A boat purchase would be possible, but I'm not sure what I'd do with it.
It depends. A lot of people don't "do"
anything with their boat. It's just a hangout. Set out a BBQ, hook up a tv, buy steak and beer and invite friends over to hang out on the boat. This is very low maintenance. Alternately, you can pick up actual legitimate boating hobbies, like sailing, SCUBA diving, seadoo, etc.
At least in the US, people tend to associate owning a boat with having lots of money. So when you say "Hey, guys! who wants to go hand out on my boat this weekend?" you tend to get a positive response. Not quite up there with "So, who wants to come with me in my plane and spend the weekend on my private island?" But nevertheless, while to a much lesser degree, it's a similar reaction.
And, petty human behavior aside, there are actually genuinely fun things to do on a boat. You're in the UK. What do you think the reaction would be if you said, "Hey guys! Who wants to sail to Ireland this weekend? I know a great pub in Dublin. We leave Friday night, and I'll have you back Sunday afternoon." Depending on where you live, that might be a thing you could do.
I live in the UK,
I live in southern California. It's possible that the social and financial implications of boat ownership might be entirely different where you are. If it's
40 degrees 4.5 degrees celsius out, going sailing might not seem quite as stylish as it does here. Due diligence is advised.
I was considering martial arts
I did martial arts for a lot of years. It's a fun hobby. How social it is depends entirely on the studio. I don't think I'd advise it as an anti-midlife crisis solution. If you do decide you want to do it, I can offer lots of useful advice. Here's the 30 second version:
1) Decide
why you want to study martial arts. "I want a social activity" "I want to be able to defend myself" "I want to be able to do flashy super-awesome stuff" "I just want to keep healthy" etc. are all entirely legitimate reasons to study martial arts. But
which of those is your motivation strongly affects what sort of school you should join. Know why you're there before you decide where to go.
2)
School is at least as important as
style. Any time the question of where to go comes up, you'll generally be flooded with suggestions from people saying, "Oh, take X!" Usually from people who've never studied anything
other than X, and have no basis of comparison. They did one thing, and they assume it's best. Ignore those people.
3) Be willing to check lots of schools. Even knowing nothing about martial arts, simply by going and watching several classes you might pick up useful impressions from various schools. Consider doing a trial lesson at each of several schools. Also, super important:
watch an advanced class. Instructors will generally favor showing prospective students the beginner class, because it's the class they'd actually be joining. That's ok. By all means watch it. But before you join a school, be sure you watch an
advanced class, because the people in that class are what you'll look like if you study at that school for a number of years. That's important information.
As above, dynamics in your country might be different. I've never been there. Due diligence is advised.
Currently domiciled at home with parents, but hoping to move out soon (next monthish) to live with other young professionals
If it's an option, and if it benefits you, you might consider staying with your parents just a little bit longer to save up money to give you an advantage. I have no idea what realistic numbers in your country are, but if you're making £2000/month and typical rent is £1000/month, and your parents are just happy to have you and don't ask for rent, every month you stay with them is an extra £1000 in your pocket. A couple months, and that could buy you the boat. Or, to give a real life example, I had a friend who stayed with his parents for about 3 years after university, all his school buddies made fun of him for it, and then he moved out of his parent's house and into a half million dollar house while all the people who'd been making fun of him were still in apartments with nothing to show for it.
That might or might not apply to your situation, but it's a thing to consider. If a mere several months more with your parents means not having to make car payments because you bought your car free and clear, or if it means you're building up equity because you own a house instead of living in an apartment, or if it means you save £500/month because you live on your boat that you had to pay £5000 up front for...or even if it just means having more money to party with, it might be worth considering.
there's just something missing.
Ok. What's missing? Sex? Adventure? Friends? Prestige?
What is it you want?
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Topic: "Midlife Crisis" - at 23! (Read 4065 times)