g’day
it’s never been easier to opt out -
buy the house. take the safe job. cruise into mediocrity.
and yet… that ‘safe’ path has never been riskier.
a 9-to-5, property-first strategy might’ve worked in 1995. but in 2025, all it guarantees is a lifetime of debt and a capped upside.
(not to mention AI breathing down your neck.)
but here comes the good news:
there are now three very clear (and achievable) paths to ownership.
and just like goldilocks, rest her soul, one of them is right for you and your risk appetite.
no path is ‘best’.
but every path is better than defaulting to the salary > mortgage > quiet desperation pipeline.
3 pathways (almost in haiku form):
the sweat equity path
take a job at a high-upside company.
look for equity, mentorship. grow fast.
build a portfolio of equity bets over a decade.
the side hustle path
keep your day job.
build something nights and weekends.
learn the skills. test ideas. fail upwards.
huge leverage if it clicks.
the business-owner path
forget the house deposit, own a productive asset.
test ideas over 2 years, pay yourself a wage. go all in.
the upside is massive.
these are all builder moves.
so what are you waiting for?
the rules of the game are different now; you’re no longer trapped by your starting point. and you don’t need to buy a house to build wealth.
you just need to pick.
charlie
ps – new video just dropped: why young aussies should stop chasing grad roles
