I'm around the same age as you and plenty of my friends are doing alright. Well enough to have kids, get married in lakeside hotels, and own their owns houses and shit It's no coincidence that they all work in the IT/Tech industry. That's where all the money is (as goobster mentioned). I mean, have you seen how much a digital agency will pay to poach a half-talented employee from a competitor? I'm talking an easy 10k pay rise, if not more. It's ridiculous. The freelance offers are even crazier if you're prepared to work for some soulless corporation and do your own admin. I also have friends getting by on bar work and other lower paid jobs; I know it's not great for everyone. But there's definitely a significant amount of our generation who are doing just fine financially.