Quarter Life Crisis: Being 20 And Terrified | The Odyssey Online
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Health and Wellness

Quarter Life Crisis: Being 20 And Terrified

Do we really have to have our lives figured out by age 20?

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Quarter Life Crisis: Being 20 And Terrified

I recently turned 19-years-old. I’ve been lucky enough to experience a lot of really cool things in my nearly two decades of life, but I’m still naive about so much, and I don’t really know what I want to do after college.

I’m going to be a sophomore in the fall, and I’ve already changed my major three times. After just one full year of college, I’ve discovered career paths I didn’t even know existed and more types of people than I never knew back in high school. Because of that, I jump from one pursuit to another, not really sure where I want to plant my feet and stay for a while.

At first, that terrified me. I felt so stressed about not knowing what I want to do for the rest of my life. The uncertainty of the future left me feeling anxious and worried. Where will I live? What will I do for work? How do grown-ups even make new friends after college? Those questions constantly bombarded me and left me beating myself up over needing to plan out my life. It was like I was having a major life crisis, and I’m not even 20 years old yet!

Then one night this summer, my mom pointed out to me that there is way more to life after college. Most people are only 22 when they graduate. That’s still so young. She explained how a ton of her friends now have jobs that they didn’t even know they were qualified for with their college majors, have returned to school to study something different later in life and have found what they are truly passionate about after finishing school and experiencing more of what this world has to offer.

So, it’s okay to be unsure right now. It’s okay to switch majors, to try different options out and to experiment before finding your true identity and passion.

I think that the popcorn trail of class selections and goals that I followed is really pretty common for people our age. We are so inexperienced and clueless about so much of what goes on in the world, but we have a tendency to want to plan for the future. However, we’ve all lived for less that a quarter of a century, so no matter how much you’ve traveled or read there is still an infinite amount of places to go, people to meet and things to learn.

We’re impressionable, ambitious and still trying to figure out what we want our place to be in the world. And that’s okay. That’s good. How mundane would life be if we stuck with the plan we came up with when we were 20 for the next 60 years?

Now I’m not saying college doesn’t matter for our future. We still need to try our best, take advantage of all opportunities and learn as much as we can while we’re here. But what we study or decide in college isn’t the “be-all, end-all.” Life is a roller coaster of ups, downs and plateaus. It’s not stagnant or predictable. Do what you love now, but who knows. Maybe in 20 years you’ll be something entirely different.

Leadership expert Robin Sharma says it well when he reminds us, “Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.” Instead, embrace unpredictability. Follow your passions when you’re 20, but realize that they can change over time. Do what you love, and don’t worry if you don’t have it all figured out. There isn’t a predetermined path or single correct way to get to your dream job or life. People are constantly learning and changing. So make your own creative, unique adventure and learn to appreciate the chance and change as best you can.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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