Hustle culture mentality had me by the neck a few weeks ago. There weren’t enough hours in the day to get to everything I needed (wanted) to get done. This wasn’t the first time I felt this. Once I realized I was bugging I began thinking about how I got into this vicious cycle of feeling like it is never enough.
The steps towards hustle culture start early in the United States. A lot of Americans start off with an allowance at the age of 8 or 9. Kids use the money their parents give them for completing their chores to buy snacks after school or save it to buy something bigger at a later time. Programs like Bring Your Kid to Work Day and Summer Youth Employment Programs (SYEP) are there to teach us the importance of making money at an early age.
I certainly learned a lot from this culture, however, after living in Colombia for so long, I see the contrast in lifestyle. The hustle is reserved for adults in Colombia. Jobs that are typically done by teenagers and young adults like supermarket cashier and retail are executed by grown adults. Family usually takes the economic responsibility for children and young adults with the hopes that they concentrate on their studies in order to secure better job employment opportunities. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way in Colombia.
