Cope or Quit? How to Solve the Quarter-Life Career Crisis
You’ve put in the hard work. You’ve spent your short-but-busy life getting through school, making connections, and building your resume. And now that you’ve reached the start of your career, you’re feeling stuck. You’re unsure if you should stick it out and try to cope with the challenges of your job or quit and start over in a new field.
Welcome to the quarter-life career crisis.
Defined by a sense of uncertainty and a looming question of purpose, a quarter-life career crisis is both unsettling and a natural part of being human. By the time you reach your mid-to-late 20s, your values, passions and long-term goals may look very different than they did when you were in school. Society says you’re supposed to have your life all figured out by now. But in reality, three out of four adults aged 25 to 33 say they’ve experienced a quarter-life crisis, where they felt frustrated about their career choices and worried they might no longer be able to pursue the career they actually wanted.
So, is the best approach to quit your job and look for greener pastures or to soldier on and find a way through the quarter-life fog? The answer is, it's up to you. But before you make the decision, take some time to work through the following strategies. If you simply rage quit and move to the first job offer you get, you may end up in the same cycle and headed towards a mid-30s crisis without ever figuring out what you really want.
1. Reflect on your goals and values
Introspection might not come easily to you, but assessing what’s important can help you make good, intentional choices. What basic values define your life, and are those happening in your career? If not, why not? For example, if one of your core values is creativity, how can you inject more creativity into your job? Think about what activities ignite your curiosity and what motivates you—what satisfies a creative itch for you may not be the same for someone else.
And then, of course, figure out what your life goals are. Where do you see yourself in a year? In five years? Will you be going back to school, starting a family or traveling the world? Your career should align with your goals and values, so take some time to figure out what those are.
2. Explore other avenues
It's easy to get sucked into a career path because your major was in that field or you were offered a job right out of college, but it's not necessarily the right fit for you. Surprisingly few of us sit down and explore all the opportunities before us. Even fewer allow ourselves a period of experimentation to try to find what truly lights our fire.
By the time you reach quarter life, rent and other responsibilities are likely weighing you down, but that doesn't mean you can't explore your interests. Taking a career aptitude test is a low-risk way to figure out your work preferences and jobs that might suit them. You can even make this a game—try different hobbies or activities on your days off. Think about what you liked and disliked and how this might translate into your work. For instance, if you tried playing on a soccer team, did you feel a boost of energy leading or following?
3. Release toxic expectations and comparisons
Who told you that you had to be earning six figures, managing a team or running your own business by the age of 28? LinkedIn influencers? Your mom? You? Are you beating yourself up because your best friend got a promotion and you didn’t? If so, it's time to let go of these silly expectations and comparisons. The only place they lead is unhappiness and career envy, where you’re too focused on what others are doing to focus on your own path.
Facing a quarter-life career crisis can be emotionally taxing. Be kind to yourself as you start figuring out what you want next and what sacrifices you're prepared to make to get there. And remember that there’s no right way to build a career, so don’t be too hard on yourself if your career path doesn’t look like anyone else's.
4. Embrace change where needed and make a plan
If you feel like change is coming, don’t turn it down just because it feels unfamiliar. Opportunities arise in unlikely places. An excellent way to move forward is to take all the work you’ve done in the previous steps and create a concrete plan. Setting achievable goals, no matter how small, can help you move forward in your career while also keeping an eye on your long-term vision.
This might not mean immediately quitting the job that makes you unhappy, but rather making a game plan for a career transition and biding your time until you can make your move with intention.
5. Get the support you need
You’ll feel much less stressed out by a quarter-life career crisis if you get some advice and help from others. Reach out to people you trust and discuss your plight with them. What does your best work friend think? Or your brother, or your partner or your parents? Glean any information you can, even if it’s just a different perspective or a sympathetic ear.
If you have people who love you holding you accountable for making the changes you need to make, you may feel a greater sense of responsibility to achieve your goals.
If you feel you need more input on your situation, consider seeking professional help, such as hiring a career coach or talking to a mentor at work.
Finals thoughts
The answer to your quarter-life crisis is not to quit on a dime because you’re feeling disillusioned at work. Instead of making snap decisions, you should assess your situation with intention. What can you do to make changes now? Do you want to change careers, or do you just want to find more purpose in what you’re already doing?
These are all good questions to ask yourself, along with taking self-assessments and career assessments and being honest about your future goals. And most importantly, don’t beat yourself up for finding yourself in this position. Quarter-life crises are a normal part of life for many people, and you will come through to the other side as long as you’re kind and patient with yourself.
