I have been giving this advice for years and it never gets old even though I get older. Lol. We have all heard of it- this quarter life crisis thing- and it is a thing.
Disillusionment, disenchantment, feeling underwhelmed with the ground hog day of the work week and the pace of what is expected, feeling the pressure of time line and expectation that goes with your age, wanting to use your degree or not wanting to do what you originally studied, struggling about whether now is the right time for grad school, law school, a big move, the peace corps, anything other than what you are currently doing for the boss or team you work with….
All of these feelings are normal and they customarily align along with what would be the “senior year of life”- meaning we are accustomed to change every four years or so- senior year of high school and senior year of college.
I can speak about this for hours… about the influence of friends at this place of time, of parents, of expectations. But as promised this is the blog series about New York City and how it comes into play… certainly don’t underestimate the power of this town in your mid-twenties. NYC is deserving of the best supporting actor award in your life story.
NYC in your mid-twenties is your best asset for professional growth and change and also yet again your biggest hurdle. You want to kiss roommates goodbye and move apartments and get out on your own and you are finally making a little more money….
Try seeing how work life balance is in a studio apartment, with a college loan, a Montauk share house, and your new and exciting salary. Lol. Here I am again with my dose of reality.
You will have to embrace that feeling of being trapped, meet it dead on, and know the spreadsheet to balance Soul Cycle and your monthly overhead will yet again never be balanced.
The more you earn, the more you want, the more dissatisfied you feel with your current employer even when you are one of the rare chosen people who love their job…
I am here for you, to get you to the next phase. But, please don’t come to me thinking that 75K or even that 95K role is going to fix your troubles and take you on a hot air balloon ride to happiness and balance. It’s too much pressure on you, your new career, and every ounce of the good fun in your life.
Remember to pause, be mindful, and recognize at this strange and challenging time that money is not everything. And if you want to go to law school, that spreadsheet will get worse before it gets better…
I remind you- search for your next chapter for opportunity and change but not by your calculator. Sadly, once again it won’t really matter- not here in the greatest city in the world. One day, but not now.
Get your head in the game, make choices, try to save, dream for the apartment to buy… think bigger. Avoid getting caught up in the water cooler negativity and take a big deep breath of what’s real.
Hang tight kids- the future is bright … and you will have credit card debt if you don’t stop shopping and expecting to keep up with everyone!
Marissa*
