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Trying to become independent in Nepal feels like running uphill with your shoes tied together. No matter how hard you try, the world keeps telling you it is not the right time to earn, to leave home, or to stand on your own two feet, and somehow everyone expects you to know exactly how to do it without ever giving you the chance.

In Nepal, it is becoming normal for young adults, especially people in their twenties, to still be financially dependent on their parents. And no, I am not talking about education or housing costs, I mean daily expenses. Imagine being twenty two and still asking your parents for money just to buy something small like moisturizer. It feels awkward and is not very practical. In many other countries, by this age, young adults are usually paying their own way and handling most of their expenses. But not in Nepal, and honestly, I do not see that becoming a reality here anytime soon either.

Some parents in Nepal want their kids to be independent financially or socially, but being truly independent, like living alone and earning your own money, just does not feel possible. If you try it in your early twenties, maybe some people will support you, but you will face so much social criticism. People ask things like “Why would s/he leave her family?” or say “S/he should be taking care of them when they are getting old,” and it never ends. There is literally no break from all this social pressure, and trying to be independent sometimes feels impossible and also kind of funny if you think about it. Now, even if a young adult ignores the criticism and decides to live alone, they still carry a weight inside because they are emotionally tied to their guardians. They just cannot walk away, either because of society or because deep down it does not feel right. It feels strange to go far away when it is not even normalized in the culture, so at times it does not even feel real or possible.

When a young adult wants to start earning and take a job, they are immediately faced with the challenge of “experience required,” and not just a little experience, but one and a half to two years. This is not only for high-paying jobs, even local jobs ask for it. So how is a young person supposed to get this experience when they are still dependent on their parents? Every time they try to do something independent, they face the same word again and again.

Most internships last only three to six months, which is far shorter than the one to two years employers want. Youths want real jobs where they can earn money, contribute, and feel like adults, not internships that leave them still dependent on their parents. It is frustrating to work hard just to gain experience and still not feel fully independent. Eventually, a young adult wants to say “I have a job,” not “I am still training for one.” It is like being told you cannot ride a bicycle until you have already ridden it perfectly.

Because young adults cannot fully support themselves, they stay tied to their parents for longer. This causes frustration, lowers confidence, and makes it hard to make personal decisions. Being dependent also delays normal life steps like renting an apartment, managing bills, or saving for the future. In other countries, entry-level jobs often do not ask for one to two years of experience, so young adults see better career chances and financial independence abroad, which encourages migration. This leads to brain drain, where Nepal loses talented, skilled people who could have contributed here.

Many Nepali young adults go abroad hoping to earn and be independent, but what they find is nothing like they expect. Some get tricked by agents into jobs they never agreed to, going to places that sound fine and ending up doing brutal long hours in conditions they never imagined. The pay might look good, but the work is exhausting and humiliating. They hide the truth from their families, pretending everything is fine just to avoid disappointment or anger. Even in countries like Japan, they face discrimination in schools or workplaces, some are even offered soap because of stereotypes that Nepali people stink. Meanwhile, they are constantly navigating fear, exploitation, and cultural misunderstandings. Most have no legal protections and cannot complain when things go wrong. And the crazy part is, after all this struggle abroad, many still cannot find decent jobs back home. It is like running a marathon just to end up in the same place you started, except now your legs hurt more and you have a fancy story to tell people that sounds like adulting is fun, but really it is just surviving the system. This shows how desperate Nepali youth are to work hard and make something of themselves, and why a little support, recognition, and real opportunities could make a huge difference.

At the end of the day, Nepali youth just want to work hard, earn their own living, and feel independent, but the system seems determined to make them jump through hoops that never end. It is like being told to climb a ladder that keeps moving higher while someone laughs and says “good luck.” They leave home, face scams, long hours, discrimination, and still struggle to find opportunities back home, but somehow they keep going because giving up is not really an option. And maybe one day the rules will change, or maybe they will just get really good at running marathons while carrying soap.