stories from those that have a much longer and more extensive dive history.
What makes more sense to you on a financial scale:
An activity that requires good local situations or time off of work plus the money for a vacation as well as ~$350-400 for the opening price, or a $20 video game you can get for almost endless hours of entertainment on a computer you already had to get for school or work? That’s just the minimums of everything, not including extra training, personal gear, trips, or game set-ups. Both can be very expensive but SCUBA has a higher entry price than the vast majority of hobbies and sports. It also has a health requirement.
And again, I will mention that children raised to never be allowed to leave the home without extensive supervision tend to get used to entertainment that they can use in the home, which continues as they get older.
The ONLY reason I was able to start getting into SCUBA so early is because I am one of those rare cases where I don’t need to worry about my necessities. My parents are affluent, I’m in a local school where my tuition is covered fully by academic scholarships that I worked my ass off to get. I still have been working 2 jobs while being enrolled to afford the gear, the training, the trips, and I keep a tight budget where I don’t spend more than $20 a month on non-necessities except for planned expenses (like a new wetsuit and personal gear when I don’t have any and I’ll be working in 45 degree water for 3 months and the work won’t give me any gear to use).
Regarding the degrees – the current education system, at least in the US, is geared to prepare children for college. The jobs that are available mostly require at least a Bachelors (unless you have an in with a company or make your own). Your chances at getting hired and earning a living wage go up massively when you get a college degree, so why the hell wouldn’t someone try? Internships are rarely paid, scholarships are generally academic or sports-related, and there are too many students for everyone to get aid.
