For a Good Job by 30, Do This in Your 20s
Kanebridge News
    HOUSE MEDIAN ASKING PRICES AND WEEKLY CHANGE     Sydney $1,664,237 (-0.59%)       Melbourne $1,033,450 (+0.65%)       Brisbane $1,081,028 (+0.65%)       Adelaide $985,065 (+1.78%)       Perth $950,560 (-0.18%)       Hobart $777,999 (+0.89%)       Darwin $786,482 (+1.68%)       Canberra $952,466 (-2.00%)       National $1,094,758 (-0.02%)                UNIT MEDIAN ASKING PRICES AND WEEKLY CHANGE     Sydney $782,104 (+0.40%)       Melbourne $498,897 (+0.23%)       Brisbane $701,683 (+2.16%)       Adelaide $513,743 (+2.48%)       Perth $535,535 (+0.22%)       Hobart $517,946 (+0.06%)       Darwin $387,696 (-0.18%)       Canberra $486,097 (+1.41%)       National $578,371 (+0.96%)                HOUSES FOR SALE AND WEEKLY CHANGE     Sydney 11,905 (+214)       Melbourne 13,995 (+360)       Brisbane 8,080 (-32)       Adelaide 2,812 (+63)       Perth 7,563 (+9)       Hobart 1,219 (-23)       Darwin 158 (-3)       Canberra 1,092 (+27)       National 46,824 (+615)                UNITS FOR SALE AND WEEKLY CHANGE     Sydney 9,269 (+98)       Melbourne 7,693 (+15)       Brisbane 1,591 (-38)       Adelaide 442 (+7)       Perth 1,605 (-9)       Hobart 215 (-13)       Darwin 289 (-12)       Canberra 1,183 (+20)       National 22,287 (+68)                HOUSE MEDIAN ASKING RENTS AND WEEKLY CHANGE     Sydney $800 ($0)       Melbourne $595 ($0)       Brisbane $650 ($0)       Adelaide $630 ($0)       Perth $700 ($0)       Hobart $560 ($0)       Darwin $725 (+$25)       Canberra $700 (-$10)       National $678 (+$2)                UNIT MEDIAN ASKING RENTS AND WEEKLY CHANGE     Sydney $750 ($0)       Melbourne $590 ($0)       Brisbane $650 ($0)       Adelaide $525 (-$5)       Perth $650 ($0)       Hobart $498 ($0)       Darwin $520 (-$60)       Canberra $580 ($0)       National $606 (-$7)                HOUSES FOR RENT AND WEEKLY CHANGE     Sydney 5,789 (-25)       Melbourne 7,602 (+102)       Brisbane 3,854 (+40)       Adelaide 1,449 (+10)       Perth 2,298 (+17)       Hobart 233 (+17)       Darwin 84 (+1)       Canberra 469 (+14)       National 21,778 (+176)                UNITS FOR RENT AND WEEKLY CHANGE     Sydney 7,814 (+1)       Melbourne 5,490 (+10)       Brisbane 1,803 (-14)       Adelaide 422 (+10)       Perth 757 (+29)       Hobart 94 (0)       Darwin 85 (-4)       Canberra 567 (+2)       National 17,032 (+34)                HOUSE ANNUAL GROSS YIELDS AND TREND       Sydney 2.50% (↑)        Melbourne 2.99% (↓)       Brisbane 3.13% (↓)       Adelaide 3.33% (↓)     Perth 3.83% (↑)        Hobart 3.74% (↓)     Darwin 4.79% (↑)      Canberra 3.82% (↑)      National 3.22% (↑)             UNIT ANNUAL GROSS YIELDS AND TREND         Sydney 4.99% (↓)       Melbourne 6.15% (↓)       Brisbane 4.82% (↓)       Adelaide 5.31% (↓)       Perth 6.31% (↓)       Hobart 4.99% (↓)       Darwin 6.97% (↓)       Canberra 6.20% (↓)       National 5.45% (↓)            HOUSE RENTAL VACANCY RATES AND TREND       Sydney 2.0% (↑)      Melbourne 1.9% (↑)      Brisbane 1.4% (↑)      Adelaide 1.3% (↑)      Perth 1.2% (↑)      Hobart 1.0% (↑)      Darwin 1.6% (↑)      Canberra 2.7% (↑)      National 1.7% (↑)             UNIT RENTAL VACANCY RATES AND TREND       Sydney 2.4% (↑)      Melbourne 3.8% (↑)      Brisbane 2.0% (↑)      Adelaide 1.1% (↑)      Perth 0.9% (↑)      Hobart 1.4% (↑)      Darwin 2.8% (↑)      Canberra 2.9% (↑)      National 2.2% (↑)             AVERAGE DAYS TO SELL HOUSES AND TREND       Sydney 31.4 (↑)      Melbourne 30.7 (↑)        Brisbane 33.3 (↓)     Adelaide 29.3 (↑)      Perth 39.6 (↑)      Hobart 35.5 (↑)        Darwin 32.1 (↓)     Canberra 30.7 (↑)      National 32.8 (↑)             AVERAGE DAYS TO SELL UNITS AND TREND       Sydney 31.2 (↑)      Melbourne 30.6 (↑)      Brisbane 34.1 (↑)      Adelaide 26.0 (↑)      Perth 40.0 (↑)      Hobart 31.3 (↑)      Darwin 40.5 (↑)        Canberra 39.2 (↓)     National 34.1 (↑)            
Share Button

For a Good Job by 30, Do This in Your 20s

New research shows which career paths pay off and why steps made between ages 20 and 26 are so critical

By LINDSAY ELLIS
Wed, May 3, 2023 8:18amGrey Clock 4 min

Skepticism about the value of college is growing, but earning a four-year degree by your mid-20s is the surest route to a good job by age 30.

That is a key takeaway from a new analysis by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce that aims to identify the paths that bring people to good jobs. The findings are important as companies, individuals and families are trying to better understand how college degrees affect career outcomes.

Georgetown researchers examined government data for more than 8,000 Americans born in the early 1980s from adolescence through age 30. They identified 38 decision points that could influence workers’ ability to land what they deemed a good job by age 30—one that pays the minimum for economic self-sufficiency, a median annual salary of $57,000.

Pursuing a bachelor’s degree made more of a difference than any other decision that researchers analysed.

“The main road to a good job is still to go get the BA,” said Anthony Carnevale, who directs the Georgetown centre.

The researchers focused on people who didn’t go directly from high school to college, because the cohort that graduated college in their early 20s had a high rate of good job outcomes.

Millions of people start bachelor’s degrees, but don’t finish them by their mid-20s. Those non-finishers have a 40% chance of getting a good job by 30, Georgetown data show. If they eventually earned a bachelor’s degree by age 26, they would have a higher chance—56%—of getting a good job, Georgetown estimates.

Even starting a bachelor’s degree by age 22 made a difference for some high-school graduates. People who pursued an associate degree, skills training or certificate had a 29% shot at a good job, compared with 23% for those who didn’t pursue higher education by that age.

College Debt—and Payoff

Escalating college costs have complicated people’s decision to attend, said Zack Mabel, an author of the Georgetown report and a research professor of education and economics at the university.

The expected payoff to getting a bachelor’s degree is higher than it has ever been, Prof. Mabel said, but added, “with the rising cost of college, and the increasing debt that students and families have to take on, the risk of pursuing higher education is higher than it’s ever been.”

Some 56% of respondents to a recent Wall Street Journal-NORC poll said a four-year degree isn’t worth it, because students often leave with large student debt loads and no specific job skills. Ten years ago, 40% of people polled thought a college degree wasn’t worth it.

Dany Nguyen, 30 years old, started a job in Austin last year as a software developer for General Motors after a decade of working while going to school.

Mr. Nguyen, who graduated from high school in 2010, said he spent four years stocking shelves at a store, running food orders at a restaurant and working at a banquet hall while taking community-college classes at night. Though exhausting, the arrangement ensured he could pay his bills and tuition. He got skills and connections that led to better paying roles, he said, including an inventory job with a dental-product company that he learned about from a co-worker at a different job.

Mr. Nguyen ultimately transferred from community college to California State University, Long Beach, and finished his bachelor’s degree in management information systems last year. Today, he is making more than ever and sees the benefit to working his way through school.

“Being able to combine both school teamwork and work teamwork, you’re able to do your job efficiently,” he said.

Salaries for college graduates are higher than those without degrees, but data analysed by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis shows the gap in net worth between college grads and non grads has narrowed significantly. One reason is the high cost of college, with many grads’ higher earnings offset by student debt.

Renee Wooten worked while attending a for-profit university, delivering pizzas and fielding queries at a call centre, then turning a contract position in the video game industry into a full-time job with benefits. Mr. Wooten, 33, makes six figures as a video game producer but says having $40,000 in outstanding student debt is stressful.

“I don’t know if I would do it again,” Mr. Wooten said, adding that an associate degree to start may have been a better choice. “I’ve been dumping my bonuses and my tax returns into my student loans, just for them to be eaten up by interest.”

Industries Matter

Some companies have eliminated bachelor’s-degree requirements for hires, though almost 70% of the new jobs created in the U.S. between 2012 and 2019 were in occupations that typically require a four-year degree or higher for entry, according to Opportunity@Work, a nonprofit.

Georgetown’s analysis showed several other early-career decisions can help put 20-somethings on the path to a better-paying job if they don’t go to college after high school. Steady work between the ages of 20 and 22 and avoiding resume gaps in these years can help, researchers said, because hiring managers are more likely to hire experienced people who are actively working.

Industries count, too. Working at age 22 in a blue-collar job or in tech or finance, rather than fields such as education, food services and the arts, also helped raise the chance of getting a higher paying role. Still, workers who took one of those paths had no more than a 25% chance of landing a good job by 30. Those pathways proved more effective when combined with attending college.

Diego Padilla faced a choice in 2020 while in his late teens: Continue his internship with JP Morgan Chase, assisting clients with transactions such as opening accounts and withdrawals, or accept a full-time job managing a grocery store.

Mr. Padilla, then a fresh high-school graduate enrolled in community college, was drawn to the stability of a full-time job. But he wondered where he could go if he stayed at the bank. Now 22, Mr. Padilla has a full-time role with Chase, finished his associate degree and transferred to Chicago where he works with Chase clients.

Mr. Padilla is taking online classes in pursuit of his bachelor’s degree while working full time. After that he said he wants to get an M.B.A.



MOST POPULAR

A rare slice of Sydney history, Coolabah blends Victorian grandeur with modern luxury in the heart of Greenwich; once home to Lane Cove’s first Lord Mayor and now listed with a $6.5m guide.

Bhutan is pioneering a new frontier in travel by allowing tourists to pay for flights, visas, hotels and even fruit stalls using cryptocurrency via Binance Pay.

Related Stories
Money
BHUTAN LAUNCHES WORLD-FIRST NATIONAL CRYPTO PAYMENT SYSTEM FOR TOURISM
By Jeni O'Dowd 14/05/2025
Money
9 Ways the Latest Rate Cuts Can Save You $10,000 a Year
By Helen Baker 06/05/2025
Money
Gold Is Beating Everything. How to Get a Piece of the Action
By JACK HOUGH 24/04/2025
BHUTAN LAUNCHES WORLD-FIRST NATIONAL CRYPTO PAYMENT SYSTEM FOR TOURISM

Bhutan is pioneering a new frontier in travel by allowing tourists to pay for flights, visas, hotels and even fruit stalls using cryptocurrency via Binance Pay.

By Jeni O'Dowd
Wed, May 14, 2025 2 min

Bhutan has become the first country in the world to implement a national-level cryptocurrency payment system for tourism, marking a major milestone in digital innovation and travel.

Launched in partnership with Binance Pay and Bhutan’s fully digital DK Bank, the system enables travellers with Binance accounts to enjoy a seamless, end-to-end crypto-powered journey. More than 100 local merchants, from hotels and tour operators to small roadside vendors in remote villages, are already live on the system.

“This is more than a payment solution — it’s a commitment to innovation, inclusion, and convenience,” said Damcho Rinzin, Director of the Department of Tourism, Bhutan.

“It enables a seamless experience for travellers and empowers even small vendors in remote villages to participate in the tourism economy.”

Using supported cryptocurrencies, tourists can now pay for nearly every part of their trip, including airline tickets, visas, the Sustainable Development Fee (SDF), hotel stays, monument entry fees, local guides, and shopping, all through secure static and dynamic QR code payments.

Binance CEO Richard Teng praised the move, saying: “We are excited to partner with Bhutan as we are not only advancing the use of cryptocurrencies in travel but also setting a precedent for how technology can bridge cultures and economies. This initiative exemplifies our commitment to innovation and our belief in a future where digital finance empowers global connectivity and enriches travel experiences.”

Known as the “Kingdom of Happiness,” Bhutan has long prioritised Gross National Happiness over GDP, with a strong focus on sustainability, cultural preservation, and societal well-being. The new system aligns with these values by reducing payment friction and bringing financial inclusion to local communities.

Among the key features of the system:

  • Seamless Experience: Tourists can pay with crypto for all travel-related expenses.

  • Inclusive Reach: Small vendors, even in remote areas, can accept QR code payments.

  • Lower Fees: Transactions cost significantly less than traditional payment methods.

  • Comprehensive Support: More than 100 cryptocurrencies supported, including BNB, BTC, and USDC.

  • Secure and Instant: Real-time confirmations, 2FA, and encrypted transactions via the Binance app.

Behind the local settlement mechanism is DK Bank, Bhutan’s first fully digital bank. Licensed by the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan, it aims to deliver accessible financial services to all, including marginalised and unbanked communities.

The launch is being hailed as a bold step forward in integrating digital finance with global tourism — one that could set the benchmark for other nations looking to modernise the travel experience while empowering their local economies.

MOST POPULAR

Market downdrafts tempt people to adjust their investments, but that’s not always a wise choice.

The 25-room mansion was built for an heiress and later belonged to a socialite and architect on the Empire State Building.

Related Stories
Money
Why 2025 Could Be a Great Year for Big Banks
By Jon Sindreu 30/12/2024
Property
Sold for $86 Million: An LA Compound With Rod Stewart’s Former Mansion
By KATHERINE CLARKE 02/04/2025
Property
RARE CBD CAR SPACES NEAR OPERA HOUSE COULD FETCH $2 MILLION
By Kirsten Craze 01/05/2025
0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop