What's your age, and what are you currently most concerned about?

[Eclipse Dragon]

I'm 24, I'll be 25 in May.

I'm currently concerned about where I want to go with my career, I have a relevant job to hold me over, but I don't want to be working this particular job for the rest of my life.

I'm also trying to improve my own artistic abilities, since I feel like I've dug myself into a little bit of a hole.

I'm also trying to be more social.
I would also like to get back into martial arts
I would also like to learn a second language.

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I'm very concerned about my best friend, who is in a worse situation than I am in pretty much every aspect, he lives with me now after having a very traumatic childhood and I've been trying to keep his confidence up and help him recover the best I can.

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I need a machine that stops time.

 

[McElroy]

21 and concerned about getting an internship that suits me and my planned future career (director/writer/showrunner). It has to be in a French-speaking country too. I studied French for over eight years but haven't really used it outside school, and it *will* go to waste unless I brush it up.

Also a bit concerned about how my general laziness factors into everything, but I'm generally too lazy to care about that.

 

[L. Declis]

I'm 23.

Due to administrative difficulties, I was removed from university. So, I have decided to go and learn in China like I was always planning to.

So, waiting to see if the universities I've applied to will accept me. Also, will I be happy in China? I've lived there for a few months before, but this time, I will be moving there. Properly.

It'll take around 5 years for me to finish everything, which means I'll be 28 before I go onto the job market per-se. I'm lucky enough that I've got plenty of experience in various areas (translation, team leading, teaching, journalism) that I am able to kinda be okay on the job market proper, but there is a large pressure in China for a man for have made an achievement by the time he is 30.

Also, I have a girlfriend here who is wonderful and everything I have wanted and now we face the strange situation of the British bloke moving to China while the Chinese lass will stay in the UK for 4 more years, which we have agreed to try long distance for.

So nothing utterly terrible, but still a bit worrying.

 

[IndomitableSam]

30. Leaving my well-paying government job in 7 weeks, then moving cross country with no job lined up. I'm doing things backwards.

What I'm most worried about, however, is the fact that my vet is worried about my cat making the trip. He's old and not in the best of health, but still active and happy. So I'm at a complete loss as to what to do and I worry about it constantly.

 

[Malty Milk Whistle]

17, and worried about mental health.
Broke down making a cuppa the other day, so something maybe going on...

also the rising price of freddos.
'Tis a scam I say!

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

I am 25 and I am currently trying to get a deposit together for a house. I am a serial mis-spender, and throw money away on things I later regret, and am now trying to rectify that. Unfortunately this means changing my lifestyle slightly, which also means I will be socialising in my traditional sense less, which finally means that I will have to work out a way of not dissapointing my friends (who I both live and work with) without alienating myself from them...

In this mix as well I am also aware that I am of an age where I may end up meeting someone to settle down with. This is a factor that I need to consider factoring contingency plans for, however have little experience in what scenarios I should be aware of. Something that is playing a big role in my outlook and planning.

I finally have a lot of pressures from my job. I have subordinates that need to be kept focussed, I have a lot of time being sent away for weeks at a time coming up (traveling stresses me at the best of times) and I have objectives that have been set for me that I need to accomplish in order to ensure my next posting is decent and that I get promoted in line with when I should. Unfortunately some of these involve getting involved with things that will further push me beyond my comfort zone, and will take a lot of my spare time. I need to be involved with a club outside of work, and organise some type of event for that, and I also need to organise an office force development day (read: day out) which within military confinements is a lot harder than it sounds... There is a lot of paperwork involved, and a lot of extra bullshit behind the scenes that would need to be done around my normal job (which is busy) to do!
Then again, my capacity can take this extra work... but things I enjoy doing, like gaming, will have to take a back burner again, which always irks me eventually.

Phew... Glad I got that off the chest! Things always seem more simple when you get it all out there and explain it!

 

[Robyrt]

29, and it depends whether short-term or long term. Short term, the lady is desperately sick - on medical leave for the whole semester - and I can't do anything about it, but it's stressful all the same. Long term, I'm trying to figure out whether to go back to school for a Masters (when I already have a fine job) or move to a new city and try something completely new.

 

[franticfarken]

17,
Getting the score needed from my last year of high-school to get into my specific course is what i'm most worried about at the moment.

From what I've seen, education seems to be all of our problems.

 

[Gamer87]

26 here and my biggest concern is my mental health issues and if I ever will be able to get my life together.

I've never had a job, I have ridiculously good grades from working my ass (and mental health) off in school but that doesn't do me any good in the position I'm in now.
I'm being a parasite borrowing money from my mom to pay my bills.
My self-esteem is really crappy.
AND I must soon apply with a crappy portfolio, far from good enough, to get me into a program that might lead to me actually getting a job that I can stand doing so that I can finally make some money and be able to stop worrying and start living. That is if my mental issues will ever let me do any of those things.
I'm also worried about my health.

 

[Quazimofo]

I'm 19, existential crisis all over the place. Scared of the future. Being lonely, being overcrowded, never being able to express myself, growing old. I feel so vain for placing self-expression on that list, but god, it just seems to matter to me so much, and it drives me insane seeing people with fantastic talents and a great life on top of them. I know it's really scummy, but...well, I don't really know how I can excuse it. It's not hatred, mind you it's just a sort of jealousy mixed with admiration that results in frustration thanks to my overall lack of self-worth.

Summation of my rambling: 19, concerned with life in general. Not going anywhere at the current rate, feeling broken for being unable(????) to do anything about it.

^pretty much this to a T.

I'm 18, going on 19 (though I was born less than a week from the end of '95 so at this point it's interchangeable with recently turned 18). The existential crises kinda come in irregular spurts and I generally just distract myself to stop thinking about it (since nothing really comes from dwelling on it). The future is scary, because I don't know what I want to do, I don't know what I CAN do, and so many people I talk to (adults mostly, because teenagers suck) have such high expectations of me I feel like there's no way I can live up to them if I get any less than a Nobel Prize for some technology which all but solves a major problem of my choosing. I've been lonely as of late. I had friends at my old high-school, but since I switched to a different school (And 2 moved out of state) I've lost contact with the lot of them and haven't really made any new ones. The hobby store I frequented announced their closing out of nowhere on wednesday, so it's significantly less likely I'll ever be able to interact with the people I've met there again (the age gap is a bit of an inhibitor to friendship when the youngest party (me) are still high-school students). I'd explain my family's financial situation, though it really IS a long story. If/when it gets resolved though they might write a book tentatively titled "Godot showed up, and why he took so fucking long", detailing the assorted absurd situations over the almost 5 year (so far) ordeal which, as the title implies, caused it to take much longer than necessary.

Especially with the closing of the local hobby store I fear I'll wind up nothing more than a forum troll waiting for things to happen, as that was the only reliable outlet for social expression and a place to enjoy and improve my painting skills for my collection of minis (because I'm crap at free-hand and I've not got the resources to buy the needed materials for just about any other kind of art). Right now I'm just passing by through school, just doing as little as I can to not fail, waiting to move on to college where I can at the very least take some damn control of my life, because I feel like there's not a goddamn thing I can do right now.

Of course thanks to therapy and a bit of medication I've become more comfortable with my situation (still not certain how we could afford it but I'm not complaining). In a couple of small was I do have at least a bit more control in my life as of late. It's awkward to get started on a new good habit or an effort to learn something new, or even just get out there to do SOMETHING, but I'll tell you right now the difference between "I've got nothing to offer the world, no talents, and no skills of any worth" and "I'm learning how to do something new and interesting, even if I'm mediocre right now" is MASSIVE. In a good way.

And yes that last paragraph does contradict those prior to some degree, but I bounce in and out of depression/existential crises. Not bi-polar, but it swings. I still stand by what I said in that last paragraph though.

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Or maybe that's just youthful naïveté speaking. Haven't lived long enough to tell the difference. Still a hell of a lot better than self-pity though. And it feels nice to pour your thoughts/feelings out there under the illusion someone is listening. (OH! now I get why social media is so popular!)

 

[Thundero13]

By God, you all sound so responsible worrying about school or work Not that college isn't a worry for me, i'm starting a course next year and it's weird to suddenly have ambition after a lifetime of being confused (also I probably should have spent the last three hours E-mailing people and important stuff but whatever).
But mostly i'm worried about my social life, over the last few months I think i've managed to fuck up most of the friendships I had and i'm only just starting to realise that now, I should probably be working on making new friends but i'm not entirely sure how I did that in the first place and also i'm pretty lazy and i'm the type to complain about it but then not actually do anything, i'm worried that when I start college next year I won't talk to anyone and i'll just be the weird lonely kid all over again and also i'm really dreading the coming Summer because it's alright to not be doing much when all your friends are in school but I don't want to spend three months cooped up in the house wishing things were like they were a year ago *sigh* thanks for the space to rant, it was very therapeutic
Oh and i'm 17 if the teenage angst didn't tip you off

 

[Greg White]

27.

Mostly worried about what to do when I get out of the Army next year.

Getting a job shouldn't be too much of a problem(have most of my tech certs and my fiber splicing training), it's just a matter of getting one where I want(preferably somewhere in GA or FL) and at a decent enough salary.

 

[username sucks]

17, soon to be 18. I'm worried most about what I'm going to do with the rest of my life.

I feel that I would be content with most any living conditions, but I'm probably going to a community college. I also would like to cut all ties with my family when I graduate high school, but I know how much that would hurt them. I just don't know what I'm going to do.

 

[Nomad]

The phD situation is similar in the UK (unless you're super rich and can pay for it yourself). The most common funding method is through research councils, who give uni departments enough cash for x number of phd students.

So far, x has never been greater than 3, and is rarely as high as that. I had an interview today where they said there was quite a bit of choice of what sort of research you want to do (along the old triangle of simulation, result analysis and hands on "sawdust and soldering" work) , because they have far more projects they want to do than they have places for students to actually do them.

The interview I had before that I was told not too feel bad if I wasn't immediately given an offer, because the best candidates will get picked by several institutions and leave openings at the ones they reject. I think that interview might not have been very successful for me.

Still, you've had interviews at least, which must mean you've got a decent shot. The application period only ran out two weeks ago for the positions I applied to, so they haven't quite gotten to that point yet. I know one of the positions had 113 applicants though, so I think I can consider myself lucky if they notice my application at all.

I actually considered applying for a phd studentship at Loughborough University in the UK, but I only found out about the position a few days before the application period ran out, so I couldn't manage to scrape together enough time to make a decent application.

17, soon to be 18. I'm worried most about what I'm going to do with the rest of my life.

I feel that I would be content with most any living conditions, but I'm probably going to a community college. I also would like to cut all ties with my family when I graduate high school, but I know how much that would hurt them. I just don't know what I'm going to do.

Out of curiosity, if your relationship with your family is at a point where you want to cut all ties with them, how come you care so much about hurting them?

 

[Yuno Gasai]

I'm 23.

My primary concern right now is moving out, but that ties in very closely with another of my concerns - dating.

In an ideal world, I'd like to settle down with someone and be able to move in with them - it's much more appealing to me than moving into a house occupied by people I don't know and who are unlikely to be respectful of my weird and wonderful working hours. (The exception, of course, would be if I ended up living in a household with dedicated night shift workers - but then the household environment would be a different kettle of fish entirely).

I simply can't afford to move out on my own, and my parents are nice enough to allow me to stay in the family home rent-free, so busting my wallet just for a bit of extra freedom seems like a dumb idea just for the sake of moving out. It would most likely be much more doable if I didn't have a car to pay for, but then I wouldn't have a job, so I'd be in the same position regardless.

I'm sure something will come up, I just have to be patient.

 

[username sucks]

17, soon to be 18. I'm worried most about what I'm going to do with the rest of my life.

I feel that I would be content with most any living conditions, but I'm probably going to a community college. I also would like to cut all ties with my family when I graduate high school, but I know how much that would hurt them. I just don't know what I'm going to do.

Out of curiosity, if your relationship with your family is at a point where you want to cut all ties with them, how come you care so much about hurting them?

I don't want to hurt anyone. Most of my family is filled with absolutely horrible people, but I know that they do care about me, even if its for the wrong reasons. They are also under the illusion that I care about them simply because of the value of family. I just... Don't want to cause more pain than I need to.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

25. Gonna be 26 in May.

I'm freaked about my future. This freakin bachelors degree in compsci is taking me forever. Not to mention that my option (computer games) requires me to do this piece of shit graphics course where we're basically thrown to the wolves with no help. -_- It's literally just "here's a few formulas I'll show you for a minute, you should already know what they are and how to code them even though we haven't shown you. Now I'll show you examples of completed 3D graphics for 10 minutes. Now more formulas with no explanations! Now go code this yourself even though we haven't shown you SHIT!"

I REALLY want to finish this !@#$ing degree, get a goddamn job, and get my own damn place. I mean, there are so many things I wanna do, that I can't do while living with my parents.

Above all, I'm worried I'll never get it done and somehow end up on the street starving to death, or working menial labour my entire life while being a burden on everyone forever. ;_;

It doesn't help that the ONE thing I thought I had figured out (my relationship) turned out to not be working out, and suddenly going from having a girlfriend I loved to being single was a massive blow to me.

So yeah, I'm worried that my future is either going to be shit, or nonexistant. The thought often results in me curled up in the shower in the fetal position trying only to think of the nice hot water.

 

[laggyteabag]

16, 17 in under a month.

I have my exams coming up, starting in May, but I am more concerned about what I am going to do after that. Whether I should stick on for my second year and do my A2 exams, or drop out and look for an apprenticeship. I'm not enjoying school right now, and I am definitely not doing very well, I guess that both of those things come hand-in-hand, but I don't really know what I would want to do if I left. The next few months are going to be very stressful for me as I will be deciding the next year or so of my life, but at least I don't have any family issues or failing relationships that are stacking onto my plate, so I can always be thankful for that.

 

[Padwolf]

Age 22 here, I have a bachelors double honour degree in english and sociology and my biggest concern is getting a job. It's been nearly 3 years since I left university and still nothing. Because I don't have a job I have no money. I'm still waiting to hear back for an interview for jobseekers allowance, but until then I have no money. Also I haven't eaten in nearly 2 days because the last of my money had to go on an ebay problem. I wish I could make something out of nothing but all I have is very out of date potatos :/ I keep going to the freezer with some hope that something might have changed and maybe randomly food will appear. I'm so hungry.

 

[Laxer]

26.

I work in the armed forces and my knee has been acting up lately, throbbing and hurting after marches and runs. It came suddenly and unexpected. It might be the beginning of the end in this specific military career, if I can't stop it from worsening I have to drive my body in a lower gear.