Oh don ' t look at me , I still managed to effectively retire at 35 , but I also have an IQ in the 170 range , so I am definitely not a good example for a normal person . The fact remains that the payrate you used to be able to get by walking into a local business , and working there for 6 months , now require years of specialized education , and ridiculous competition even then . The thing with the boomer generation is that they made that kind of money WITHOUT having to work hard for it . So yes those opportunities ARE available , IF you not only put in a ton of hard work over the course of YEARS , but are ALSO lucky as shit . This is not a country were you can just magically get a job you are qualified for just because you want it and are willing to work for it anymore . On top of that it is only going to get worse . In the next 5 to 10 years you are looking at all truck , and delivery drivers being out of a job , in the next 1015 ALL warehouse workers will also be out of job , within 20 ALL in person service p o s i t ionscookscashiersjanitors , EVERYTHING will be gone , and in 3040 years engineers , architects , and similar design positions will similarly no longer be a thing . Where exactly are our opportunities going to come from then ?