Quarter Life Crisis

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Please bear with the long post.

I'm in my early 20s and about to finish college. I'm living at home through college to save money. I have a full time job in my field of study. There's a chance that I'll get a small promotion and pay raise soon. That's all good I suppose. I've accomplished a lot more in a short amount of time than a lot of people do in their lifetime.

However, I'm about ready to give it all up, quit my job, avoid social contact, live at home forever and become the real life version of the 40 Year Old Virgin.

Why? While, I am successful compared to most people my age, I am still not where I want to be. A couple of years ago, I had my life all planned out, but things changed. I tried to re adjust and plan B didn't work out either. That's where my new college major and current job came into play. However, I've found that while it is fun as a hobby, I don't like some of the things that go with the job. Namely, I get to supervise projects every week and have a team meant to support my efforts. But they want to do more than their job description requires of them (and some of the things that are proper to my job). I hate that. My boss told me that even though I supervise the project, it still needs to be more of a democracy than a dictatorship. Half of the reason I like my job is that I get to make the decisions about things. When my team complains to my boss about not accepting their opinions, it just makes me bitter rather than helping. I plan to move up within my company, but this won't be possible if I'm seen as unwilling to compromise. But when I do compromise, I feel like I'm being pushed around with my own project and I can't deal with that.

So between work woes and some of the things I planned to do in life not happening, I think I've entered a quarter life crisis. I'm asking myself where I'm going and why. I'm also weighing the advantages and disadvantages of just staying with my family for the rest of my life.

Comments?

Yeah. I just had mine. I only read parts of your posts because every sentence I did read sounded exactly like me a few months ago: just graduated college, I hated my job, had no friends, feared involuntary celibacy, and was contemplating spending the rest of my life with my mom. My circumstances haven't changed much, but I have.

I think most existential crises happen when we lose touch with ourselves. It's easy to do, especially when we get busy. That's why we need to reexamine ourselves daily. I practice meditation now, which I didn't use to. It's hard to explain, but I feel a spontanaity and gaity that I don't feel often. But of course, everyone's path to self-discovery is as different as the people on this planet.

Just wondering if it is the specific company or the same in all companies? You can get some bad experiences from one bad boss or job.

I've felt a bit like that. I completed a Science PhD in my mid 20s and have not been able to get a graduate job since. It feels like a waste having done 7 years of university. I'm working as a part time temporary PA and have been doing similar for 4 years. The communication aspect of nearly all jobs I look at seems too daunting and I wonder what job I can do now. I've also hit the point that everyone I know is having children and I don't know whether to go down that path or not as not at the same life point as other people who have already got started in a career.

I keep coming up with random careers everyday like cookery and cycling through various sectors trying to think of jobs that might suit me.