While the issues are likely to differ, you and your parents may be experiencing some sort of “crisis” simultaneously. As Dad buys a new Porsche and Mom purchases a closet of young, hip, new clothes to battle their “Mid-Life Crises,” students leaving college are forced to focus on their future — an abrupt change from focus on classes to a focus on beginning to navigate life after college.
This is a common symptom of what many people have begun to refer to as a “Quarter-Life Crisis,” the phase of extreme uncertainty that twenty-something’s experience after they graduate, where any lingering parental rules or school schedules are suddenly irrelevant.
Getting prepared
Fei’er Cheng starts his day by going outside and grabbing the latest copy of the Wall Street Journal. He looks over the stock quotes to see if the slumping economy is showing signs of picking up. Reading an investment article, he can’t help but think about his future, right now only occupied by vague plans to become involved in business.
“Right now I plan to go to Wall Street and work with investment banking analysts,” Cheng, a UW international junior student, said. “Long-term I want to go back [to China] and help China to establish its financial market.”
“Twenty-somethings want a lot more fulfillment,” said Abby Wilner, co-author of “Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life in Your Twenties.” According to Wilner, recent graduates, many raised in wealthy families, are unprepared for the scenario of having to accept a “bottom-rung” job.
While Cheng admits his plans are ambitious, he remains optimistic and is confident he has sufficient training to gain a foothold in the business world.
“I am a finance major and participate in a financial banking club,” he said, adding that both categories expose students to real-world scenarios and prepare individuals for the working world.
To boost his resume and inflate his chances of receiving a job offer down the road, Cheng has already applied for several internships, a consolation for those unable to land jobs.
“So far I haven’t been very successful in finding [an internship] in the financial sector,” Cheng said. “The economy in general is down, and I also think that financial firms aren’t into hiring international students because of the extra costs they have to incur.”
A career in investment banking, in particular, demands that individuals have prior experience, and according to Cheng, an inability to secure an interning position definitely concerns him.
“The most important thing is to know you’re not alone. You’re probably abnormal if you don’t experience some kind of anxiety,” Wilner said.
“I think as a freshman and a sophomore I didn’t pay much attention to my career goals and now I realize I’m a behind schedule,” Cheng said.
An older crowd
With only a few weeks until graduation, Annemarie Ketterhagen has already begun establishing a plan for employment.
“I’m not looking for Madison jobs,” said Ketterhagen a senior majoring in education and English.
Ketterhagen hopes to work with elementary-aged children in urban environments, schools typically overlooked for funding, but said competition for these formerly undesirable jobs is becoming more intense.
“Finding a teaching job in school districts with high funding is more difficult, since increased numbers of teachers want to work in an environment that provides these resources,” Ketterhagen said.
Ketterhagen may join thousands of young adults who have recently graduated from college and remain career-less. Wilner said he feels society has neglected many problems that recent college graduates face, and that the problem has become agitated by the currently stagnating economy.
“There were plenty of studies about adolescence and about midlife, but nothing about this age group,” Wilner said. “And 20-somethings are a unique group with our own problems. Unlike midlife … where it’s just a crisis of self-identity, this one also involves a whole shift in environment, along with the identity crisis.”
UW graduate Tom Lindstedt said being out of school forces people to take care of themselves on different levels and accept the fact that sometimes they will be at sea, finding that school has not prepared them to face the challenges of the “real world.”
“My biggest concern is being able to pay the bills. I’m okay with not knowing exactly what I’ll do,” said Lindstedt, who met with various UW advisors who helped him to realize that not knowing a specific post-graduation path is perfectly normal.
“Eliminating what I don’t want to do is still progress,” Lindstedt said. “And another way of learning.”
Lindstedt advises students who are still searching not to be discouraged or let down because of what may seem like setbacks.
“Society imposes pressure and high expectations upon graduates to immediately find a job,” Lindstedt said. “This type of pressure gives graduates an impression of failure [if they do not find a career].”
Crisis causes
Rising unemployment rates, war concerns and shifting financial markets have created an uneasy situation for employers and employees.
“The issues have always been the same, but external circumstances have made things much harder for students ? the job market is really hurting,” said Robert McGrath, Psy.D, director of counseling services at UHS. “There seems to have been a bit of an increase in students visiting UHS with problems concerning their future, mostly due to economic anxiety.”
Greg Hovel represented the Walgreen’s corporation at a recent UW job fair and met with students actively seeking careers and others just testing the waters.
“I would advise students to be persistent and aggressive,” Hovel said. “You can’t let something like the economy get in the way of how you view employers.”
Ann Groves-Llyod is an advisor at L&S career advising and said students come in every day with concerns about their life after graduation.
Groves-Llyod also said students are not only worried about jobs, but also things such as financial planning and managing a long line of student loan debt, which can take a toll on students not ready to face them, Groves-Llyod said, suggesting internships may help a student to decide the career path they will pursue.
