How to live your 20s and avoid falling in the Millennial Trap
Updated: Jul 21, 2019
“You’re not supposed to like your first job,” my previous roommate once told me.
Four months in, I had never felt more conflicted in my entire life. I graduated college with two offers and did what everyone else in my class did––packed up my whole life, moved to a new city, and started my full time entry-level job. I had never seen my parents more proud, swelling with joy as they boasted to friends and family that I had it all figured out. The truth is, I had a dirty secret. I hated my new job and I did not know how to break it to them.
While I wanted to quit, it wasn’t that simple anymore. I signed a lease for an apartment I could hardly afford and my student loan repayments were starting up in a few months. For at least the next year, this was my new life. I vowed to myself that I’d dedicate my free time to enriching my life with unforgettable experiences.
But, I’d be lying if I told you that’s what my weekends were filled with. I was so caught up with jumping into the grind, I didn’t take into account the consecutive years I’d soon spend working a minimum of 40 hour weeks, accruing no more than two weeks of vacation time a year. Because that’s the reality; once you get started, it’s hard to stop. And it only gets harder to change jobs after you’ve received pay raises and additional responsibility.
Fast forward three whole years, a few promotions, a full career change, a couple apartments later, and I finally have a job I love. My friends and I say we’ll take a year off to travel––few have actually done it—but none of us have a game plan. And to this today, the longest trip I’ve gone on was for exactly two weeks.
If you have doubts about moving abroad, read about your fears and how to overcome them NOW.
I’ve learned a valuable lesson that was never taught in the classroom: while you have your entire life to travel the world, it certainly makes sense to do it when you’re not already knee-deep in commitments. And if there’s one thing you should do for yourself, before things get crazy complicated, it’d be to take a pause.
Get to know yourself better and cultivate the successful, confident person you will be for the rest of your life. Trust me, the grind can wait.
Find out why Heather made the decision to teach abroad.
How are you spending your 20's? Please comment below :)
About Journey to Teach Abroad:
Become a global citizen and discover life TEACHING ABROAD. Get paid to travel to stunning places, bond with an international community that you'll forever belong to, feel rewarded daily for teaching students who want to learn, and gain the confidence to discover new things. Journey to Teach Abroad is a teacher training TEFL certification course here in Los Angeles that GUARANTEES a teaching job abroad.
To contact please call 818-389-5884 | email: hello@j2teachabroad.com | www.j2teachabroad.com
About our J2 Writer: Lauren Brose
Lauren Brose is a marketer and writer based in New York City. She enjoys writing about travel, lifestyle, sustainability, music, and politics. At the top of her travel wishlist is Vietnam, Singapore and South Africa. She hopes to someday write and travel full-time––in the meantime, she chooses to live vicariously through the incredible English teachers from J2 Teach Abroad.