Hey so uhh, in like a few weeks I graduate school and have to start thinking about actually managing my life outside of the school structure.
Any recommendations for books about stuff like developing independence, finance, and setting yourself up well that won't encourage me to go against my principles as a leftist?
The approach I usually see tends to view young people according to their potential utility to capitalism, encouraging you to develop your skills and capacities accordingly, or alternatively waste time through bullshit like cryptocurrencies to try and get ahead without contributing anything valuable to society. I am worried about shit like saving money and not wasting my life, but more generally, what kinds of things would you recommend reading in early life?
If you’re in the US, the sidebar guides on the personal finance subreddit are actually pretty good. This one might be a good start. It does assume at the start that you’ll be doing higher education (it’s still reddit after all), but you can scroll past that if it doesn’t apply to you. There’s info about dealing with banks, building credit, links to info about your rights as a worker and/or tenant, and more.
that won’t encourage me to go against my principles as a leftist
to a degree we're all having to go against our principles as leftists, because we are forced to survive in a capitalist system. but I know what you mean, you want to minimize the disconnect between your beliefs and the way you live your life. unfortunately I don't think there's any easy guide to this. you have a certain set of material conditions and experiences that (mostly) determine your options, and you have to feed yourself.
that said don't ever become a landlord, it changes your brain more than most forms of rentier behavior