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Welcome to Your Quarter Life Crisis

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Re: Welcome to Your Quarter Life Crisis

#41

Post by wallflower »

mr_luc wrote: post #20
martythemaniak wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mind if I ask what exactly you volunteer to do? I tired of my current life and have been wanting to go away, but have not thought of what to actually do if I do go away.

Heh. Well. I realize that I am going to immediately accrue a massively un-hackerly stigma by posting this, but what the heck, it's true: I'm a missionary for a small and fairly unpopular religion. The what to do part is the most personal part of escaping, and the part that determines if it'll be an episode or a part of your life going forward. So it shouldn't be surprising if there's very little transference between…

> is to dedicate themselves to improving lives.

I believe improvement is something that is uniquely personal (e.g. to split hairs, the person is responsible for their own improvement and growth).

However, I believe adding value to the larger community by building something people want is along these lines, yes?

Re: Welcome to Your Quarter Life Crisis

#42

Post by pwncat »

gnaritas wrote: post #37
JanezStupar wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe that proves it has nothing to do with "You're special" meme OR debt. I'm 26 year old from central Europe. And these feelings are all to familiar with me - especially from observing what's going on with my peers. What I see is that generation of our parents - the boomers took all and everything they could - it feels like they didn't leave anything to us. Except the task of cleaning up leftovers of their broken d…

> my GF is one of those educated young people who cant get work. Can't get work, or won't accept work she considers beneath her, there's a big difference. I'm fairly sure finding a job as a waitress just about anywhere is rather easy.

No one educated should have to do work that isn't career-advancing. This country isn't supposed to be a Dickensian hellhole.

Re: Welcome to Your Quarter Life Crisis

#43

Post by jcromartie »

martythemaniak wrote: post #13
branden wrote: post #2

This article is a treasure trove of narcissism and self-pity. I don't mean that to be criticism; I think it's an accurate depiction of the malaise that comes from having nothing truly important to worry about. I recognize a bit of myself in it.

I'm sorry but that is nothing but a bunch of ignorant hand-waving. Whenever something like the quarterlife crisis is brought up, there is a strong current of thinking that goes something like "These people should just get over themselves" Fact is, there are a number of huge factors working against young people these days. Consider the following: - You can't get a decent job without a decent education. It used to be t…

> You can't get a decent job without a decent education.

But you can get a decent job without expensive schooling. I'm sure many hackers here can attest to that. Not every kid needs to go to college, even in the service-sector economy.

Re: Welcome to Your Quarter Life Crisis

#44

Post by jimbokun »

heed wrote: post #16
martythemaniak wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry but that is nothing but a bunch of ignorant hand-waving. Whenever something like the quarterlife crisis is brought up, there is a strong current of thinking that goes something like "These people should just get over themselves" Fact is, there are a number of huge factors working against young people these days. Consider the following: - You can't get a decent job without a decent education. It used to be t…

Not just that, but there is so much social pressure and expectation that pushes you along through highschool, through college without much promotion toward the alternatives. Never once did I think or hear that I didn't have to go to college, that I could learn some sort of trade or technical skill instead. I blindly followed my nicely laid out path with little objection, and in a way feel robbed, though realize it ul…

"I blindly followed my nicely laid out path with little objection, and in a way feel robbed, though realize it ultimately my fault."

A third option to feeling robbed or feeling it is your fault is thinking about what you want to do now, given the insight given you by the outcomes of your past choices. Sure, the feelings you describe are there for everyone at some point, but they don't have to determine your course of action (or inaction).

Re: Welcome to Your Quarter Life Crisis

#45

Post by fan »

martythemaniak wrote: post #13
branden wrote: post #2

This article is a treasure trove of narcissism and self-pity. I don't mean that to be criticism; I think it's an accurate depiction of the malaise that comes from having nothing truly important to worry about. I recognize a bit of myself in it.

I'm sorry but that is nothing but a bunch of ignorant hand-waving. Whenever something like the quarterlife crisis is brought up, there is a strong current of thinking that goes something like "These people should just get over themselves" Fact is, there are a number of huge factors working against young people these days. Consider the following: - You can't get a decent job without a decent education. It used to be t…

"- A rapid climb in income inequality over the last generation (check the historical gini index for reference) means that there aren't very many quality, well paying jobs available to young people."

The rise in income inequality is offset by the growth of average real income.

In fact, every point on the income curve has risen, at least in the US.

That is, if we compare the population 30 years ago to today, the real income is higher for the 10th percentile of lowest earners, the 20th percentile of lowest earners, etc.

Thus, its not harder to raise a family the same way today as 30 years ago -- people's standards have just heavily ballooned. "Raising a family" used to mean getting food in the door and clothes on your familys backs. Now it means a couple of sets of HD TVs, computers, barbeque grill, etc etc...

Re: Welcome to Your Quarter Life Crisis

#46

Post by jimbokun »

csbartus wrote: post #34
arram wrote: post #14

Durkheim wrote about this more than a hundred years ago. It's called Anomie. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anomie

So it seems the Quarterlife Crisis is nothing new, it was with generations before and it will be in the future. The good news are if others solved we will handle too. In plus, in a similar way we both had a childhood crisis too, I can sharply remember when I was 10 I had the very sad feeling something very good ended and will never come back. More, as the article says we are heading to the Midlife Crisis after we wil…

"In plus, in a similar way we both had a childhood crisis too, I can sharply remember when I was 10 I had the very sad feeling something very good ended and will never come back."

I distinctly remember a very similar feeling in my childhood. I specifically remember realizing I would have to give up daydreaming about superheroes, comic books and play acting long adventure arc narratives with my friends that could span multiple days.

Here's the ironic thing: the top grossing movies over much of the past decade have been about super heroes, receiving much critical acclaim and attended by millions of unembarrassed adults, written and directed mostly by men about my age.

Which just goes to show, maybe not everyone gave up their childhood imaginations and fantasies, after all. :)

Re: Welcome to Your Quarter Life Crisis

#47

Post by jimbokun »

mynameishere wrote: post #12

1. You make an impulse purchase. It’s ... c) your fifth beer on a Monday night. Umm, what if I bought it deliberately a couple days ago? Anyway, there's nothing new about this. At the age of 25, men and women should both be in the process of child-rearing. Deviate from that and nature will send you signals that something is wrong. But the money and luxury of the modern world allow this unnatural state. http://us.hist…

"Umm, what if I bought it deliberately a couple days ago?"

Then it would not be an impulse purchase.

Re: Welcome to Your Quarter Life Crisis

#48

Post by Derrek »

mr_luc wrote: post #17

I just read that, and laughed. I live in South America, doing volunteer work nearly full-time, with a group of expat friends and a much larger extended family of local friends ... I come back to the states to work for 3 months out of the year. (Yes -- I work only 1 week in 4. I do a lot of surfing down here. ) I don't want to sound smug, but I want to say that the malaise described is not inevitable. I got out when I…

Where in South America are you?

Re: Welcome to Your Quarter Life Crisis

#49

Post by alex_c »

Quarrelsome wrote: post #35
martythemaniak wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry but that is nothing but a bunch of ignorant hand-waving. Whenever something like the quarterlife crisis is brought up, there is a strong current of thinking that goes something like "These people should just get over themselves" Fact is, there are a number of huge factors working against young people these days. Consider the following: - You can't get a decent job without a decent education. It used to be t…

"- You can't get a decent job without a decent education. " Fibs. I have no "proper" or "decent" education and work as a tech lead. You just gotta work hard and find a way to stick out from the crowd. Thankfully with all the dossers in low rung jobs that isn't hard.

You just gotta work hard and find a way to stick out from the crowd.

How can that possibly work for the majority of the population? We're not talking about the individual here, we're talking about changes in society.

Re: Welcome to Your Quarter Life Crisis

#50

Post by gaius »

Quarrelsome wrote: post #35
martythemaniak wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry but that is nothing but a bunch of ignorant hand-waving. Whenever something like the quarterlife crisis is brought up, there is a strong current of thinking that goes something like "These people should just get over themselves" Fact is, there are a number of huge factors working against young people these days. Consider the following: - You can't get a decent job without a decent education. It used to be t…

"- You can't get a decent job without a decent education. " Fibs. I have no "proper" or "decent" education and work as a tech lead. You just gotta work hard and find a way to stick out from the crowd. Thankfully with all the dossers in low rung jobs that isn't hard.

The plural of anecdote is not data. They teach you that in edumacation :-P
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