Young people have different perspectives about great places to live when compared with other age groups. When you’re young, you often have a somewhat ambitious and innovative mindset that is fueled by the opportunity to develop personally and professionally, find new experiences and have the chance to interact with different cultures and interesting people. Now, where are the best places to find all of that?
Tokyo, Japan
Japan’s capital, Tokyo is a densely populated metropolis, so huge it’s divided into 23 municipalities (also referred to as ‘the special wards’), and each of them is renowned for differing characteristics, offers a unique and sometimes bizarre culture and also plenty of career opportunities for young people.
Tech is undoubtedly the dominant niche, with robotics being its most interesting part. The annual Tokyo International Robot Exhibition ‘iRex’, is attended by up to 600 firms and sees well over 100,000 visitors from all over the world. A ‘pneumatic muscle suit’ was the main attraction at the 2018 event; worn like a backpack and aiding movement with compressed air. The suit gives extra strength to the user and was designed to help lift patients who are elderly or sick from their beds. Japan has an aging population and this is just one of many examples of robotics innovation helping to improve current issues and prevent them in the future.
Los Angeles, USA
The City of Angels is currently home to an estimated 800 startups, as well as ‘Silicon Beach’, a technology community in the Westside region of LA hosting giant technology companies such as Google, YouTube, Sony and Facebook.
The Bixel Exchange, which was set up and supported by Southern California’s largest non-profit business federation, enables startups to develop and helps them to grow. It does this by bridging the connection between them and government companies, as well as major private enterprise. Entrepreneurship aside, LA is brimming with culture, entertainment and all sorts of activities for youth, spreading far beyond the holy trinity of sun, sand and surf.
Milan, Italy
Many young people frequent this beautiful city from all over the world, seeking to taste freshly made authentic Italian cuisine, see great works of art and explore a city notable for its high fashion that attracts biggest designers and celebrities. This bustling city offers escapes to various lush green parks surrounded by picturesque architecture and allows you to soak up a truly unique atmosphere.
There are plenty of startups, career opportunities and great universities in Milan. One fine example of a progressive faculty if RM Istituto Moda e Design, a fashion and design school with an outstanding team of lecturers prominent in the style and design world that encourage innovation, independence and freedom. Students have the rare privilege of gaining experience by working on authentic projects for real life clients. For instance, their current master in advertising lasts ten months, giving students access to ten top-of-the-mark agencies which allow them to learn by doing.
Berlin, Germany
Germany’s creative and relaxed capital city is soaked in rich culture and history and imposes itself as the leader in in the music and film industries, being host to major events such as the Berlin International Film Festival. Aside from offering plenty of career opportunities in these fields, the city is famous for its nonstop clubbing scene and is a magnet for youth worldwide.
Berlin is also renowned for the efficiency of its public transport. In fact, the city won the European Commission's Access City Award in 2012, thus receiving recognition for its efforts to make the city universally accessible. The introduction of a "tactile guidance system" made road junctions, tram and bus stops much safer for the visually impaired, and all subway stations will be accessible by wheelchair by 2020.
Toronto, Canada
Toronto is located on the shore of Lake Ontario and has a population of over two million people, being held in high regard in areas such as youth employment, diversity and financial access. The city boasts over 600 startups, many of which are tech-based of different size and volume. Similar to LA, Toronto has initiatives which offering substantial funding and support to startup businesses through providing mentoring and office spaces for budding entrepreneurs in exchange for equity.
Toronto also ranks quite well in digital access, with a program offering affordable internet access to its residents, which resulted in connecting more young people to the web. What’s more, literally every public library in the city offers free Wi-Fi internet access.
If you’re young, you should consider yourself lucky as there are plenty of opportunities all over the globe waiting for you to seize them, in addition to memorable experiences you can have and all the culture you can absorb. It’s all out there for the brave and innovative to go and get it, so what are you waiting for?