How are/were your 20s?

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TakeyB0y2

A Mistake
Jun 24, 2011
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I just read this article on Cracked [http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-reasons-you-dont-miss-your-20s-when-theyre-over/]. I'm currently in my very early 20s and I feel like everyone and everything is out to convince me that I'm wasting what are supposed to be the "best years of my life". When I read that Cracked article it just made me think about how rough the average person's 20s tend to be... So why is there so much hype about the 20s being the years you can party without a care, when really, it's more like the years you suddenly get a huge heaping pile of responsibility dumped on you all at once?

I feel like most people here are either in or past their 20s, so I gotta ask... How were/are your 20s? Did you/are you living the life that the media often makes people's 20s out to be?
 

The Gnome King

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Mar 27, 2011
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TakeyB0y2 said:
I just read this article on Cracked [http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-reasons-you-dont-miss-your-20s-when-theyre-over/]. I'm currently in my very early 20s and I feel like everyone and everything is out to convince me that I'm wasting what are supposed to be the "best years of my life". When I read that Cracked article it just made me think about how rough the average person's 20s tend to be... So why is there so much hype about the 20s being the years you can party without a care, when really, it's more like the years you suddenly get a huge heaping pile of responsibility dumped on you all at once?

I feel like most people here are either in or past their 20s, so I gotta ask... How were/are your 20s? Did you/are you living the life that the media often makes people's 20s out to be?
Wickedly broad generalizations about an entire decade of your life are... um, wickedly broad.

I've passed my 20's and all I can say is that if you're rich and healthy chances are your 20's are going to rock pretty hard, if you're poor or sick chances are your 20's are going to suck pretty bad.

Coincidentally, just like every other damn decade of your life. There were awesome parts of my 20's and there were some fairly bad parts, which I suspect just about everyone who has made it to 30 will probably be able to say.

You could honestly probably be more accurate with an article describing life "before kids" and "after kids" because I know a lot of parents and every one will tell you that becoming a parent changed their life a Hell of a lot more than some arbitrary coming of age that happens between 29 and 31. Honestly the people I know who never had kids are living in their 30's, 40's and 50's pretty much like they did in their 20's and having the time of their life doing it. Our gay friends in their 50's just got back from some beer festival or another in Germany, straight couples we know in their late 40's are still partying hard "sans kids" - etc.

So... I'd just say your 20's are your 20's. People are living longer and healthier now, you might find that you feel much the same at 35 as you did at 25, just usually by 35 you have a bit more money and experience to go with whatever else life is throwing at you. Plus there is the fact that men don't even really mentally fully mature until they're 30. (Seriously, women achieve full brain maturity in their early 20's while we men have to wait until 30. Ain't life fascinating.)

http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Boys_Girls/

"Girls reach the inflection point just before age 11 years; boys do not reach the inflection point until just before age 15 years. A young woman reaches full maturity, in terms of brain development, between 21 and 22 years of age. A young man does not reach full maturity, in terms of brain development, until nearly 30 years of age."

So one might even say that in some sense, for men, life doesn't even really begin until you're 30. ;D
 

piinyouri

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Mar 18, 2012
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I don;t know how the media see's the life's of folks in their 20's, so I can't properly answer that question.

For me personally, it's felt like a second (or maybe a first) puberty. When I was a teen, I was not the rebellious, bad attitude, know it all specimen that a lot of parents experience when their child comes of that age. I wouldn't dare act in anyway that could be construed as 'bad'. It was an extreme, like to the detriment of my social and mental health and abilities. I was like most people on here. Could not talk to anyone, felt incredibly unable to do most things, terrified of anything new.

But something happened when I reached 24-25 or so. I just sort of stopped caring. I was spending more time online, soaking up all the stuff that goes with that. I was becoming more and more estranged from my family in a few different ways. All of it seems to have lead to me just kind of giving up or something.
"Fuck it."
I'm not as careful as I used to be, I don't over-analyze things (which is in a lot of ways a huge improvement), I've become and am becoming increasingly selfish in my perspectives and it honestly doesn't bother me anymore.
Haha, even as I write this my mind is conjuring up the kind of responses I'm like to get and my deep seated emotional response to it is something akin to god reaching down and smacking someone into the dirt.

I swear, this has to be what a teenager feels.

TL;DR
I've went from one extreme to another.
 

Fiz_The_Toaster

books, Books, BOOKS
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Jan 19, 2011
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I'm in my late 20s, and, well, I'm doing some adjusting.

I'm not really complaining since so far my 20s are going pretty awesome. Yeah, I don't have a significant other or a place of employment that I would call fun, but I'm working on the latter and not really concerned about the former at the moment.

I know in the media I should be married right now, if not in a super serious relationship, and have kids. Honestly, that's not where I want to be in life right now and I think I would be miserable right now if that's how my life is. I had ideas of where I thought I would be, and it's not even close, but I'm okay with that.

I've been told your 20s are supposed to be awesome and be the best years of your life, and to a certain degree I would agree. I think that's a huge generalization, but I don't really have any major complaints right now.
 

Vern5

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Mar 3, 2011
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I'm 24 along with several of my friends and I'd say we're all doing pretty damn well. No, it's not perfect. Some of us are lonely. Some of us are still trying to sort out our work situations. We're all still living in our parent's houses, although some of our parents are currently elsewhere doing whatever it is they do. It's definitely not ideal bachelor living but nobody is going hungry.

20's are just like 30's or 10's. They're just times in your life. They don't need to be anything.
 

Johnny Novgorod

Bebop Man
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Feb 9, 2012
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24 here. The media, pop culture and everything and its mother sometimes make me feel I've wasted 4 years of the best years of my life, and that I will soon lose the other 6. This is, of course, not true. And it's mostly up to you anyway. It's good enough that you're anxious about life and transcendence. But look, since in the end life is all about memories, try and get some good ones is all I'm saying.
 

DanielBrown

Dangerzone!
Dec 3, 2010
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Not sure how media paints the 20s(sex, parties and sex parties?), so I'll go by the article.
I'm pushing 24 years old. Tough metal dude, ego punched like fuck, starting to feel pressure about finding a girlfriend rather than just sleeping around and completely confused about the grown up life.
Yeah, can't exactly say it's my best years so far. My life is a fucking mess too. Still unemployed and living with my mom while all my old friends has grown up. Think I stayed in my rebellious partying stage a bit too long.

Finally got some direction in my life though. Almost got my drivers license and I've figured out what I wanna do for a living, so it feels better at the moment than it used to.
 

Azure-Supernova

La-li-lu-le-lo!
Aug 5, 2009
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Just turned 21 this June and I have to say, it's a bloody big mixed bag. At 16-17 I was already having responsibility heaped on to me with expectations of my GCSE and then college results. By the time I was 18 I'd hopped from job to job (places just kept closing down) and all I heard was how I can't hold a job down. It seems by the time I turned 21 my mum straight out told me that there's no point in celebrating my 21st because I've achieved nothing.

Now it's a few months after my 21st and I've gone back to college because I can't find full time work to save my life, I'm still looking for part time work and I'm just at the point where these years look like they're gonna be the hardest. I see all my friends graduating from University and getting jobs because they moved miles away into the cities. But I figure I'm still at the start of my life, so I've been trying to make the most out of every day.

As for whether or not the 20's are some magical period? I'd say they are what you make them. Some people are lucky enough to get their foot on the career ladder early on, whether they enjoy it or not, and that helps because you can fuel your desires then.
 

IamLEAM1983

Neloth's got swag.
Aug 22, 2011
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The Gnome King said:
So one might even say that in some sense, for men, life doesn't even really begin until you're 30. ;D
As someone who just turned thirty this last June, this is precisely how I feel. I still don't have any career-related headway, but my resumé is starting to look appealing. I've spent my twenties racking up knowledge and deepening my cultural basin, but I'd say that my interpersonal relationships and general networking skills haven't moved or evolved since my teens.

I'm only starting to have an idea of who I am and what I want to be - and I have no idea if that general sense of being a late bloomer is generational or if it's something most thirtysomething guys go through.

Like jobs, for instance. I used to be content with pretty much anything, as long as money came in. Nobody's saying anything in my closest circles, but I'm feeling some sort of wide-ranging peer pressure to get started on an actual career. That - bothers me. I have an acquired skillset I like using and being paid to use, but no specific calling. All I've ever wanted was to pay the bills and leave some aside for basic savings and some R&R. The whole career ladder thing does not interest me in the slightest.
 

Not Matt

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Nov 3, 2011
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haven't had them yet. but if nature takes it's correct course then i'll be spending it as emperor of earth and all shall bow before me....or i'll have a flat in central London and partially hating my job while playing on a PlayStation 5. one or the other
 

Mr F.

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Jul 11, 2012
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Well, they got off to a pretty shitty start. I guess I am 21 so I have plenty more time but meh.

I am doing the whole Uni thing and just lost one of my parents. Trying to work through all of that is proving to be incredibly difficult. The whole party thing is not going too well, its hard to want to what with the nature of the year.

I guess I can firmly say my twenties are going like the rest of my life: Good, despite the shitty bits, but the shitty bits are really shit. Nothing magically changes when you hit 20, for most its not "New" responsibility so fuck that shit. The worst of it is social expectations. Being EXPECTED to go and do all this shit, party, work hard, all the rest of that crap.

So yeah. My twenties are fine and are like any other period of my life and everyone elses life. Good, despite the shitty bits.
 

HoneyVision

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Jan 4, 2013
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I'm 25 and so far they're alright. I'm intent on making my late 20s and late 30s the best years of my life. I'll hopefully the most independent, most creative, fittest and possibly be my best looking to help me advance my career. It's all about what you make of it.
 

Charli

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Nov 23, 2008
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I had a severe trip up that happened when I was 19 and affected my life long into age 23. So that sucked. But stuff slowly evened out and I'm getting on with things. I haven't 'partied' once in that time, I'm happy just doing what I'm doing. Sod everyone else.

Peoples expectations are bullshit, do your own thing.
 

GundamSentinel

The leading man, who else?
Aug 23, 2009
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Pretty horrible, to be honest. I'm 26 at the moment, I've got some nasty psychological, medical and financial problems. My life just basically sucks at the moment. Ah well, let's focus on the bright spots, like GTA V tomorrow. :)
 
Aug 31, 2012
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John Cheese eh? Negativity eh? Who'd a thought it.

Skipping through it, there's maybe one 1 or 2 snippets that might apply to me, but I was too busy having fun to care about most of that shit. Sure there were good and bad times, but then when is there not?

I partied the whole time (when not at work) for the first half, and a fair bit in the 5 years before that as well. Never managed to get a proper job that paid lots of money but didn't really give a shit, as long as it gave me enough to keep on partying.

Now in my mid 30's I feel kinda vacant and washed out, unsurprising really given the last 20 years, but I know I enjoyed myself getting here.
 

Esotera

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May 5, 2011
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So far I've been pretty poor and haven't really lived in the same place for more than a year, which really isn't a nice feeling. I guess they might get a better once I've more financial security and a more stable home.
 

bjj hero

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Feb 4, 2009
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My 20s were awesome. I went out partying 3-4 times a week, hung out with my friends constantly.

Im glad I did it, now im older I dont have any what ifs or feel like im missing out. Im more than happy being a family man in my 30s. The only thing I miss is not being able to train 4 sessions a week due to other time pressures. I still train twice a week but its not enough to compete.
 

Bestival

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May 5, 2012
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The reason that writer doesn't like his 20s is because he spend it at the bottom of a bottle, piss poor and miserable. No wonder he doesn't look back at it fondly.


As for me, I'm 26 now and so far my 20s have been very eventful. Spend a year living abroad with my best friend, got into recreational drugs, touched my first boobs. (Though after all those years of hype, they didn't really live up to my expectations.)
There's also an outside shot that I'll have my first significant relationship before my 20s are over, so yeah I doubt I'll look back in 20 years and go "Man that time sure sucked."
 

Olas

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Dec 24, 2011
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I'll get back to you on that when I've experienced them. Technically I already have a little, I'm 21, but so far it's pretty much just been late teens continued. My life is pretty boring and empty, and there's little chance that's gonna change anytime soon. I'm going to school and working a part time job and if I'm lucky that's not going to change anytime soon.
 

Mersadeon

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Jun 8, 2010
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I'm 21. My twenties have already begun. Well, I should have begun them, but I procrastinated so much I might only get around it once I turn 22.

But seriously, it has advantages. Physically, this will be your best time. Your body will never be in this good a shape again, including your brain.
Also, hangovers aren't really a problem yet. Which, come to think of it, might be the reason why the brain just isn't as good after the twenties.

Also, yeah. RESPONSIBILITIES out of nothing. Caring for your own place, paying bills, understanding legalese bullshit you get sent, dealing with landlords, not forgetting to eat every once in a while. That stuff isn't nice.
But my time since I turned 20 has been quite cool. I have my own place, a few more friends and finally know what to do with my life.

Now to just stop procrastinating.

EDIT: That makes it sound like I own more friends now. Which is not what I intended.