There's a lot of truth to that. I grew up in a poor single-income family in rural southern Illinois and the only programs we really had were free lunches, special ed, and a few assorted gifted classes in some grades and subjects (and honestly, I don't think they were as advanced as the normal classes in average or better school systems). We had very little in the way of access to museums, schooling alternatives, after school programs, etc.

A conversation with the Wash U financial aid office made it very clear just how bad the low-income white situation can be. We were working on my financial aid package and trying to figure out some way I could get the loans and grants I needed (I nearly had to quit school) - and as the woman was looking through her options, she jokingly asked if I was hispanic, saying they had a number of full-tuition scholarships and other funding opportunities for black and hispanic students plus a few opportunities for inner city St. Louis residents. Nothing targeting the low-income and rural.

The good news is that they (along with many other schools) later dropped the race requirements for their scholarships. They also offer free tuition for most, if not all, low-income students now. Sadly, those changes were too late to help me avoid $100k in student loans.

Even now, though, I wonder if many rural students would know about those opportunities. When I was applying to colleges, I went through a couple guidance counselors before I found one who didn't try to talk me into going to community college and studying something easier, like cosmetology or secretarial work. It takes an abnormal amount of effort and drive to get beyond that kind of rural upbringing and educational system, but people tend to ignore the fact that white people can also have a lot of systemic disadvantages.

I quit my day job back in 2008 and it's probably the best thing I've ever done. The first year or so sucked in terms of work hours and financial security. I had to drop all my day job income to scale up the non-job income and my income and credit both took a hit in the short-run. Today, however, life is amazing.

1. Security - Over the years, I've built up a nicely diversified stream of income. Sure, some of them slow down or disappear from time to time, but the odds of me losing even 50% of my income overnight are so low that if it happened, it would likely correspond with some kind of catastrophic societal collapse. On the other hand, I've watched several good friends (and my dad) lose their jobs with no notice this year - and often, no severance. If you're like most single people, losing your job = losing 90% or more of your income.

2. Task flexibility - If I start to hate a part of what I'm doing, or if there's a segment of that income stream I don't like doing, I don't necessarily have to keep doing it. I might decide it's unpleasant but worthwhile, or I might decide to move in another direction or outsource the task. There's no boss to say I have to stick with it or personally complete it.

3. The "work in your pajamas" factor - I usually don't, but it's not uncommon for me to work in a golf outfit, yoga pants, or a bikini/swimsuit coverup depending on what I intend to do that day. Depending on the dress code of your day job, you might also save a lot on work clothing.

4. No artificial caps on income - Instead of relying on a boss or HR department to give you raises (often limited by what everyone else there is getting, or some annual percentage cap), I can work harder/smarter and increase it indefinitely. This has worked out very well.

5. No coworkers - Some people would call this a drawback, but I love it. I'm an introvert, and I get more than enough social interaction by joining clubs or taking classes (and I've met a very diverse and interesting group of people in doing so).

6. You can do things when it's most efficient - I do my shopping on weekdays, I drive mostly outside of rush hour, and I tend to vacation mostly in the off-season and shoulder seasons. In doing so, I save an incredible amount of time and money.

7. Greater control over your priorities - Let's say something happens and if you don't take action RIGHT NOW, your company will probably lose money, a client, an opportunity, whatever. If you have a boss, that boss is going to want you to deal with it immediately. If you work for yourself, you can decide whether it's really that important, or if you'd rather enjoy your evening/vacation/etc. and let things fall where they may (and most things aren't as urgent as they seem, so it often works out anyway).

8. Flexibility in terms of hours worked - Yes, some jobs really do offer this, but they're few and far between - and in many cases, a job billed as "flexible" just means the boss wants to be able to use you at any hour of the day. Similarly, most jobs do want you accountable and at a desk SOMEWHERE for at least 40 hours/week and some portion of the business day. Working for myself, I can get my work done in a few hours and then go do something else. Yes, there was a time in the beginning when I worked insane hours, and yes, I've had occasional bouts where procrastination allowed 3 hours of work to swallow an entire day - but on the whole I work much, much less than almost everyone I know (while earning more). Sometimes I feel guilty about it.

9. So much free time - Working 40-60 hours/week, commuting, and getting ready for work takes up a lot of time (slightly more if you're female and you have to dress up). I sometimes go back home to the Midwest for weeks or months at a time and my grandma and I do tons of stuff together because my free time approaches that of a retired person. It's not automatic with self-employment, but it's certainly more possible than if you have a day job.

I'm sure there are other pros I'm not thinking of at the moment, but I get bad feelings just thinking of what it was like to have a day job. It's not for everyone, but for me it's a night and day difference in terms of quality of life.

Thanks for your response. I think everyone can agree that your situation sounds much better than working a 9 - 5 job :). I'm a bit more interested in the year or so that sucked, though. My main concern is for the few people I know who are thinking of quitting their day jobs to start a business, but whom I feel are not going in to it with their eyes open (in their view, everything about starting a business is better than working 9 - 5, whereas in my view you're giving up quite a bit in the short term in hopes to gain in the long term).

Same here - I don't even recognize my immediate family in a lot of situations. I've had people accuse me of being a snob and pretending not to remember them, but once I know their name I can usually remember a ton of stuff about them and that usually makes them feel better about it.

It's not super uncommon, but a lot of people make it to adulthood without realizing they have it - and some lifestyles make it easier than others.

Illinois transplant to CA, casting another vote for "I don't miss the seasons at all." After 5 years in CA, I moved to PA for 1 and immediately regretted it at the first sign of significant weather variation.

I've spent my entire life around nursing homes, and I'd definitely be willing to experiment with VR (in small doses at first) with an ailing, elderly relative. There isn't much worse than being sick, old, and mostly without the people you love most.

However, if you're not willing to go that route, there are some things you can do to help. My dad has been a nursing home administrator, my mom was an activity director, and I worked and volunteered in homes as a kid (and later worked for a company that sold media aimed at nursing home residents) - so I've seen what a great effect small things can have. A few things I would recommend:

-Old radio shows, especially the ones that still have the ads inserted between the shows. Spotify has some, and there are a lot of sites where old radio fans have gathered episodes or links to places to buy them.

-Music from your father's youth. Check out this non-profit for more information on the benefits of music for those with dementia. https://www.facebook.com/MusicAndMemory/

-Calm travel shows, old westerns if that's his thing, stuff like Lawrence Welk or I Love Lucy - a lot of older shows can wake up old memories, or just calm people down a little. We like the familiar things from better days. One of those kid-proof Kindles can be great for someone with shaky hands or the tendency to get upset and disoriented, but definitely do whatever you can to safeguard against theft. Many homes have trouble with that, sadly. It's really unfortunate that people who do such important work for our elderly after barely paid enough to get by, but that's another issue entirely.

-Screensaver-type DVDs (virtual fireplaces, gardens, snow scenes, waterfalls, etc.) - they can be very relaxing, especially the ones with decent sound effects.

I had a fantastic experience in Costa Rica. I researched on WhatClinic, TripAdvisor discussions, and various blogs where people talked about their experiences, then contacted a couple places to get a feel for what they were like. I ended up going with one of the most expensive ones there, but it was still a better deal than what my little sister paid for her root canals and crowns after insurance here in the US (she has great benefits as a teacher) - and of course, there was no annual benefit cap to contend with.

I'd definitely recommend going during their rainy season, since hotels and flights are cheaper and you'll spend a ton of time at their office and in your hotel room anyway. If your work won't be too painful and you can afford it, plan the trip to be longer than you actually need so you can build in a little more fun time. Most of the better places have coordinators who are happy to help you figure out where to stay and how best to schedule the trip.

You can send your xrays down ahead of time to get a rough estimate of what's needed, but they'll do a new evaluation when you get there. In my case, they told me that some of what my US-based dentists had recommended was completely unnecessary (and that the treatment plans had likely been more about making money). I needed a few root canals and crowns, but not as many as was recommended here in the US. Similarly, the CR dentist said there was no reason I couldn't keep my 2 remaining wisdom teeth.

I'd recommend staying really, really close to the office you choose. Traffic is pretty awful and the driving down there can be a little scary to those of us who are used to orderly driving. I stayed at the Radisson and went to Meza Dental and it was no more than 5 minutes back and forth, even during rush hour. When your face is numb and you're miserable after a long day at the dentist, that's really nice.

The only thing I think I would have done differently is to pack more of my own food, as hotel food started to get really old and food there can be surprisingly expensive, even at the local Walmart. The hotel employees repeatedly advised against going out after dark (about 5:30-6pm in June) without a large group or local guide, so I ate a lot of room service (which, weirdly enough, was the same price as walking to the hotel restaurants to eat).

I had a $12k quote in California, $9k in rural southern Illinois...and I ended up going to Costa Rica and getting it done at a fantastic office (clean, modern, upscale, English-speaking, and very friendly) for just a bit over $3k. I got in on Saturday, did a city tour on Sunday, dental work Monday/Tuesday, rainforest excursion Wednesday, final dental work and adjustments Thursday/Friday, flew home on Saturday. Hotel + airfare + food + tours came out to about $1200-1300, and the dental office drove me to and from the airport and all dental appointments.

Perhaps the best and most unexpected thing about it was that the dentist only worked on my teeth during each appointment - none of the patient-hopping my dentists here in the US always did.

Best decision I've made in a while.

> patient-hopping my dentists here in the US always did

Wow, is it a regular thing?

Every time I've ever had work done here in the US, they would do something on my teeth, then switch rooms and work on someone else for a bit, then come back, etc. Sometimes they'd have a hygienist doing something else, but other times I'd just be sitting there waiting. It seems fairly common.

How did you find it?

I did research on WhatClinic, TripAdvisor, and a number of random blog posts people made about their experiences abroad. I found several that sounded good, talked to all of them, and went with the one that just felt right.

The dentists there had been trained at UCLA, and their coordinator was a Johns Hopkins alumni, so I felt really comfortable with both their level of education and their command of English (to minimize potential for misunderstandings, since my Spanish is barely enough to understand telenovelas).

I never noticed it until I finally committed to going fully vegetarian (and thus, stopped considering the non-veg options as possibilities if the veg option was unappealing...making unappealing vegetarian options a lot more noticeable). It doesn't happen everywhere, but I know what he/she is talking about.

In sandwich shops and some places with tacos and wraps, it's not uncommon to find just one dish that's properly vegetarian - often some mix of peppers, onions, squash, etc. I've always been puzzled by it, considering they tend to be somewhat polarizing vegetables. Something like beans, potatoes, rice, even corn - those things are much more broadly appealing, filling, and probably cheaper, too.

I also find that a lot of places/people don't know much about vegetarian cooking and they seem to think the only way to cure the blandness is to toss in peppers and onions.

> beans, potatoes, rice, even corn - those things are much more broadly appealing, filling

Far more bland and full of carbs, too, so they may be more polarizing than you think.

I would think that really depends on the school and the person. When I was at University of Chicago, I knew a 16-year-old girl who had been homeschooled, and she had tons of friends and fit in really well. On the other hand, I was 17 and much less social and well-adapted (and I went to 12 years of public school).

I don't know if a 16-year-old would fit in as well at a big party school where they'd never be able to partake in much of the social scene (legally), though.