Preparing for the future

by: Brian Szczerbinski

 

Even though Trunk and Stocker said future generations will struggle through the same transitions, being overworked and overstressed is something that does not have to last throughout someone’s lifetime or even at all. Trunk said many young people do not know what they want when they are young and often make mistakes that cost a lot in student loans and time.

Trunk, though, suggests young people approach work with a trial-and-error system. If the job is too stressful and requires someone to work too many hours for not enough pay, look for another job, she said.

“There is not just one perfect job for people like there is one perfect mate. The perfect job is a thriving one,” Trunk said. “Long hours do not make for a bad career. What’s bad is a long commute, no control over the hours, and a comprised ability to get results.”

Trunk gave this example: a 22-year-old investment banker will probably dislike the monotonous and long hours, but a 22-year-old who owns a business, will enjoy working long into the night.

Nevertheless, Stocker said young people should start preparing for the future before they are out of school and even as early as high school to avoid falling into the quarterlife crisis. She said young people should know their financial situations, what they want from a career, and what they want socially.

“Everyone has to take responsibility,” Stocker said. “There are lots of tools out there to keep people educated.”

Jonathan Larson, 23, of Boston, is one young person who has not felt overburdened by adulthood. Larson said when he was at college and going to class, participating in extracurricular activities, and working, he had no free time. However, now that he has graduated and works 40 hours a week as an economic researcher at the Federal Reserve Bank, he has the opposite problem.

“I have got all this free time, and it’s like what do I do with it,” said Larson adding he likes to ride his bicycle during his free time. “I started taking a class and that’s keeping me real busy now. But I still wouldn’t say that I’m overworked, overburdened, or overstressed.”

Like Larson, Jen Selinger, a sophomore theater major at Emerson College, has found school stressful. Selinger said class, research papers, and work give her anxiety. To cope with all the work, Selinger procrastinates and drinks coffee even though she knows it does not help. Even so, she said her experiences, including anxiety in college, will be worth it when she is an actress.

“Stress is necessary,” Selinger said. “It is a rite of passage. It makes you a stronger person.”