Trent, 24

A while back, I saw the submission someone else posted which included the NY Times article, “What is it about 20-somethings?” Well, when I read that article, I immediately became very irate. It’s not fair to pick on a generation going through difficult times like ours. We aren’t perfect, and we never said we were.

I’ve seen the older generation who wonder what is wrong with the new 20-something generation. Why are we still at home? Why are we so unproductive? Why are we more concerned with facebook than getting a Masters?

Well, it doesn’t take an analyst or psychologist to see why. We are the generation of “you don’t need to know what you want to do with the rest of your life, even in college!”

Let me tell you something; the world as it is today is not the same world it used to be. The cost of living is much higher, your student loans take much longer to pay off, and there are no jobs…anywhere. I don’t mean to excuse or make excuses for my generation, yes there are those of us who simply appear as though we consider our social life more important, or hide in our rooms and shut ourselves away. Look harder. There are deeper issues there. Love us now, because we need you the most, now more than ever.

But I don’t mean to steal the thunder of the last person who wrote about this article. I just wanted to throw my two cents in. Really, my goal today was to give advice… Things I’ve learned since turning 20, things I wish someone had told me.

20-somethings – it’s a rough world out there. Though I am only 24, I’ve learned a lot in a short span of time, that I wish I had known when it applied to me. It’s not too late for me, and never too late for you. Take my 10 tips, and hold them close. I wish I had not been too stubborn to see these.

Albert Einstein said, “Learn from yesterday, Live for today, Hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” It’s about time we started learning and living for ourselves.

Tidbits of knowledge I have gained since turning 20:

1.      Never stop exercising. Believe it or not, a college campus is HUGE and you walk over 1 – 2 miles per day getting to class. Once you lose that momentum, not only do you gain the weight from all those pizzas and burgers, you lose incentive to lose it. I hate telling people “there was a time I used to bike ride 6 days a week.”

2.      Go to grad school after college. That “break” you dream of will taste so much sweeter when there’s a job offer trailing it.

3.      Figure out what you want now, and stop listening to those who tell you “you don’t have to know what you want yet!” Keep listening, keep daydreaming, and you’ll find yourself where I am: a graduate without a clue.

4.      Is grad school not your thing? Do Peace Corps, City Year, Americorps, Language Corps, anything to get you out of the house and on your own. I guarantee you’ll make new friends, see new places, and most of all – your parents will not be your roommates for the next few years. Once you gain that sense of independence, you’ll do anything to hold onto it – great.

5.      Still don’t want to go to grad school or the Peace Corps? Then have a job lined up before you graduate, or spend the next 1 – 2 years sitting in your parent’s house.

6.      It’s never too late if you know what you want.

7.      Fall in love, but don’t let it control your everyday life, your every thought, your very existence. Set boundaries, retain your independence, but don’t be afraid to love and appreciate them.

8.      Don’t let video games take over your life. They will still be around when you graduate, and shouldn’t be the only thing keeping you going.

9.      Friends come and go like seasons, there when you need them, gone when that hardship in your life passes. Don’t forget to love and appreciate the family who supported you and helped make you who you are today, the same family who is not ashamed to take you in if you mess up. Appreciate the friends who stay in your life once college passes; hold tight to those people. They are like a second family; they don’t care who you are or where you’ve been, they’re just happy to be your friend.

10.   It. Gets. Better. So I hear from older people. Don’t wait for it to come to you, run toward it yourself.