In December of 2020, I turned 21 but no one tells you that your 20s are such a confusing time. Don’t get me wrong, being 21 has its perks. You can finally go to the casino, go to a bar or change your ID to make you feel grown-ish but it’s such an unsure time in your life.
Here is what living in my 20s means to me: the first realization that I had so far is that soon I will have to start searching for a “grown-up” job. And this could be hard for someone who is still unsure of their life plans. I have an idea of what I want to do in life after college, and it’s just increasing my anxiety because what if my plans don’t go as I imagine?
Also, when I realized that I will have to start searching for a job next school year, that means “grown-up” responsibilities will follow as well. Sooner or later, I’m going to start paying bills, working regular hours every day, and a few years later down the line, I will eventually move out of my family home.
That’s a scary thought because the last few years have flown by and now I wish I could go back to being a kid when the hardest decision I ever had to make was “what flavor lollipop should I get?”
Another realization I had is that everyone I know always says that our 20s are the perfect time to date. “There’s arguably been no better time to be single in your twenties, with a plethora of dating apps and activity bars making it easy to a) find someone to woo and b) ensure awkward first dates are kept to a minimum, but it can also be overwhelming,” said David Levesley and Olive Pometsey, writers for UK GQ magazine.
Dating is complicated already, but now adding the stress of dating multiple people to explore the minds of others is a lot.
Another realization I had was that your 20s unlocks so many features about yourself that you didn’t realize. For example, you might discover a new hobby, you might want to change career paths, or you just might even have a different friend circle.
There is so much uncertainty about life in your 20s, that no one tells you how scary it is finding yourself in the midst of it all. But something no one else tells you is that there is no pressure of trying to figure your life out all in one day.
So, once you enter your 20s, don’t be afraid of the journey ahead! There might be some mistakes along the way, there could be some confusion in your life during that time, you may or may not find someone to date, and you might hate your first real “grown-up” job, but everything will work out.
Your 20s are about learning from your experiences, but it’s also about evaluating yourself and having that reflection time can clear up a lot of uncertainty.