Go to school, study hard, get a solid job, climb up the ladder, take a mortgage to get an apartment, and become a debt slave for the rest of your life. The problem is that inflation is increasing much faster than salaries, and before you know it, you're out-priced if you ever try to upgrade your apartment. Prices on basic necessities have doubled to tripled just over the last 5 years, and unless you have investments, it's getting harder and harder. Due to heavy social media use, e.g., TikTok and Instagram reels, young people see all the outliers much more often now than before the internet. They compare themselves to athletes, celebrities, but also people who "made it" through e-commerce, stocks, crypto, etc. They are exposed to "winners" on a daily basis. Why would they take a job as an accountant with a mid salary when they could take a risk? Many don't really see any other option than to either stay broke or gamble their way out of the permanent underclass.(Route 2 FI)