+39 Being in your 20s has went from "the best years of your life" to the absolute worst. amirite?

by Academic-Policy 1 week ago

Worst years of your life so far

by Anonymous 1 week ago

True and it sucks that when you finally get to the point of solid confidence and inner peace your body declares war. Boobs you took for granted start to slide. Knees that put up with decades of torture finally decide to loudly register complaints. Ruins the whole vibe.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

bahahaha yes, the irony is so rich and sweet if i enjoyed it i'd lose a toe :(

by Anonymous 1 week ago

The slow deterioration of your penis functioning properly is the one that really catches you off guard.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Not getting much use out of it anyways. Maybe the lowered sex drive will make life a bit better

by Anonymous 1 week ago

It's kinda nice being able to think for myself now that I'm in my 50s…

by Then-Set 1 week ago

At least we have magical pills for that!

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Replacement joints dont last forever. Replacing them a second time is much much worse. So in general, you wait on total joint replacements as long as possible hoping you dont live long enough for a second replacement. This is standard of care. But, you can always find a surgeon who wants a better car or larger house and will do surgery on anyone who walks through the door. You want to avoid those surgeons. So it is generally a good idea to listen to a surgeon who is foregoing a paycheck by telling you not to get surgery.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Yep, just turned 48 and 40s are definitely the best so far! Life begins at 40, just like the song...

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Curious what happened to make each decade so much worse for you? I'm 29 now and my 20s were freaking awesome, the older I get the more things fall in place, my 30s are looking to be awesome as well if I continue on this path..

by Anonymous 1 week ago

The divorce, home foreclosure, job loss, debt, health issues.. How much time you got?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I got all the time you need, please give me some advice so I can learn from your mistakes and make my 30s atleast relatively bearable

by Claudrempel 1 week ago

damn. as someone whose almost 40, listen to this person.

by General-Writer 1 week ago

Workout 3X a week and consume literature, there is a panacea to every quandary within those lines.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

"The first ten million years were the worst! The second ten million they were the worst too. And the third ten million, I didn't enjoy at all! After that, I went into quite a decline."

by Anonymous 1 week ago

My life has gotten better with every decade. Work life balance, family, etc. I absolutely hated everything about being under 30 and this was when things were OK.

by libbie36 1 week ago

Damn guys I'm mid 30s and it's infinitely better then my 20s. 20s me was a chicken with its head cut off trying to figure out how to work and party all night while paying bills and not getting into debt. 30s me is the most relaxed person I've ever met because I figured the 20s stuff out.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Hey on the bright side. (At least when you turn 21 here in America.) you can legally drown your sorrows in booze.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

With what money!?! 😭

by bmcclure 1 week ago

oooh i have wine in the fridge. thank you for reminder!

by LeadingSavings3433 1 week ago

Yw make sure to share :)

by Anonymous 1 week ago

good luck remembering even some intermediate things you learned in college during the job interview One would think that by now you'd be hired on the basis of your experience rather than your academic formation. Are you European or very young by any chance ?

by Queasy-Law 1 week ago

Plenty of things are cheaper in your 20s. I could travel for so much less in my 20s.. because I didn't also have to pay for my wife and kids to come along.. I could just sleep in my car to save money.. food was cheap if you just bought groceries for one, etc. In my 20s, I literally drove a day to a event I really wanted to go to, slept in my car, and then survived off two loaves of bread and some peanut butter for a few days. All those options are gone for me now. Now, I have to either pay for everyone, pay for childcare to watch my kids while we're gone, and stay in places I feel safe taking my kid too.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

One could also not have kids and maintain this lifestyle in their 40s … like my adventurous aunt.

by Sydney67 1 week ago

Our country has student discounts for everything.. so once you hit 26, everything gets so much more expensive, ESPECIALLY transportation.

by Responsible-Emu9969 1 week ago

Just wait till you're doing the same things as in your 20s but are more tired and start to acquire "lifelong illnesses"

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I'm 23 ... please don't say that😔😔

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I was miserable at 23. Ages 25 to 29 (now) have been the best years of my life so far. My 20s have only gotten better.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Agreed, this was my experience in my 20s. I did a lot and learned a lot on my own and finally decided to start college at the end of my 20s. I will look back on those days as happy times, despite troubles I experienced.

by Browngoodwin 1 week ago

Amazing reference

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Well. Are you saying your 30s will be better? Let's wait and see.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Even then a lot of places for young adults are all bars anymore. My town got rid of its bowling alley, movie theater and mini golf course all within 2 months of eachother but by god there's a street with 7 bars and a Walmart.

by New-Media-5963 1 week ago

Doesn't get much cheaper than hanging out at the river or beach or going hiking, having a BBQ and drink some beers. Maybe shoot pool and have some beers. Hanging with friends and playing cards and listening to music. Expectations are high these days I think.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

For real. I went through highschool in a small south Louisiana town during the housing collapse. No businesses wanted to be in South Louisiana during the housing collapse lol. We would hang out at the park(free), camp by the bayou in winter(free with parent's 1990s tent), party at friend's houses with natty light, hang out on the levee, shoot guns(most expensive thing due to ammo prices), go swimming in the bayou(I would never today, that cafe au-lait water is nasty lol). Kinda country I supposed, but you can do the same stuff in larger cities if you're creative.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Half the things he suggested are literally free lol

by Anonymous 1 week ago

How the hell does something like "hanging out at the beach with some beers" cost $20 a person???

by Anonymous 1 week ago

TIL beer, transport (if not within walking distance), and sun cream are free!

by Anonymous 1 week ago

so let's say a group of 5 people. That's like, $2 worth of sunscreen, $10 in gas money, $15 for a 12 pack. Ends up being like $6 per person. Not free but not so expensive that anyone is priced out of doing it

by Anonymous 1 week ago

"Why's the mall closing?! Damn death of third spaces" it's closing because you buy everything on Amazon or the epic game store and the small business video game store and clothing places couldn't pay rent.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I mean I spent all my twenties at bars or at parties. The drinks were way cheaper though.

by MediocreSet1584 1 week ago

People are different. Some people get cripling anxiety and are unable to be happy without financial freedom.

by dovieemard 1 week ago

It was just easier than. A 30 rack and some friends, and you had a party. Now it's like... gotta make 'adult' plans, pay for dinner, some other activity. Adult activities are expensive. A house party for a bunch of twenty somethings can be pretty cheap.

by Majestic-Mobile9323 1 week ago

It's pretty crazy how it drops off. Early 20s you can pretty reliably get 20+ people to a random party with two days notice. Late 20s getting 3 couples together requires at least a week's notice and it's getting put in the calendar app just to make sure there's a slot for it.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

TBF, some people start a family in their late 20s making social plans difficult. And the people concentrating on their careers to get ahead can't be as flexible.

by metzmariela 1 week ago

It's called not being a kid anymore, and having responsibilities and obligations.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

You realize who the real ones are, I think. Im fine with having a smaller social circle, I just lament when it seemed easier to just 'hang out' without actually doing anything. Now it just seems like there is always some expectation of an activity if you want to see someone in your 30s and 40s. You can't just... chill together anymore it feels like. Lol.

by Majestic-Mobile9323 1 week ago

You can, you just end up talking about the same things. My fiance and I see another couple just about once a week without hard plans for an activity, and 75% of the conversation every time is "so how's work going".

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I think this depends on where you live. I live in a very sporty/outdoorsy college down and "kicking it" is incredibly normalized, even with folks in their 40s. We're generally all unmarried and childless and it's just a chill party vibe all the time.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I mean sitting around drinking cheap beer just gets boring for most people as they get older.

by Minimum-Brain1142 1 week ago

Oh y'all think 20 somethings are partying after college, interesting. I mean sometimes sure, but certainly not like college. Everyone I know graduated, started working, and has not been having a fun time. Like, yeah, 21 and 22 were fun years. I was in school, didn't really have bills and whatnot. But then you graduate and suddenly you have to pay rent, work a 9-5 with people you hate, third spaces have disappeared, and the cheapest entertainment is staying home. It's rough as hell, frankly. You're just figuring everything out, everything is expensive, and the world is getting scarier every day. I am expecting my 30's to be a lot better. Hopefully by that time I'll have actual stability, and can have built something worthwhile, and settled into a career I actually enjoy.

by EntertainerTight5167 1 week ago

20-somethings dont do house parties anymore

by edeckow 1 week ago

What? We still do that, and we are late 20

by Purple_Hope_3380 1 week ago

that doesn't even exist anymore is what OP is saying... it was only 15 years ago I payed 300$ for my first apartment.. was able to survive on nearly minimum wage in a medium sized city. and took advantage of deals like 1$ beer night, and got full meals from fast food places for 3 buck. i bet all of those things are doubled and tripled in price now if not more. "the best deals" aren't a good deal anymore. its way harder for people just starting out right now.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Think it's about hope. People in there 20s now are not only broke but see no way forward. No realistic prospects for advancement and fulfillment unless they buy into the current institutions and, essentially, give up who they are and wanted to be in order to survive.

by Worried_Cookie_4831 1 week ago

Literally the same thing the generations who "had it better" did

by corrinemuller 1 week ago

That sounds just like the previous generations but yeah there is more pressure and risk involved now

by OkManufacturer9163 1 week ago

Because it is. If you have financial freedom you can do what you want you can be happy without worrying. Only people with money tell others that money won't bring happiness.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

most people i know in there 30s are having a harder time than their 20s

by Super-Acadia 1 week ago

Ultimately it depends, and I agree that it isn't the case for everyone. But everyone I know enjoying their early 30s absolutely sold their soul in their 20s dedicating their life to working and saving. Between school, working their asses off, certifications, living off rice and beans to save, etc. Those i know in their 30s that didn't go above and beyond in their 20s, they're usually the ones i see struggle. I could be very wrong, but it does surely seem that way based off most i've met.

by Academic-Policy 1 week ago

It's always been assumed that 20's is the time to grind to set yourself up for your life. It's the "best time of your life" because you don't have any responsibilities and you're forced to take pleasure in the simple things (cheap food with friends, hanging out at a house). What's different now is that instagram and tech culture has changed expectations that enjoying life is traveling and doing happy hour all the time. We see the lifestyle of a 23 year old making 100k thinking that's the norm, but it used to be far from it.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Welcome to life dude.

by Martagreenholt 1 week ago

so if you work hard and smart you set yourself up for a life that is happy? weird.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I mean, that's a pretty small sample size. In my group of friends (also a small sample size), we're all working toward good careers and enjoying ourselves quite a lot. I'm on the brink of 30 (6 months to go!) and things were good and are only going to get better.

by Traditional_Tea 1 week ago

That's life bro. Welcome to the club.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I just turned 30… idk my 20's were still fun. I didn't do anything extravagant and I did work hard. I was happier in my 20's than I was as a teenager.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Same. I've never had a ton of money, but I have had a ton of fun. It's been a great decade. Looking forward to turning 30 this year and keeping the gravy train going.

by Traditional_Tea 1 week ago

Yh 10 years ago. Not now. Geez

by Abby21 1 week ago

If you're 20 now then you have zero perspective on how your 20s will turn out.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Jokes on me my body started breaking down before I turned 20

by Ok-Trouble 1 week ago

My body is fine, but my IQ dropped like A rock and im struggling at work.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Oh dang! What happened?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Freedom is relative to what decisions youve made, yeah if you get married, have kids, and get a mortgage for a house you're gonna have little freedom. If you don't it's no different from your 20's, just with hopefully more money.

by Active_Guarantee 1 week ago

I mean I'm 31 and I have more freedom than I did in my 20s grinding away at jobs.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I am an absolute idiot in many areas today

by Anonymous 1 week ago

When was it the best? I mean the military was fun. But also not fun at all. Then being broke after, the drug use. I mean it's a wild time in your life.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

My knees hurt, and so does my back, but I'm looking forward to the cardboard box at the end. Maybe I'll find a patch of soft gravel under an overpass, too.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

My 20s were awesome but I probably couldn't afford that level of awesomeness in today's economy

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I think a big problem is today's kids have never really faced being bored. Like, properly bored. There's endless entertainment in your pocket. Back in my day that quest to elude boredom or being "stuck at home" led us to be creative, seek out each other, always find things to do. One of my fondest high school memories is spending like a week building an igloo at my buddy's house so we could hotbox in it. It's the ultimate "this is kinda stupid and pointless but also the end result is incredible" and I still remember it vividly. One of my fondest college memories is playing "the nose game" where you watch a movie and put a fake nose on the TV screen and when it matches up with a face, you take a drink! i honestly wonder if we'd have even came up with these ideas if we all had smartphones we were glued to

by Markspaolo 1 week ago

It's not just kids. Everyone is phone addicted. My wife and I are in vacation and she's been glued to her phone the whole time.

by MediocreSet1584 1 week ago

Imagine coming out of college in your 20s and GASP only getting an entry level job?! Also I've never heard anyone say that 20s are the best years of your life except other 20 year olds... your 30s are when you're usually getting financially secure and at a position in your career (if you took that entry level job in your 20s...) where you can make fun moves and do cool things

by Anonymous 1 week ago

yeah this place makes you think a 40 hour work week is torturous but like, nobody I know IRL feels that way

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I'm 36, but my 20s were pretty bad all things considered. My 30s have been much better. I'm much more financially stable and prepared for life in my 30s. I've also learned quite a bit, and I'm still learning every day. I think the idea that your 20s are your best years mostly come from people whose lives peaked in their 20s :)

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Or go look for a house in the early '80's when mortgage rates were in the low 20%'s. Was a great time to be alive. Even ARMs were at 13.5%... Oh, and gas prices doubled inside of 6 months and, to get a tankful, you had to wait 3 hours on line. But only if you had an even-numbered license plate. If yours was odd, sorry... You have to wait until tmmw. Those were my 20's.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

yeah I'm 20 and I'm pretty miserable lol

by Anonymous 1 week ago

At 40 you'll just be miserable and also have back pain.

by Best_Incident5405 1 week ago

Then what's the point

by DanceRude8251 1 week ago

Provide cheap labor for the rich.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

the friends you make along the way

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Gotta figure that out for yourself.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

By all evidence we are in the world to do nothing; but instead of nonchalantly promenading our own corruption, we exude our sweat and grow winded upon the fetid air. The point is what you make it.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I already have that actually

by EntertainerTight5167 1 week ago

I am 51 and I always think of it as the worst decade and so do most of my friends. Everything hurts worse because it's the first time you've experienced it. We also all had 2-3 jobs. But yes, things have gotten significantly even worse economically. Just don't think the 20s were ever fully joyful. They have been painfully bittersweet for many decades.

by Familiar_Contact 1 week ago

Yup. I'm a little younger than you, and I recall my 20s as getting the rug pulled out from under me on a regular basis with respect to job stuff, life stuff, and relationship stuff, punctuated by occasional small stretches of pure unadulterated fun.

by Hefty-Speed-234 1 week ago

I'm gen x. My 20s were the worst.

by Ok_Let_7980 1 week ago

Same. Older millennial. Being broke and a recent entrant into the workforce isn't easy. It's not a generation thing.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Millennial, but honestly I am more broke now than my 20s in terms of annual salary+friendship circle. Weird thing is I am much happier just helping my community, having a purpose, and not making it all about myself.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

There is an unreasonable expectation that I think Gen Z has. They think "But I went to college, why don't I have a house that looks like my parent's and a luxury car?" They fail to realize that everyone who starts out on their own takes an entry level job, possibly have loans and little to no savings. Being rich, owning a dream home, and taking expensive vacations every year is far from the norm at that stage in your life.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

That is MAYBE starting pay with a masters in the right field. There's always exceptions and people who lucked out, had connections etc. but if there was a college major that lined you up for 6 figure salary in 4 years, I'm pretty sure like 75% of college students would be majoring in it. People going into trades thinking they will start that high are delusional unless you are doing something highly specialized like underwater welding on an oil rig. That being said college or the trades can lead to excellent pay if you are decent at your job and stick with it for a few years.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I had roommates my entire 20s, 20+ years ago now, as did most of my friends. My boomer parents had roommates most of their 20s (even with us as kids). I feel like that's been standard in the US if you live in any sort of city. There's not even a lot of 1br apartments. Things have definitely gotten more expensive, but I remain confused at these no-roommates-living-in-a-city expectations, that's usually been the norm when young.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Television.

by hildahermann 1 week ago

This is my niece. She believes we older folk all had it made in our 20s. Despite all of her parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents not living alone in their 20s. She just reads online about how gen z has it so bad and thinks that there was a magical time when people in their 20s weren't broke.

by Top-Silver 1 week ago

A lot of it is expectations for sure. When I was in my early 20s I always had between 3 and 5 roommates and a crappy job barely over minimum, wage. It was a super fun time even though we were all broke. I think we did not know that we were supposed to feel miserable.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

hahaha, exactly. If you and all your friends live a similar lifestyle, then that's what's normal to you. I also can't think of very many people who had their own place at that age.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

God damnit you didn't have to call me out on that "get good grades, then find out you need a masters" thing bro chill I was trying to relax today

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Relaxing for even a single day before you have a PhD and a 10 digit salary?? Good God man, you're insane!

by Anonymous 1 week ago

lmao, 30 is the same do not worries, but with backpain.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Wait, you shouldnt have back pain at 20?

by Orvillewaters 1 week ago

People only think their 20s were the best because that's when they were young and hot.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

The expressions "enjoy your youth" and "20s are the best years of your life" and "don't worry about saving money when you're young" are how boomers were able to live when they were your age because of how much significantly better things were in most places Boomers grew up at a time when they could be drafted to fight in a pointless war that many of them didn't even agree with, when racial discrimination was still high, gay people couldn't openly be with the people they love, and women couldn't even open their own bank accounts. Things may have been better financially (for some), but let's not pretend it was all rainbows and sunshine.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I was in my 20s from the start of the global financial crisis and I still had an amazing time.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Seriously. People think it's bad now? Try graduating college in 2008-2012 during the worst recession in 70 years.

by No-Heat9773 1 week ago

Everything is way more expensive now. I was just entering the job market during that recession. It sucked, but I still survived and had some spending money. I consider myself lucky that I am not entering the workforce right now.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

You're out of your mind if you think today's economy is worse that the Great Recession. Almost everyone knows multiple people who lost their jobs, home, and/or marriage because things got so bad. It's not even remotely comparable.

by Grouchy-You3204 1 week ago

yeah i was LOLing at the complaint about the job market today. (2008 graduate) and i also managed to have a ton of fun

by Landenbaumbach 1 week ago

you gotta get off the internet man this is ridiculous. go have some fun with your friends

by Nikolasolson 1 week ago

20s are the best years??? That was only for the boomers. You know, sorta like retirement. Or home ownership. Or having a family. Or having the choice to have a family. Or vacations. Or affordable education. Or healthcare. Or hope.

by xschultz 1 week ago

As someone who turned 20 then immediately found out I have a benign pituitary tumor that's been causing problems for half a decade at best, I have to agree. So far this sucks.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I am 58. I would never lie and tell you the 20s were the best. Easily 40s on up.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Boomer here, my 20s were the absolute worst decade of my life.

by Conscious-Raisin-599 1 week ago

Same, and I remember people saying the same things OP is saying and guess what? Heard it in 70s 80s, 90s, 00,.......and they will her it from every generation coming up. Human nature.

by Gabewill 1 week ago

Interesting. I'm 26 and all of my friends (me included) have a great time out on the weekends. We travel together, go out together, cook and eat together. We have enough to save. This is in Atlanta, Ga. I don't know many people who are at the point that you are speaking of.

by Decent_Branch_3689 1 week ago

Oh my god, you mean in your 20s now you have no money, and live with multiple roommates?? Crazy!

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Honestly.. I am 30, so I was very recently a 20-something.. I have no clue what you're talking about. I had plenty opportunities in my 20's to get my life on tracks and honestly if you are ENTERING the workforce not Willing to work ENTRY LEVEL jobs.. that's a problem. Growth can only build up from a solid base, an internship is not a solid base, it's literally a job with training wheels. I didn't have a great start in life at all, I was forced to leave my family home due to abuse and never got an opportunity to go out and have a degree, I worked my way up, I always made sure I got by I did every odd job out there which was a different location every day wether it was washing dishes or cleaning or stocking the supermarket, I literally took every job because I needed to pay rent there was not an option not to. I am currently living comfortably on 150€/month (That's a single person's average weekly budget where I am by the way) with a child. COMFORTABLY because I learned how to be cheap in my early 20's. So I have 150€ after rent and basic utilities to get food and all other extras.

by Responsible-Emu9969 1 week ago

18, 19, 29 and 30 were the worst years of my life.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

The best years now are the "Retiring 70s". Just another 50 years until I get finally go on a month long cruise with the boys!

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Yeah but at least your joints don't ache as you are poor and depressed

by Fearless-Street-2716 1 week ago

My 20s were full of constant stress and financial struggle. I don't even know how all those years got away from me so fast. I only took one vacation that entire decade. My 30s are proving to be even more difficult. It doesn't get better.

by Schadenclaud 1 week ago

It's still the best years of your life. Marxists are trying to convince you that everything is awful so their glorious revolution can occur. There has literally never been a better time in all of human history to be alive than right now.

by Ok_Story_9827 1 week ago

True that, but the social media algorithms told me to be sad... What do?

by Former_Economist8078 1 week ago

The 30s have been the best years of my life, just personally. So much more fun.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Is it really harder though? Every generation says this, yet standards of living increase pretty consistently

by koeppcooper 1 week ago

I've always been told that your 20s suck, and your life only becomes okay in your 30s (except your body lol). Maybe it's because no one in my family comes from money and spends their 20s, as my mom once said, "dumb and broke."

by Cautious_Bet 1 week ago

I mean, to be fair. Those issues are hard yea but they still exist in your 30s and beyond. In your 20s, you have issues but very few relative consequences and responsibilities. Yes the job market is crap. But it's super crap when you have children, aging parents, and the few assets you do have at an extreme risk. Your 20s are the best years of your life because your life really only effects you

by Anonymous 1 week ago

You'll never be as good looking as you are now. Keep your costs low. Have some fun. All the boomers will be dead by the time you turn 40 and you'll want good memories when you move into a McMansion with a great room.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Has gone from

by Anonymous 1 week ago

If you plan on using your 20s to "launch" yourself, I see how it could suck. I took an easy job and used my 20s to make friends, travel cheaply, go out almost every night, sleep around, and party without consequences the next day. Definitely wasn't the worse and still had plenty of time in my 30s to get my career on track.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I'm turning 30 this year and am only just starting to see a bit of relief as far as financial stability. Even so, I got very lucky landing at my current company. Your 20s are only fun if you have a financial safety net to relieve the cost of entry into the working world. Because what 21 year old has a job that will pay for rent, student loans, car loans, health insurance, gas, food, water, and utilities straight out of college?

by Anonymous 1 week ago