Being in Your Twenties: Expectations vs. Reality
Movies, books, T.V. shows, the radio… really any kind of media or social media platform will tell you that in your mid-twenties, you are successful in your career, in a serious relationship of some kind, with enough money in the bank to live completely independently and lavishly, which for some people may be true. However, for the vast majority of us, we’re still floundering during our mid-twenties.
I remember my first day of college, one of the main things anyone was talking about was “what do you want to be/do when you’re finished here?” And of all the people I’ve spoken to about this topic, only about 1 person has actually continued on the track they set for themselves.
People tend to have your life mapped out for you, and it usually follows the path of their own life. Go to school, go to university, get a good job, get married, have 2.5 kids and live in a nice house that shows off all your success. And when our parents were our age, this was all really possible. We had the end of a war economy, making the cost of living next to nothing, and the opportunities created then required a lot less qualifications and expectations than they do now.
Now, you’re expected to have 3–5 years experience before you even graduate college. You’re expected to make a living on a minimum wage that was based on the economy from 30 years ago. You’re expected to move out at 18, go to college, get a job directly out of college and know what you want to do for the rest of your life. Can I just ask, who really knows what they want to do for the rest of their lives?
Sure you get the few people; doctors, dancers, singers, artists, really niche professions where people who go into them usually know from a young age that this is what they want to do, and they all get the spotlight on them, making the rest of us feel obsolete because we’re still figuring things out.
Life is hard. You have a plan and life throws you a curveball that you never thought of. But just because you’re 25 and living at home while you save up your money; or maybe you’re 28 living in tiny studio apartment barely making ends meet working two part-time jobs just to help pay the bills until you get a job in the field you want; or maybe you just really don’t have any idea of what it is you want to do. All of this is okay. You’re not a failure, you’re not a loser, and you’re definitely not alone.
Do not let the expectations of society dictate the way you should be living your life. Just because one way was successful for someone else, does not mean that it will work for you. Find yourself, find your passions, and find what gets you up in the morning, and whether that’s being a garbage man, a CEO, a business owner, a stripper, an uber-driver, who cares. This is your life. Live it the way you want, without others expectations making you feel bad for not living your life the way that you choose.
