Quarter-life crisis hits so hard. What should we do?
I would say that my life has been turned upside down, especially with the layoffs surrounding my base. I wasn’t impacted by the layoffs, but the struggle to land a job is real. I graduated with a master’s degree in 2023, and at that time, I thought finding a job would be easier, but the competition is becoming fiercer. I am a UX writer and have been working as a freelancer.
Personally, I prefer working 9–5 or having a specific schedule rather than a flexible one (I know you might think I’m a weirdo :D). To achieve that dream, I have to compete with other candidates who are more senior than me, not to mention AI and teams affected by layoffs.
I’m not sure if my life would be better if I returned to my country. I would have to start from zero, I guess. The reason I stay out of my country is due to personal reasons. As an immigrant, it’s not easy to meet your expectations immediately. Although I graduated from one of the best universities in North America, it doesn’t mean life turned out as I expected.
I keep refining my resume and learning to master interviews (which, to be honest, I hate because I don’t like talking to strangers). The recruiters interviewed me, but they ghosted me in the end :) *I guess I’m not the only one who went through this.
Then, I realized one of my dreams could come true. Last year, I always wanted to work for an esports company. Achieved. Yeah, at that time, our company was still a community. But now, we’ve expanded into a company to help more folks learn about esports! We are so excited! I spend most of my time working on a huge project (psst… not going to tell you until we release it in April this year :)). I am so happy to work alongside a senior designer, CEO, and product manager. I think we make a good team, especially since we start hiring more people for the social media and development teams.
Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to be promoted to a full-time writer soon. They look so promising! I contribute a lot to the company’s operational system (also working closely with the CEO and COO, as I have experience building my own business).
Maybe people think, why the title says that? YES, the quarter-life crisis still hits me hard. I grew up in a family that places high expectations on their children. That’s why one or two achievements are never enough for me to say, “That is an achievement. Enough.”
Luckily, I have a few close friends to talk to, and they support me a lot! I am so grateful for that. Lately, it’s been tough for me. I couldn’t think that my life is in the right spot.
The things that I would do if this happens again (and maybe you should do it as well if you experience the same thing):
- Learn to say enough.
- Talk to a close friend or partner who understand you so well.
- Writing like this helps me a lot in reducing my anxiety.
- It’s time to learn more about ourselves.
So, if a quarter-life crisis hits you, don’t fight it. Instead, accept it and deal with it.
