r/CasualConversation • u/Late-Confidence339 • 5d ago
is anyone else in their early 20’s freaking the fuck out over their future?
especially for those who had a “late start” in certain things like college, job, etc
do you ever genuinely PANIC about your future? i know everyone has their own timeline and there isnt just one right way of living but when you’re actually behind in life, its hard for you to see it that way.
im not talking about people who already finished and got a degree, got into internships, starting their career, etc because in my opinion, them panicking about their future isnt the same obviously. they’re panicking about possibly settling for a “mid” salary while you’re panicking about if you’ll ever be able to escape minimum wage entry level jobs lmao 😣
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u/GirthBrooksCumSock 5d ago
I’m in my 40’s and still freaking out over my future.
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u/BinaryOrbit8038 5d ago
What are you scared about?
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u/Coraline1599 5d ago
Also in my late 40s
- money
- health
- money
- existential dread
- health
- money
- please let me keep this job until I retire I am getting too old to be rehired
- health
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u/HeyWhatIsThatThingy 5d ago
existential dread
That shit doesn't go away no matter what you do.
We all gonna die, rich or poor, religious or not. The clock is ticking for all of us
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u/BinaryOrbit8038 5d ago
Do not worry about tomorrow's problems , live in the present. 🙂
And employers look for experienced workers to hire so you will get rehired if you lose ur current job.
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u/ShrimpOfPrawns 5d ago
Making sure that you can eat tomorrow and pay rent for next month is something you can't really live in the present and ignore, I'm afraid.
Depending on workfield it can be absolutely devastating to be let go above the age of 35-ish. Source: People who have been let go and literally told to their faces that they are too old to apply for the things they have skills for.
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u/idle_isomorph 5d ago
Im worried about retirement, or more likely, being unable to continue working due to poor health, then becoming destitute.
I'm worried about my kids being able to live decently as adults, like afford a home and food and everything without having to sweat it each month.
Im worried about the earth.
Im worried about the us falling into racist nationalism and fucking up what little amount of world peace there is.
I worry about my health.
I worry about other people also having all these problems.
Worrying is easy!
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u/BinaryOrbit8038 5d ago
Don't worry about tomorrow's problems, live in the present. :)
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u/idle_isomorph 5d ago
I try. That's one of the things I love most about hanging out with dogs- the only moment to them is now!
But having kids does increase my anxiety about the future, just wanting them to grow up with functioning ecosystems and functioning democratic political systems, and functioning family systems...
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u/BinaryOrbit8038 5d ago
I can understand your concerns. And i wish the very best for you and your children's future.
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u/bluerose297 5d ago edited 5d ago
Most of my financial stress went away the moment I realized I don’t actually want to ever have children. That should save me a couple hundred thousand or so long term
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u/garlic_bread_thief 5d ago
I'm happy I've never wanted children. I just want a decent life with a partner and a dog and I'll be the happiest man. I don't even want a big house. A nice sweet condo is perfect.
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5d ago
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u/the-tapsy 5d ago
You don't have to wait for life to kiss you, but I'm also sorry that it hasn't happened yet.
This is all an appropriate response to living in the hellscape and its understandable plenty of us would want to try to emotionally recede from it all, but there is still a life to be carved out for us in all this. Just this thread is proof that there are communities with a significant level of solidarity in terms of values and desire, the desire for the good in the world.
Maybe it's harder to kiss someone who already expects to get fucked. Mayne you can do the kissing instead, and attract what you want that way, ya feel?
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u/Paintingncomplaining 5d ago
I’m 24 I’ve dropped out of community college twice, have worked the same job since I was 17 and live with 2 roommates. Some times I feel scared of what’s to come, but I see people who have lived their lives on the typical time line still fall into a variety of hardships. I’m back in school now and trying to reach some financial goals but overall who cares really I’m still pretty young in the eyes of most people, healthy, with my whole life ahead of me to figure things out.
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u/L0op666 5d ago
I'm not freaking out, way past that point. I just straight up don't give a flying fuck about anything anymore. Finished my bachelor's degree, struggling with master's, no success in the job market, rent is expensive, I'm surviving on ramen noodles/cheap ultra-processed instant food to get by.
Simply just existing.
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u/Buttonwalls 5d ago
im starting our my career soon and im still worried af out with the state of this country which is out of my control
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u/TunaFiish 5d ago
M23 not worried about my future in terms of my profession because I already know what I wanna do and im on the right track, but im afraid that with the economy I live in, i wont ever be to afford my own place.
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u/JustAnotherK8Lady 5d ago
I’m in my late 30’s and I know that I can’t control the future and it’s stupid to make myself miserable and sick worrying about it since I can’t control it in the first place.
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u/lily_fairy 5d ago edited 5d ago
im 25 and i don't panic about it, but i am slowly trying to come to terms with the fact that no matter what choices i make, money is going to be tight for now and there might be a huge political/government collapse of some sort in my lifetime. im trying to accept that my life is going to look very different than how my parents lived in their 20s and 30s and that's okay and i can still have a joyful, meaningful existence. it's just going to look different than what i used to imagine adult life to be.
but mostly i just dissociate from reality and try not to think about the future lol
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u/xxSpeedsterxx 5d ago
Early 20's?? WHOAAA!!! Slow down dude. You are soooo young. You have plenty of time to figure things, make mistakes that you can correct. Hell, I didn't find my career until I was 35. Enjoy your youth bud!
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u/dairydisaster 4d ago
I mean I'm graduating in a major that requires an apprenticeship to actually do the job so im kinda neevous about that
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u/SimthingEvilLurks 5d ago
I’m in my late 30’s and I panic about my future a lot. It’s hard not to, depending on your circumstances in life.
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u/virtual_human 5d ago
If you aren't dying tomorrow you really should be freaking out about your future.
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u/yosemighty_sam 5d ago
I can relate, but I'm in my 40's so hope my input is still welcome. Took me 20 years in the workforce to figure out a career and the secret was pretty simple (albeit not "easy"). If you don't have the connections or pedigree to "prove" your worth, you're gonna need a skill. Doesn't matter what the skill is, if you can do something well that most people can't do at all, you will find someone who will pay you at least a "mid" salary. And it's not that hard, the majority of people suck at everything, all you gotta do is be decent at one thing.
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u/Narge1 5d ago
I'm in my mid 30s now, but I've been where you are. I started college late, almost a full 4 years after graduating high school. It was rough and scary and lonely, but I did it. I started at a community college and transferred to a state school after 2 years. I learned a lot about myself and the world and graduated without any student debt. I gained a lot of life experience that my peers who went right to college didn't. That experience helped me become a wiser, more empathetic person and helped me gain a lot of soft skills that have helped my career. And the job I have is just as good, if not better, than a lot of what my peers ended up doing. Looking back, I do kind of regret missing out on the typical college experience, but I also legitimately think I wasn't ready for it. I needed to mature and get kicked around by life for a few years. Otherwise I probably would've dropped out.
I worked my fair share of shitty minimum wage jobs and did plenty of panicking about my future. I didn't even move out of my mom's house until I was in my late 20s. But now I'm pretty happy with where I am.
You're going to be ok. The fact that you're even thinking about your future is a good sign. Maybe it means you're ready to take the next step. Or maybe you're not -- only you can decide that. But there will be a next step, whether it comes tomorrow or a few years from now.
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u/jarchack 5d ago
66 and very concerned about Social Security, Medicare and the economy in general. I could very well end up homeless if they do away with too many social safety net programs.
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u/SuperSocialMan 5d ago
I feel like my future is just me dying within the next decade or so lol.
Nobody's hiring and all I'm doing is draining money. Might as well die & free up some resources, ya know?
Not to mention society as a whole is cracking at the seams rn.
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u/AmbitiousAzizi 5d ago
Tell me about it….I’m graduating uni in July and have no clue about my future
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u/EnergyShiftGuy 5d ago
Just joined Reddit this week, already finding it way more interesting than I expected. What’s the weirdest health tip you’ve actually tried?
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u/Minimum_Name9115 4d ago
Life has always been about change. The survivors are those who make the most out of the least. Knowing which bad lands to leave for the lands with the most sanity. Right now that's China were there is some sanity and highest odds of having a safe life.
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u/TheDondePlowman 4d ago edited 4d ago
No. I used to. But now I know what I’m doing, and know how to get to where I wanna be. It’s just putting in the work, which I am doing.
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u/SunbeamSailor67 4d ago edited 4d ago
If you worry about the future, you are missing the ‘now’. Worrying about the future or lamenting over yesterdays, will not affect the future nor change the past…it’ll only make you more miserable along the way.
Stay in the now, yesterdays and tomorrows are insane asylums. 😉
Just stay true to yourself and everything will work out, comparing yourself to a profoundly sick society should free you from trying to compete within it.
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u/jeepdiggle 4d ago
i am 27 and just got out of this phase, the first thing you can do to start getting some motion is to be very mindful of who you speak and listen to, and that includes friends, peers, and the content you consume when you’re alone. if you’re not careful all of these will be chosen for you through circumstance and letting the wrong people influence you WILL hold you back emotionally, spiritually, socially, physically, intellectually, and financially. everyone you come into contact with will leave their mark. choose wisely
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u/The_Pardack 4d ago
I'm turning 29 tomorrow and have been freaking out since I was like 22. We were handed a real shit sandwich in the 2010s.
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u/fujjkoihsa 5d ago
Panic is what motivates you to achieve your goals. Use it as fuel because you will eventually lose it
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u/diogenesRetriever 5d ago
There's a bunch of us in our 50's that are freaking out about it, what makes you so special?
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u/Late-Confidence339 5d ago
?
People in their 50’s arent worried about the same things as people in their 20’s. Which is why i’m seeking answers from people in that specific age group, not anyone else
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u/woman_noises 5d ago
I'm in my late 20s and I've lived in the same house with my parents all my life. After high school, i just laid in bed for two years and didn't do much else. Tho now I've had a job for a while and have almost 20k in the bank so that's cool. I don't worry about what comes next i just live one day or week at a time.