# I'm sick of hearing about the quarterlife crisis! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 25, 2006, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sick-of-hearing-about-the-quarterlife-crisis/354086 "2006-04-25T01:41:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sick-of-hearing-about-the-quarterlife-crisis/354086/101 "2006-04-28T16:16:43Z")
> [@burundi](#): > > But, and I think this is important, the adults in my life while I was growing up didn’t look to work to fulfill them personally. Work was what you did to pay the bills and, hopefully, you worked at a decent job with nice people. But fulfillment came from primarily from your family, then from your friends and your hobbies. I find myself in the same boat now. I like my job and I’m good at at it, but I’m not passionate about it. I don’t particularly want to be passionate about it. It seems that many folks in their 20s think their job needs to be their Calling, and they get upset if it’s not. My low expectations of life serve me well once again, by saving me from a quarter-life crisis! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sick-of-hearing-about-the-quarterlife-crisis/354086/102 "2006-04-28T19:04:24Z")
> [@scout1222](#): > > In a perfect world, I’d be passionate about every damn thing in my life. But I don’t see that as realistically happening for me. If you’re lucky enough to get it, more power to you. Good lord, that sounds exhausting! I’m not only \*not \* passionate about most things (although don’t get me started on the current administration!), I don’t even \*want \* to be passionate! ---
**Author:** ![Obsidian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/51bf81/32.png) [@Obsidian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obsidian)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2006, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sick-of-hearing-about-the-quarterlife-crisis/354086/103 "2006-04-29T01:05:20Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > I have to say, that is a great line. Mind if I borrow it sometime? Anytime you wish, and thank you! **even sven** , I hadn’t thought of it from that perspective. We do put a lot of emphasis on college and it’s ability to solve all your problems, and many people seem to get burned on that. They really should explain that it’s not so much an immediate advantage as a lifetime one. My Dad graduated into the cruddy early 70’s economy with an expensive engineering degree and had to work in retail for minimum wage. His steadily employed, blue-collar brother pointed a finger and laughed at him. Thirty years later, my father makes more than double-- and has a job he can still do despite a bad back an growing arthritis. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2006, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sick-of-hearing-about-the-quarterlife-crisis/354086/104 "2006-04-29T06:29:19Z")
I’ve never even heard that term. But the symptoms sound familiar. I have to agree wholeheartedly with **Misnomer**. I have a really good job, one I love, and while I’m not “rolling in it” I do okay. But I’ll tell you what, that great job, and all its bennies, fun and good paychecks don’t make the ache of being single go away. Just because someone has it good in some ways doesn’t mean they don’t have a right to feel bad over other things, or complain about things that might not be going so well. I don’t find it the least unusual that someone might find that what they went to college to learn isn’t really what they want to be doing. Complaining isn’t always a bad thing. You start out going “this suck”, which, if you’re smart, leads to “how can I fix/change/solve it”. And that’s a good thing. I think the cutesy title “quarterlife crisis” is dumb, but the “syndrome” (or whatever they’re calling it) itself? Don’t see anything wrong with it, unless of course the person is wallowing in self pity and not doing anything to change their situation, but that’s hardly a behaviour unique to a so-called “quarterlife” crisis. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sick-of-hearing-about-the-quarterlife-crisis/354086.md?page=5)