The Question Remains…
What is it about 20-Somethings?
The NYTimes asked it back in August 2010. Subtitled, “Why are so many people in the 20’s taking so long to grow up?” As I sat reading in my childhood bedroom after getting home from my less-than-full-time job I thought, “Ouch. Way to take the low-blow, NYT.”
It turns out the article made plenty of excuses for me as to why I am in my current less-than-adult circumstances. I even printed out the 17 printed pages of it in disbelief thinking to myself, “There cant possibly be that many reasons why I am still a child even though I am 25.” Turns out- that’s still up for debate. Seventeen pages does not an excuse make. But some possibly valid points…okay, maybe.
The soul of the article is basically about one guy, Jeffrey Jensen Arnett who argues there is actually a whole stage of development that we have been missing that he is calling, “emerging adulthood.” According to Arnett, it is characterized by the qualities of “identity exploration, instability, self-focus, feeling in-between, and a sense of possibilities.” —— Yep. That’s me. Nice to meet you.
But come on, a generation ago being in your 20’s meant getting a job you would keep for the rest of your working years, finding a spouse, starting a family, buying a home…. why did they get to skip this bullshit “emerging adults” thing?
How about the fact that the world is a bit different than the world out parents entered as young adults? How about the fact that the average student leaves their undergrad with not only a diploma, but a debt of over $23,000? How about the fact that in the midst of a recession, unemployment is 50% higher for 20-somethings than the general population? How about that?
So yeah. I have student debt, the job market sucks, I’m unstable and self-focused. I also feel a deep need to explore who I am and I have a remarkable sense of possibility. Am I an “emerging adult,” the product of the world I live in or just a spoiled brat? I don’t know, but I see a few of you out there, nodding your heads, wondering where you fit in too… but isn’t that what being an echo-boomer-20-something is all about?
