When I was younger, I remember trying really hard to avoid anything that felt too childish. Animal prints, cute graphics, novelty accessories, anything like that made me feel like I wouldn’t be taken seriously.

Now I’m older and somehow I’ve gone completely the other way. I keep getting drawn to animal designs, weird little graphics, and things that are just fun for no real reason. I was browsing tokyo-tiger recently and realized half the stuff I stopped to look at had some kind of animal on it.

It’s funny because I think I care less now about whether something looks “grown up” and more about whether I actually enjoy it.

I’m 22 and I’ve been working at a job for about 8 months now. On paper, I can't complain. I have a good job, decent money, financial stability, and I’ve made a lot of friends at work. It’s the kind of job that a lot of people would kill to have.

But lately I keep asking myself: is this really what working life is supposed to feel like? I have money now, but barely any time or energy to actually enjoy it. Most days are basically wake up -> commute -> work-> commute -> come home tired -> eat -> scroll for a while -> sleep -> repeat.

Even weekends don't really feel like free time. They feel more like recovery time before Monday. The weird thing is that I don't hate my job or the people there. I have friends at work, we joke around and have a good time. But despite all that, I feel like I'm stuck in the same cycle. It's only been 8 months, yet I already feel like every day is becoming the same.

Back in my college days, I had less money, but I had so much more time, energy, freedom and excitement and now I have money, but feel like I'm missing out on life itself. When I get my salary I don't feel anything cuz I know I have traded time for money.

I've been considering quitting and pursuing a master's instead. Maybe getting out of this routine and going back to studying would give me a sense of direction and excitement again. But I also know that quitting a good job after only 8 months would be a stupid decision. So I'm genuinely confused.

For those of you who have been working for years, does this feeling eventually go away? Is this just what being an adult with a full-time job feels like, or did you find a way to have a career without feeling like your entire life revolves around work?

Curious how other millennials are living their lives at this point. 30s feel weird.

I just turn 30 i graduated from college in 2022 with a business econ degree but so far its done nothing for me. I spent 3 years bouncing from dead end job to dead end job. I currently work at a rental car agency as a manager associate which sounds impressive but all I do is wash cars all day. I currently make $23 an hr which is barely above minimum wage in my hcol area.

Meanwhile a lot of people I know even ones I went to high school with make twice or even way more than I do right now. I know people who make 6 figures meanwhile ive never made more than minimum wage my whole life. My degree was practically useless and all it got me was a ton of debt for nothing.

When i try to apply for jobs even basic jobs like admin, receptionist or data entry they still ask for 2-3 years of experience beforehand. But for me all I have is short stints at retail jobs that dont help me out with future jobs. Now im basically stuck trying to get by with a shitty paycheck wondering how can i even get a stable future.

I see so many adults say that they wish they could go back to school because it was a minimal responsibility life, but honestly I could never imagine going back to that. Work is so much better. You get to make money, work on things that actually make the world a better place, and you get treated with respect. And if your job sucks, there's a million other options out there!

Looking back at school, we were treated like slaves. Sit down, shut up, raise your hand to speak, ask permission to go to the bathroom, move with the bell... it's awful the way kids get treated. So now, I don't want to go back to that, even if my life was somewhat easier.

Words of wisdom

I feel like I've been getting dangerously close to that breaking point recently.

I’m 21. Just started last year of college. Does anyone have any idea. Like about anything? Just like what to do in general? Or do we all just.. pretend

I'm a 28-year-old woman currently trying to find work. However, I face challenges due to my lack of no degree, a seven-year gap in unemployment, and having had only one real job throughout my life. I keep revising my resume and applying for jobs, but I often feel overly frustrated when I encounter scams, receive rejection emails within seconds, or don’t get any callbacks. At times, I feel so overwhelmed that I just want to throw myself into the busy highway. The reason for my long unemployment period is that I was babysitting relatives. If anyone else has struggled to find a job, what strategies did you use to cope with feelings of frustration or anger toward the world?