Quarterlife Crisis or Bust!

As a twenty-something that had recently graduated with a law degree, passed her state's bar examination, gotten married and was about to embark on her dream job on her chosen career path, things seemed wonderful. A dream come true, literally. Why then, was she loath to get out of bed when the alarm went off? Why was she depressed every morning? Why did she experience dry heaves? Why were her anxiety levels at an all time high? Why were her self-doubts magnified beyond belief? Was it possible that she was experiencing a crisis in her twenties akin to a mid-life crisis for people in their forties and fifties?

These are the questions that Alexandra Robbins and Abby Wilner attempt to answer in their self-help book entitled Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life in Your Twenties. Ms. Robbins and Ms. Wilner's hypothesize that such a crisis does exist and equate it to a mid-life crisis. They do not use studies to back up their hypothesis. Instead, they use stories from the young people aged 20 through 29 that they interviewed in writing the book. The book studies quarterlifer attitudes to everything from balancing work with other aspects of their lives, graduation from college and moving away from or back to home, as well as meeting people in the "real world."

Many of the twenty-year olds were shell-shocked when thrust into the world of full-time jobs. They were no longer coddled by the womb of collegiate life and many had an extremely hard time navigating the landscapes initially. It seemed to come as a shock that a college degree did not automatically entitled most graduates to a six figure salary. Others seemingly struggled at work-life balance; while they had gotten the job of the century, which paid them well, they had no life outside of the firm. Many had a hard time striking a balance between work and their lives outside of work. Others had a hard time meeting people outside of work. Other young adults struggled with depression, anxiety and their inability to maintain a healthy self-esteem. At some point, these young adults did manage to adapt to being on their on.

I picked up this book because I am a twenty-something that wanted to learn something about other, similarly situated people and their experiences. It was interesting and comforting to read that people were having the same experiences that I did. It was encouraging to read that many people came through it all adequately, without much scarring. However, the book did not offer much constructive, useful information as to how to handle these sorts of situations in your own life; it acted as more of a cheerleading section than a how-to manual. I finished the book feeling like I was not alone, but not really knowing how to fix myself. Ms. Robbins and Ms. Wilner possibly did not mean the book to provide answers, simply because everyone has their own dreams and aspirations, as well as their own ways and roads there.

All in all, not a bad read, so long as you're not expecting to find the solutions to the big questions.