The Quarter-Life Crisis and the Entitlement Generation
Quarter Life Crisis --- You are suddenly in your mid-twenties and it hits you. You are afraid of what is going to happen next. You see everyone around you moving straight ahead --- careers, marriage, kids --- and you don't know what direction you are even going in.
As for myself - I am lucky enough not to be hit hard by this crisis - but I have seen it with many of my friends. It is a strange phenomenon that I think is new to our generation. Some say that it is a result of having been spoiled by instant gratification and suddenly now we must do for ourselves and are scared that we don't have what it takes.
In a similar vain - our generation is now being called the "Entitlement Generation." Employers say we have "shockingly high expectations for salary, job flexibility and duties but little willingness to take on grunt work or remain loyal to a company."
I definitely experienced being labeled when I was on my most recent job hunt. Many employers would try to test me to see if I thought I was worth more than I really am. Although I feel I have some worth - I definitely didn't feel entitled to a lot and felt extremely lucky when I was rewarded with a great job. But I have definitely seen this trend in a lot of people I know.
(inspired by an article link from Yahoo News)
As for myself - I am lucky enough not to be hit hard by this crisis - but I have seen it with many of my friends. It is a strange phenomenon that I think is new to our generation. Some say that it is a result of having been spoiled by instant gratification and suddenly now we must do for ourselves and are scared that we don't have what it takes.
In a similar vain - our generation is now being called the "Entitlement Generation." Employers say we have "shockingly high expectations for salary, job flexibility and duties but little willingness to take on grunt work or remain loyal to a company."
I definitely experienced being labeled when I was on my most recent job hunt. Many employers would try to test me to see if I thought I was worth more than I really am. Although I feel I have some worth - I definitely didn't feel entitled to a lot and felt extremely lucky when I was rewarded with a great job. But I have definitely seen this trend in a lot of people I know.
(inspired by an article link from Yahoo News)
posted by Shawn at 8:20 AM
9 Comments:
After I graduated from college, I was lost. I had a degree that cost 30k but I felt anything but entitled. I felt pretty worthless, and figured there was no way I could get a job. True, I graduated, but I felt like I sucked. Everybody seemed better at everything than me. I was sad.
Then, I got a job. Surprisingly. Little pay, no benefits, requiring quite a bit of grunt work. I said, "Great!" But, six months have passed, and now I feel as if I deserve better. I AM better. Sometimes I'll be vacuuming the office or lugging heavy shit and I'll think to myself, "I went to school for THIS?"
I think it's a mixed bag. Some of our generation feel as if the whole world revolves them, their music taste, and their clothes. Some of us are more grounded in reality. We care about important things like politics and careers and futures. We don't party all the time and drink away our paychecks. (Well... Maybe a little.)
We need to find the median. We're young adults and YOUNG is the most important part. But we can't just ignore the "heavy shit" we sometimes have to drag around. We HAVE to care about the wrongs our government does, about the rights in danger, about the environment and the world we'll be inheriting.
im having a quarter life crisis.
does this feel like some sort of support group? maybe...
regardless, tons of things have recently happened to me. i graduated in december and had a lot of momentum which has all but burned out. i HAD a meaningful relationship with a girl, and possibly some job leads, but i am finding myself now working at a job where people are leaving me out of the operating procedures, living in a town where people are leaving, and feeling like tis time to change. a friend of mine in new jersey is moving north of nyc to work at a new climbing gym and let me know that his new boss needs more people with retail experience and such....so maybe moving to new york?
here in lies the problem. the girl is using me as a crutch. i will only moderately be using my degree. i will be moving far away from everything i know.
but maybe its for the better? maybe what i need is time to step back, do something different, and really focus on climbing (my main passion/drug of choice). interesting times for sure.
i agree that this is a phenomenon of our generation, but i personally thing it has to do with the pressure of being successful and seeing our peers who are 25 and 26, making $80,000, buying huge new houses and new cars, getting married, and living "the life." we have to ask ourselves....is this what we want?
Great post, Tim. (And thanks for coming around!) That is some tough decisions swirling around you, but I personally feel like if the signs say "Go!", then fucking Go. Pursue your Passions. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.
If you have the option to moving to NYC (!) and do your climbing, then go. Don't get stuck in something that's comfortable. Even if you're not fully using your degree, you should still go do something that matters to YOU.
And, I agree about the watching others suceed while we stand still. My best friend in SF had an amazing job, a wife, and a huge ass TV, while I had four different kinds of bowls. It made me feel, sometimes, sad. And possibly contributed to my lack of confidence at that time.
When I left NYC after college I had all signs pointing to LEAVE. Depresssion. Getting mugged. Getting into only one law school.
Not one part of me ever wanted to live in FL - I cursed it for years before I moved here. I only applied to a lawschool in Miami to make my Mom happy (among 9 others across the US).
It was a decision made for me - and if I didn't leave I would probably still be dealing with bullshit that I desperately needed to get away from.
i feel completely positive that the american dream has been perverted by modern times and my life is not ment to be $100,000, 2.6 kids, 3 cars, and a cubicle. period. and once you let go of that, life is good again...
"Then, I got a job. Surprisingly. Little pay, no benefits, requiring quite a bit of grunt work. I said, "Great!" But, six months have passed, and now I feel as if I deserve better. I AM better. Sometimes I'll be vacuuming the office or lugging heavy shit and I'll think to myself, "I went to school for THIS?" "
GET OUT OF MY HEAD
i agree with that, Tim. life should be about personal goals and whatever makes you happy.
and ZW: no!
this is why i chose pastry school... it's the only thing i found that actually makes me happy =)
Hopefully soon your pastries can make my tummy happy too :)
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