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August 5, 2001 Story

For 'Quarterlifers', Identity Crisis Refuses to Wait

If you're in your 20s, you probably know the signs. You're watching more VH1 than MTV. Suddenly, panty hose and neckties are big parts of your wardrobe. No question, from here it's a straight shot to being a grown-up. But in the meantime, some young people are saying, they're stuck in a no-man's-land of doubt and indecision. ''Everybody looks forward to 18, to 21. But then, after that, there's nothing to look forward to. Twenty-five brings you nothing,'' said 24-year-old Ed Downs of Philadelphia, a disc jockey at WLCE-FM, who has been in a panic about his next birthday (in September) since his last birthday. ''It's like you're caught in between two parts of your life,'' said Karen McKeon, 24, a Villanova University graduate from New Hope, Pa. ''But nobody really talks about it.''

Well, now they're starting to, because someone has finally tacked a name onto this angst... quarterlife crisis. At its most benign, they say, the switch is a culture shock: an unsettling plunge from a safe, structured college environment into a workaday life in which there is no syllabus. At its worst, it brings a panicked identity crisis.

Quarterlife has hit their contemporaries hard. Those in their 20s watch some of their peers reach unprecedented heights of success, and feel pressure to do the same. They are overwhelmed by the vast career options now available, thanks to the Internet, and they struggle to find their passions among all the possibilities. And with more college graduates than ever, competition for the good jobs has grown fierce. Indeed, between 1987 and 1997, the number of people graduating with associate degrees rose by 31 percent, according to the Digest of Education Statistics. In the same period, the statistics show, the number of bachelor's degrees awarded rose by 18 percent, the number of master's degrees by 45 percent, and doctorates by 35 percent.

So, yes, these worries are real.

They're also nothing new, said a professor of psychology at the College of New Jersey in Ewing. ''The kinds of crises [we] are talking about are perfectly normal. It's a good thing, an indication that one is progressing in one's life development. 'Does it feel uncomfortable? Sure, it feels uncomfortable,'' he said. ''Should it be covered by health insurance? No.''

David Morrison, president of TWENTYSOMETHING INC., a marketing consulting and research firm in Philadelphia, Pa., said many quarterlifers have watched their parents reshuffle their lives to place personal fulfillment ahead of juicy paychecks. This generation, Morrison said, wants to get it right the first time.

Cynics may dismiss this generation as a bunch of whiners unwilling to pay their dues, but such talk only halts an important conversation, said Katharine Brooks, director of career services at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. In college, Brooks said, students follow a connect-the-dots map to their degrees. ''When you get out there in your first job, the structure becomes less defined,'' she said. ''Their boss doesn't give them an A every few weeks, so they don't necessarily know how they're doing.'' What those in their 20s need is perspective, Brooks said.

Be flexible. Think about where you want to be next year, not 10 years from now. And embrace the trial-and-error path to finding your passions. After all, the typical person holds 8.6 jobs between the ages of 18 and 32, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates. In that time, you're bound to learn something about what you want to be when you grow up.

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