The differentiator is whether one is satisfied never exploring beyond "what money can buy" (eating out, consumer electronics, TV, tourism, giving money away, ... ). If the answer is in the affirmative, then focusing on a career to maximize earnings in order to maximize shopping is the obvious strategy. Insofar one's interests in life doesn't go beyond eating out, traveling, or buying stuff, it would be silly trying to pay for this doing woodworking in the basement.zbigi wrote: ↑Sat May 21, 2022 5:05 am... Also, most people like the things that more money can buy (eating out, travels, bettter house, helping friends and family), so switching to alternative, potentially more interesting but low-paid careers, really hurts them there.
ERE seems to make most sense for people who are both very disciplined/driven/smart and also for some reason trapped in a low-to-mid-paying career. ...
The renaissance aspect of ERE is not to diversify one's income streams. It's to be able to play one's life tune using more than the four simple notes available to vacationing full time workers.
However, since one essentially has to MAKE everything that goes beyond this, one does have to be self-driven to want this(*). ERE is more for those who find a life spent repeating one thing for 40-80hrs per week to make money in order to enjoy 3 or 4 different types of products or services ... to be somewhat limited and uninspiring.
(*) Basically, your standard worker-consumer has developed to a high degree in a narrow subject that basically nobody but their colleagues and employer cares about. Other aspects of their life are limited to the Copy and Compare level, e.g. which is the better restaurant? Which is the better flat screen TV? Let me buy a new one and Compare it to the one I already have. It's a very simple interaction.
But I think we've had this discussion before. There's a difference between having access for the first time to all the wonderful offerings that one can buy in a store. And then having spent a couple of decades shopping and ordering and eventually found it boring and unfulfilling.
The best way I can describe the latter feeling is as if one is being forced to repeat the 9th grade over an over in return for getting not 1 but 12 birthday presents per year. A 15 year old would find this to be a fantastic deal ... but after 5 years of doing the same kind of essays and math problems over and over and having exhausted their wish list with 60 consecutive birthday presents, the whole idea might have lost its luster to be replaced by a certain sense of meaninglessness and the desire to break out of 9th grade and see what's next.