Is there such a thing as a quarter life crisis?

mehefin

Its sobering to read of so many of you with student loans. i suppose i was one of the lucky ones when there were still such things as grants ( remember them!!) even if my poor parents were put the wringer in means testing to enable me to peersue a college course. The boot was, however, very much on the other foot , when it came to graduates. I shall explain. I went to a teacher training college for 3 years of relatively intensive study and practical times in the classroom - you all remember student teachers I'm sure. At the end of it was the opportunity to go on for a 4th year to obtain a B Ed ( Batchelor of Education not a sleeping requirement!) providing grades were good enough. During this same period there was also running a 1yr post grad teaching qualification for the output from uni's etc. When it came to the crunch i wasnt good enuff... boo hoo so I got thrown into the employment pool . Now this was in the mid 70s when the first big education cuts were being thrashed about, and basically no-one wanted newly qualified staff, and particularly non graduate.. So the graduate in nose picking from midwotsits uni witha 1yr crash course would get preference over those who had done 3yrs hard grind in learning and honing the skills needed to actually teach. Bummer! Fortunately for me I had a holiday job in the last summer before the 4th year and I'm still here 31yrs later!!!
The moral of this tale - blowed if I know - you make your own minds up. In life sometimes fate deals you a good hand, sometimes not. Its up to you what you do with it. I am relatively well paid, sometimes enjoy my job, sometimes not, but I,m well past the 1/4 stage now.

Thanks Mirtos for the flagwaving - I do appreciate what you say. I just dont have the energy of a 20something anymore. All the old aches and pains seem much more aching and painful when you get past 50!!! Saying that i have just recently taken up the sport of trampolining, as the boy does it and i can't criticise him if I cant at least have a go at it myself. DSidnt know i had so many muscles!!!

dinkylou

Thanks JennItells,

Its nice to know that I'm not mad for trying to fight the loan - most people think I am and tell me to ignore it and let it pay itself off.

But its the good ol' snowball which gave me my wake up call (which it sounds like you've just had.)

I dont want that loan hanging over me until I retire

lynzpower

dinkylou
Completely agree with you. There is no point in not paying it, as yes its low interest, but its still interest. Borrowed 4702. Paid since...er forever. Interest wise its about £30 a month from what I can see on my statements.So it might be "cheap" but its still costing 30 a month at the start.

Ive only got 7 payments left then im FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Im so glad Ive paid it, if nothing else cos it gives me an extra 100 to snowball elsewhere once Im paid up

cha97michelle

Gosh this thread makes you think.

I know i'm very lucky compared to some on here. I have a combined student loan of about £9000 with DH. Mine is the majority of it. Because i'm a teacher it gets paid for me by the government as an incentive to stay in the profession.

I class uni as having been essential as i couldn't do the job i'm doing without it, and it also enabled me to meet DH and many other wonderful people. I don't keep in touch with many school friends as the majority were idiots who probably have huge debts now.

On the outside, our friends think we have it made. Our own house that is 1/3rd paid off. Happily married with a baby due in Otober. However, i am absolutely miserable most of the time, and have just had to have 5 months off work with depression.

The thought most often crossing my mind is stop the world and let me get off. Everywhere i look i feel pressured to buy a certain level of clothing, buy expensive presents, and socialise, and be able to keep the house looking amazing all while working 60 hours a week, trying to look after myself, DH and 2 cats. DH is out the house at least 12 hours a day, and we live for the weekend to collapse, watch a bit of telly, ready to join the treadmill again on Monday.

Then i look at my parents. My dad got to his forties and had an accident that left him in a wheelchair. For the first time in life he has the money, but not able to do anything he wants, and not really knowing how to entertain himself. On the other hand, we probably could afford to do it, but don't have the energy.

It's a strange old world. I just look forward to retirement already, which is sad at 27 years old, when i've only been working for 4 years.

I like the idea of writing a list of what i want to do before i die. As it is we have got ideas about what we want to do with the house, but that is as far as we have got, and i sometimes feel life is just passing me by.

It must be possible to have a balance between living to work and working to live, yet i don't think i know anyone who has truely managed it.

Quincifer

I am not a student so don't have the burden of a student loan. I have loads of friends who are at uni and there seems to be a mixed opinion of it all. Some of them fret to no end about the amount of debt they are getting into (whatever the interest rate), some of them don't care at all and have loans,O/Ds and credit cards and some are lucky enough to get their tuition fees AND rent paid by their parents so have more money than they know how to spend.
I'm glad I don't have student debt because I would definitely be a worrier regardless of how or when I'd have to pay it. However it does annoy me how my friends moan about having so much more debt than me and that i'm lucky to only have what I do. It doesn't seem to get through to them that at the moment they are lucky because they don't have to pay it back yet whereas I HAVE to pay at least minimums and interest however much I am earning and I get charged for going over my limits when they don't.
I only have GCSEs but have so far had quite a good working life, since I was 17 (4yrs) i've worked in insurance (and still would if i didnt get made redundant), banking and customer service earning up to £14500 per annum. Then again I have only ENJOYED working in insurance so far, the only thing I really WANT to do is music photography but don't have the financial suuport, qualifications or experience behind me to start.
xx