Can we live in the moment at least just for the next three months? Not even two weeks into the summer and every encounter with any adult over the age of 25 has resulted in a series of questions surrounding the future. Unfortunately nowadays there seems to be a formula for adulthood in which between the ages of 15 and 25 you face a decade of people wondering, what’s next? And I guess to measure the fact that you’ve made it becomes the overturn in which you start asking the youth about their plans for success. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, adults, but times have changed. High school and college are way more competitive places today, they often mimic the workforce and because of that every move we make as young adults is calculated from the start – we know what we’re doing!
The problem with asking a 20-something about their future is that to us that genuinely shows a lack of disinterest in us as a human. Ask about the fun things we have done or ask about how the last semester was, socially, because that will give you an insight into who we are now. You know what makes you the “cool mom” out of the friend group? It’s when you bother to get to know the person rather than judge them by their future ambitions.
If you would like to be answered with animation rather than a sunken face of someone who would rather spend an extra few years in college than the “real world” then by all means, ask away! However, it’s a bit patronizing to ask about the future of a Millennial as if you had any idea when you were a young adult.
Part of it has to do with the fact that we view education as more of a stepping stone but don’t take the time to appreciate the difficulty and maturity that comes with it. Being a student just might be one of the hardest jobs. We're expected to go through rigorous courses, take that work home with us, and maybe even balance a job or several co-curriculars. Yes, teens and college kids may drink and party at excessive rates but you should be impressed that they power through hangovers to get their work done, now that’s hard. Ask how we’ve managed to do that? I’d be happy to answer about that technique which still landed me on the Dean’s List.
Quite frankly I am not a believer in black magic so if I knew exactly where I’d be five years from now, then you should be worried. Should I ask you about your retirement plans for the future? I believe I would be met with a stone-cold face that says f*ck off, do you see my point? I’m just a person that has spent far too many hours arguing with my advisor about my future and the courses leading up to it. Not to mention explaining my 10-year plan of success to my parents.
And to be fair, like your retirement plans, my future plans should only need to be discussed between me, my advisor, and immediate family members. I would politely like to decline questions pertaining to the future from anyone else except maybe friends because they understand. I think I can speak for most people between 15 and 25 that plead adults to give us just one summer, in which you ask how our day was instead of what I expect an average day to be like when I’m 25.
