In recent years adolescence has been “extended,” not in terms of age, but of maturity and overall accomplishments in life. Young adults today are living with their parents for much longer than they used to. Forty years ago, when you graduated high school- college if you could afford it- you got married and started a family. Although most do finish school, get a job, and start a life for themselves, the numbers of young adults relying on their parents much longer than they should is growing.
The age of adolescence is from twelve to eighteen years old: when you graduate high school. Then comes young adulthood, which ranges from eighteen to thirty five years old. Adolescents today are not becoming “adults” when they should be, and adolescence is beginning to encroach on young adulthood.
A cause for this may be education requirements for today’s job market. Some adults believe extended adolescence is caused by the laziness of kids today, but I feel that’s a terrible misconception. Forty years ago, a high school degree was the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in the present day. In today’s world, if you don’t go to college or you are a highschool drop-out, your employment opportunities would be very limited unless you had the skills to be trained in a trade. It has become essential to have a higher education, and it will be extremely difficult to support yourself without one.
In addition to what education requirements once were, it has become exceedingly more expensive to go to school. After graduation, many young adults are drowning in their college loans and debts. Without the aid of their parents, their lives would fall apart. Although it is possible to get your life on track without the aid of parents, it can be particularly difficult. I’m not saying that it is acceptable to live with your parents until you’re thirty, only that in today’s world it can be unrealistic to leave home right after college.
The most widely known “sign of adulthood” is finally leaving the nest, and supporting yourself without outside financial aid. While this sounds difficult, it is not impossible if people do what is needed to be successful. These things are fairly simple: go to college or technical school to get a higher education, become qualified for what you want to do, get a job, save up, and then leave home. It is much harder than it used to be, and people obviously recognize that. However, without these things being done, you won’t be able to make a life for yourself.
So when do we truly grow up? Is it when we start a family or get married? Or once we are legally considered adults? No, you become an adult when you reach a point in your life when you are financially stable, have a job, have a house or apartment for yourself, and you’re finally your own person. You are mentally ready for life and you have succeeded and you will continue to succeed in your professional and personal life.