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When Do You Start Feeling Like An Adult?

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UNT chapter.

As a 22 year old, this question always comes up:  “When do you really feel like an adult?”  Is it when you have a job and you are supporting yourself?  Is it when you have a “real” career?  When you are married?  When you have children of your own?  I mean really what does it truly mean to be an adult?  Since we are in college, we have this question loom over us and as females it means even more.

We are expected to mature more than males, only because we are expected to be mothers at a certain age.  How can we truly define maturity, when we are in college and find ourselves and trying to figure out life?  Many people that I know still feel like a kid and they are 27 and have careers.  What does it mean to adult? 

People are acting like children on a daily basis by either not thinking things through or even blowing off responsibilities.  I feel like a kid still and I’m about to turn 23.  I should be filling out job applications, working on resumes, working on applications for internships, and I should be looking toward the future.  There are still things that I still want to do such as: traveling, actually having a relationship, working on creating my artwork, go on a spontaneous adventure, rock climb on a mountain, explore the North East of the United States.  I bet that there are things that we want to do that don’t qualify as “adulting” but I think that is life. 

I truly believe that we will never stop feeling like a kid.  Sometimes, I think we get a career in order to buy things we either never had as a kid or things we wanted to have but didn’t.  There are things that I have now that I didn’t think I would ever have.  I challenge you: do something at least once a month, that you thought you would be impossible, such as rock climbing a really mountain or even something small like taking a real spa day in a real spa.  Do something impossible and document it, so that way you always have that memory of ditching the “adult” life.

I am a fun loving, nerdy, chill, cool girl. I love being a comic book nerd and love to talk about anything and everything. If you want to play video games or even board games I am your girl. I love playing multiplayer games as well as Twister!!! I have a very corky fashion style and well I love it!! I am just a girl that knows what she wants and will try to get there.
Orooj Syed is a senior at the University of North Texas, majoring in Biology and minoring in Criminal Justice. Between balancing her academics and extracurricular activities, she enjoys finding new places to travel and new foods to eat. Writing has always been one of her greatest passions and, next to sleeping, she considers it a form of free therapy.