This is an interesting question for the thread! I'm 21 which puts me on the younger end of the age spectrum on Head-Fi. My story, and how I've built my collection, also probably diverges from most on here. I've been lucky to "work" as a reviewer, so I've been able to demo a lot of stuff without committing my own money. I'm also very fortunate to still live at home, so I have a decent amount of freedom with where I spend my money. I can't pretend to have great spending habits, but my recourse is usually taking advantage of the used market, making connections with manufacturers for discounts (again, there's the inherent advantage of being a reviewer haha), and being very critical about the stuff I think is actually purchase worthy. Purchasing something on credit, especially for a hobby, is also something that I could never imagine doing.
While being a reviewer might sound enamoring, I've just been thrown into the real-world after graduating, and it's put a lot on my plate to consider. I received an offer to do reviewing full-time, but I came to the conclusion that it wouldn't be the right fit for me, at least in that capacity. Audio is a luxury; it's much more susceptible to economic downturn, so the job stability wouldn't have been there. The career trajectory was also difficult to visualize, and I wanted to apply the skills that I'd learned about earning my degree. While I'd definitely love to continue reviewing as a hobby and part-time gig, I'm now pursuing roles in data analytics like
@stacey above haha. It's been a real wake-up call realizing just how difficult it is getting that first role out of college
just hit the 31 myself
