So, there is a phenomena called a “quarter-life crisis” Everyone has heard of a mid-life crisis, but not everyone has heard of a quarter-life crisis.
A quarter-life crisis is the developmental stage adults age 20-35 go through as their life progresses into adulthood.
The pressure to have it all: perfect job, right city, right home, soul mate, a family, financial independence and security, and to do it all by the time you hit 30 is rampant. Today’s 20-somethings with student loans (the average student has $20,000 in student loans, I have double that!) and stiff job competition, not to mention the value of a college education decreasing year after year as more and more students continue studying into graduate school hoping to help their chances of landing the dream job, find themselves faced with the anxiety that comes with added responsibility and independence. Many 20-somethings graduate from college never having held a long-term job, never having lived alone, and/or lacking many of the answers to life’s great questions they hoped to acquire during their college years. Many 20-somethings leave college with no sense of direction, no income, and a new-found sense of anxiety.
There are a number of reasons this is a growing problem. 1) The average American ages 18-30 has held 7 to 8 jobs, meaning they continue to search year after year for their perfect job and experience the sense of failure that comes with not finding it. 2) The high occurrence of student loan debt weighs down options for many 20-somethings, forcing them to get a job, sometimes two, to help pay off their loans, whether the job is career or skill-building. 3) Expectations are being placed on 20-somethings by themselves and by society which are simply not attainable in the current economy. According to ABC news :”There are also significant declines in the milestones a typical 20-something has reached. Using benchmarks such as graduating, leaving home, getting a full-time job, marriage, having a baby and financial independence, the ASA found new trends. In 2000, 46 percent of women and 31 percent of men had reached those markers by age 30. In 1960, 77 percent of women and 65 percent of men had reached those same markers by age 30. Among 25-year-old women, 70 percent in 1960 had attained traditional adult status, as defined by reaching those benchmarks, whereas in 2000 only 25 percent had done so. “
Though some think this is a myth, naysayers beware. There is a wide-range of literature on the subject and psychologists agree this is considered a genuine developmental stage in every persons life.
I think I am in the midst of a quarter-life crisis! Help!
My rational-thinking mind decided that Peace Corps would be two-year hiatus. A sort-of sabbatical to allow myself the opportunity to really think about my future and where I saw my life going. There were so many changes happening at once, Peace Corps seemed like a safe escape away from the reality of a “real” future. Now, two years later it feels as if I am none the wiser, and two years older. I have no money. I am in tremendous student loan debt. I have been living on $300 a month for the year and a half so my perception of fiscal responsibility is somewhat altered. I feel the pressure of figuring it all out in the next few months weighing on me like an anvil.
While I have been off gallivanting in Central America, many of my friends have gotten real jobs, gotten married, moved out-of-state, started careers, etc. Now, I am two years behind and no closer to figuring out exactly where I want my life to go. It is no longer enough to be young, determined, and willing to work hard. You now have to be lucky, come from money, have established connections, and/or be a miracle worker to live up to the standards this competitive job market has set.
Maybe I will just open a beach hostal, learn how to surf, and spend my weeks sunbathing and picking bananas. This is my problem…just too many options out there 
P.S. for additional reading check out this ABC news article.
I remember my quarterlife crisis all too well. I’m living in it/working to pay it off now. Oh wait! It’s still going on. It’s not all bad. As you knock things off the list of items you’re pressuring yourself to have, you get to celebrate and feel a sense of relief that comes just before you realize how much it’s going to cost (time, energy, soul, money, etc).
Hang in there kiddo! Many wish they would have done just what you’re doing, but were too scared to take the leap. For that, you’re lightyears ahead of us. Unfortunately, we’ve taken your job while you’re there…muah aha ha haha
You know, I can relate. I felt the same way when I was in law school. My friends were out of college, had their jobs, were getting married, having babies, etc. They were buying houses and cars, going on nice vacations and I was a starving law student wondering what the heck I decided to go to law school for, especially after I came down with severe mono my second year. But trust me, hang in there and keep the faith – it’s worth it. I look back now and think, how did I do it. I graduated law school, passed the bar, got married and had my first all within one years time and all by the time I was 25 and I wouldn’t have changed a thing. So don’t be too hard on yourself- you are still young! Just stay true to yourself and it will work out as well.
Hang in there, Love. With all of your talents and determination to succeed, you will find your niche in life. I have complete faith in you. Yes, it’s very scary out there with the economy the way it is, but you will come out ok. Your whole life is ahead of you, and I know you will make the best of it.
I had to read it since you talked about it. Im totally feeling it too!!! HOWEVER, I do what I want sooo Im good with chilling in America Central for a while longer, haha. I mean if Im going to go through this crisis hasta que tengo 30 años de edad I might as well spend a few more years gallaventing around, verdad?! I mean that still puts me in place to grow up by age 30!! Dont let this stop you from “growing up” in San Sivar next year….:D
You had to know this would definitely ring a note with us 50-somethings. Struggle makes us strong and helps us define our priorities. I have amazing admiration for you and what you have accomplished in your few short years so don’t sell yourself short. The best is yet to come! You took a giant leap of faith with all different kinds of ideas and expectations for this experience. Don’t look back, move forward and keep your passion alive. Remember do what you love and everything else will follow. I’m still growing up!