Being in your early 20s is an exciting time, but it can be very infuriating for a few key reasons:

1. People don't take you seriously

If you hold a managerial position or are in charger of a group of people who are older than you typically don’t feel the need to listen to what you have to say. If you’re talking with adultier-adults, then they don’t take your opinions very seriously (aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors, etc.).

2. You kind of have to/kind of don’t have to pay for stuff

Your nights out usually consist of your paychecks (but if you’re really desperate, an IOU or a call to mom, dad, an older sibling, or friend). Your paycheck barely makes you to the next week, but someone else can help intervene if you need a little boost for the month.

3. People expect you to be an adult…

You have to pay bills, buy groceries, and manage work or school and a social life. Which is hard when you’re on your own. I know people working two or three jobs just to pay rent. I know people who work corporate jobs and don’t have to have relationships or a social life. You panic a lot because most of the time you're wandering down the dark tunnel of life without a flashlight.

4. ...But still treat you like a child

I have been asked too many times if I attend the high school in my college town. I am 20. You’re told you’re too inexperienced for any higher-position job. You get carded every time. Parents still say “you’re not an adult.” Legally, I am.

5. You can kind of take care of yourself…

Ramen can be a viable dinner. Sometimes you eat a vegetable. Sometimes you pass on dessert (sometimes).

6. …But your friends are the real MVP’s.

From significant others to friends to work buds, others are the people who really help you keep up. I know I’ve forgotten to turn in assignment or eat lunch, but my friends are the people who really step up the plate to make sure I’m taking care of myself. Most of my friends have become my family and are the people who I turn to when life gets rough.

7. You keep working really hard.

When you make a move, you make it. You try harder than most people younger than you and are more determined than a lot of people older than you. You know you need every chance and take every strike when you walk up to the plate. You fail a lot, but you come back a lot stronger. You might be young, but you’re mighty. And you try.