Quarter-Life Crisis

What the fuck does it even mean?

That's retarded.

I thought all of the 20s were meant as 'the fuck am I doing' phase. What's the point in saying it out loud?

I hope so, that's pretty much what I'm doing..

You have three quarters of your life left. Stfu.

Admittedly, I can understand the feeling, but you know how you deal with it when you're in your 20s? Call up your buddies, go to the bar, get tanked, pick up some tail and fuck her til you feel better. Crude? Yes. Effective? Oh my god, it's the universal panacea for all your ills.

Wait...there are people that say this that are actually serious?

Was Barry Allen in this one?...

On which site should they be shot?

If someone brought the topic up in conversation, just generally talking about it and used that phrase, they would get the piss taken out of them. However, if it was coming from a more personal place then you have to lend a sympathetic ear and be more lenient but i'd just be thinking "did he call it what i think he did?!". It's a real eye-opener, how many people get in that funk.

Depression is a dirty word. Some peole don't feel comfortable hearing it or the person saying it feels burdensome but it's the first time i've heard it called "Quarter-life crisis", how ponsey.

I'm only 32 and I would kill to be 25 again. There is a whole lot of stuff I'd do different.

These people should stop being whingers and get on with their lives.

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I wonder if they're mimicking the pose/honest-attitude from older ones in their late 20 or earlier 30. Perhaps they're really fucked up dudes.

The building site down the street. That's where i'd do it.

I'm pretty sure the first time I heard this phrase it was in a John Mayer song. Take from that what you will.

Ye gods, there's even a Wiki-pedia article about this. When I was in my 20's, we told people who were suffering with the things listed in that article that they had their heads in their asses and to grow the fuck up. OOOOO TEH REAL WORLD IS SCAARRREEE!!! No shit. I blame not moving out of your parents house until you are 30 on this shit. Getting kicked out at 17 = the best damned thing to ever happen to me.

Listen crybabies, get on the other side of 35 and start dealing with this shit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terror_management_theory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortality_salience

Ol' Doc Happenin's Country Time Sour Mash Homespun Quarter-Life Crisis Remedy. Now in cans!

One of our old interns stopped by for a visit last week, and started moping about how she'd be graduating soon, and still can't find a high-paying job; in short, she was having a mid-life crisis at 21. It was all I could do to keep from laughing. EVERY college graduate goes through this, even if you've got all your ducks in a row - it's called "waking the fuck up". Shit, I thought I'd be working for Marvel Comics at this point, but real life don't work that way. You adjust, you acknowledge, you move on.

Fucking kids.

I thought I was having my mid-life crisis at that age, but only because I didn't think I live to see 40. I'm 33 now. Practically one foot in the grave.

Yeah that sums it up nicely. While not in a crisis, I myself really have no clue what to do. I'm not depressed, just overwhelmed with all the options that i have. I guess some people could translate it into a crisis because they feel hopeless.

I dealt with a LOT of of QL crisis kids when I was a banker; it's a hell of a thing for some people to find out that life is MUCH more expensive than you anticipated.

It was pretty easy for me to come to that realization - thanks to Sallie Mae sending me the payment book for my student loans, plus the fact that I was paying rent to my folks once I turned 18 (I commuted to college). Stuff like that forces one to work on a budget.

What grads never seem to get at first (true in my day, and I'm sure it holds true now) is that you rarely get your dream job right off the bat. You have to work other gigs first - it's far more important to have some sort of income set up. From there, you use that fist job as a stepping stone towards the job you want. If you're lucky enough to have a strong connection to a great job, mazel tov, live and be well. But most grads aren't that lucky.

If you're currently in college now, start looking for internships post haste - that will do nothing but help you, and sort of gradually break you in to how the real world operates. Also, start saving as much money as you can (see Judas' banking advice!), forgo a kegger or date here and there if you must.

Yeah, it can get scary once you're on your own, but that's part of the fun. It's another challenge, another big step to becoming an adult. Only the weeniest amongst us would shirk from such things.

Unless you're really good at fisting.

You're absolutely right, though. You need to land that first gig and get used to the routine of WORKING for a living. Developing a good work ethic right away will be critical for your success later on in life when you really get into your career.

I unfortunately didn't wake up to the realization to the 'need a job' until a few months out of my internship. I imagine I was a miserable, spoiled brat who did temp work here and there (a day or so) before finally going 'Shit, I need a real effin job'. It's shocking how much working will force you to grow the fuck up. Especially in finance data entry. God, I'm shocked that didn't force me to start drinking heavily (which I find to be a sure sign of growing up!)

When I was younger I use to worry about shit. Now at forty, I am the Dude, I abide. I have no kids, no wife what the hell do you have to worry about. Life is easy, life is fun. My only worry now is getting fatter.

Yeah, you never forget your first, right, kids? I gotta lay off the mescaline and Cheetos. Makes me type funny. Thanks, Judas!

Anyways, Zombie, Doc and Judas pretty much nail the exact process that has to happen. Expect your first job is going to be less than stellar, but it's just that - your first job. That alone should be the motivator to keep you going on to bigger and better stuff.

As to being overwhelmed, take one thing at a time. Get a job first, and you'll find everything else will fall into place nicely.

Fuck! I was gonna say (something like) that!

Need you ask?! THIS one, of course! That'd liven up the Cathcall board a bit, no?

Everyone else calls this "becoming an adult."

The only difference between a quarter and a mid life crisis is in one case you've been at the same shit job for 3 years and wondering what you're going to do with your life and the other is you've been at the same shit job for 20 years and wondering what you're going to do with your life.

Being a modern grad with like $50k+ in debt in this job market is kind of crisis worthy.

I'm at a strange position (as I've been my whole life) and feel completely out of sync with my entire generation:

Everyone has been telling me to start applying for jobs (I graduate at the end of summer.) Honestly, I can't wait to get out of school. The not-knowingness excites me. I already feel so liberated that the world is just full of adventure. I haven't applied to any jobs, and have no desire to. That may be stupid, but, well, there you go.

I think part of the reason I feel this way is that my main group of friends all graduated early. They've all moved all over the place, leaving me alone. The loneliness comes in waves, but for the most part I feel detached from the world.

Some of my friends are married. They're anchored. Some of my friends have children, full-time jobs, and other things anchoring them.

Not that I want to be a bum, or have no desire to have a real life, but I honestly feel that at this time in my life, I can risk death. I won't have to come into school on Monday. I won't have to worry about leaving my wife without a husband (I'm not married.)

I won't lie and say I don't need people, and that I don't feel lonely at times, that I have no one to really talk to (even though my friends are only a phonecall away). I do have days where I feel completely sorry for myself, but more vibrantly I believe that life is to be lived. Worrying too much about the future just paralyzes the soul. If that's mystical or stoopid, well, it hasn't been the first time I've been called that. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago I explained my feelings to a friend, and he said, "But that's not how the world works." I mean, what can I say to these people? They let themselves stand in the way of happiness and magic and other 'silliness'.

EDIT: Forgive the erroneousness.

Well, I am in my early twenties and, fortunately, am absolutely terrified of people and haven't been over-burdened with schooling, so I'm fairly prepared as I near the real world.

The "quarter-life crisis" is a sham, yes, a case of inventing a problem, which my generation is very adept at.


EDIT:

JetManX, I think you're speaking of the difference between feeling the need to pick up responsibilities, and being responsible.

No offense, and I'm not trying to assume things of you... but I find that most people who feel this way are rich. Or let me put it another way: their parents are rich. They pay for all of college, a car, and an apartment. So they go "why are you so stressed out man?! life is an adventure!" Maybe so for them, but the rest of us graduate with a degree that we were told we needed only to find limited job prospects and a shitton of bills.

A friend of mine from college (roughly $29,000 a year) graduated with no debt and travels all around the country dicking off because her parents basically meet her every whim and need financially.

I'm just bitter.

There's a difference between "worrying about" the future and "planning for" the future.

Jetman, there's nothing wrong with living life, chasing dreams, etc. just as there's nothing wrong with getting a job, getting married and having a family right out of college. Do whatever works for YOU, but it still doesn't hurt to keep one eye on the future (anything can and will happen, and you must be prepared for it). Since you're graduating soon, NOW is the time to start prepping for where you'll be when you're 30, 40, 50, etc. because I guarantee you the next few years are going to shoot by faster than the Enterprise at high warp. If anything, getting a job and locking down a source of income will allow you to live life the way you want to a lot easier, without having to worry about having a roof over your head or where your next meal is coming from.

When I first saw this thread title, I thought it read Queer-Life Crisis. Anyway, silly phrase and double what Phil said while adding: loss of skin elasticity, graying of the hair, hair cropping up in unlikely places, etc. Live it up if you're 25.

I noticed my first gray hair approximately three weeks ago. You'd have thought someone killed my childhood pets all over again.

Ramen Noodles

I used the title Quarterlife Crisis as the names for 3 segments of my 2009 short film Ramen Noodles. I don't think there's a problem in using it, and it does apply to life in your 20's pretty well.

Gray hairs aren't so bad. At 35, I've got a pretty good collection, but I probably started sprouting those about a decade ago. Ignoring the fact that graying hair indicates aging (and there are certainly worse indicators to have when it comes to that), I actually kind of like how it looks now.

As long as the hair was in your northern regions, it's all good. Your first gray hair down below? That's the real kitten killer.

This explains much...

What if I'm having a 1/3 life crisis? cause I think I am...

This thread's taken an interesting turn. I'm not being sarcastic. The term is, indeed, nonsense, as noted above.

I think most of those who use this term at this age are probably mostly just lazy.

Unfortunately i kinda am one of them.

Looking over some of these more recent posts, I'm thinking that there may be something to this concept, after all. I mean, how many people go to college (on the folks' dime or otherwise) & study something they think they "should" because they've been told from a very early age that's the only way to be? And they find themselves graduating, & getting a job in that field, only to discover they hate it & feel trapped? They probably don't have the financial wherwithal to change course at that point (in debt from school if they paid for it themselves, or risking the parental cut off if they didn't), & may not for years to come. It can seem like a pretty bleak prospect. I know I hated being a lawyer for years after I got my 1st job out of law school, which was nowhere near where I wanted it to be in the field of law. I found myself driving to court and stopping next to like plumber's vans & thinking: "Could I chuck it all & be a plumber?" and the like. Eventually I got a job I did like (as a lawyer of a slightly different kind), and I'm OK w/ life, the universe & everything. But I think I can understand where those who use this term are coming from. At the otehr end of the spectrum, I guess, are people who sabotage themselves (for whatever reason) & flunk out of school, or something. They waste a year or more of tuition money (theirs or their parents'), & wake up one day (when they finally sober up from all the partying they did in lieu of studying) & realize they've fucked themselves royally for years to come, & they've got to get their lives back on track, with limited prospects & an uphill battle all the way. In a momoent of clarity, it's probably a good thing these latter folks ask themselves what the hell they're doing with their lives.

As much as the advice on here is completely sound, it's not as easy as to tell someone to grow the fuck up. I like to think those that are having these states of doubt have a decent enough head on their shoulders to already know the score. The real problem is that if your prone and susceptible to depression then it doesn't what what outlook you have or what your current status is, they will knock themselves down. I don't think it's something you can control. If anything it has to be treated similar to the mourning process, just take every day as it comes and hopefully you'll have a close knit family and group of friends that are there to help pull you through. Going out on the lash will help but it isn't necessary.

Also, you can certainly see why those that leave Uni and have the qualifications they worked hard for become disheartened when the job opputunities just aren't there or they don't have the needed experience. I found it disheartening when i first entered the workforce to find myself surrounded by those carrying degrees that were doing exactly the same job as I especially when you know they are so much better than the job they're doing. The only thing that really pisses me off are those that went to Uni just to get wasted. Wankers.

I think the mid-lfe crisis is worse and more damaging if you've settled because your responsibilities now include your own family that you've built. It's fucking reckless that people are willing to throw that all away just to recapture their youth.

Why aren't more people out there increasing awareness and capitalizing on this psychological shitstorm?

Young male: "My hair is thinning, I can't seem to find happiness at my job, and Suzy left me for an older man. I couldn't stop feeling sorry for myself until my doctor introduced me to Zyban!"

Then we cut to shots of Young Man tossing the pigskin with his boss, and fucking Not-Suzy.

Young Man: "Thanks Zyban!"

Narrator: "Warning!Donotuseincombinationwithalcoholhappiness orair."

Seriously though, I'm 25. I'm working a couple of jobs to pay off debts and doing what I love on the side. I think the biggest problem with our generation is that most of us (from my experience, I'm no statistical guru) have major issues with spending and time management, (EDIT) and our culture doesn't do much to help with either of those things. Everyone here is right - that's what your 20s are about: to fucking learn how to deal with the real world around you, and get your shit in order. (/EDIT)

People need to calm the fuck down, start thinking instead of worrying and stop rushing everything.