Wouldn’t It Be Nice If We Were Older?

Hello again. It’s me, Joey.

Heads up: this one gets a bit more ranty than usual. Just bear with it.

I have no idea what life is supposed to be like. I’m sure that’s not that big of a surprise; I’m still just starting out. Still, I always thought by the time I was out of college, I would have some idea what direction my life would take.

It’s not that I feel like I’m owed anything. It’s more that I’ve done all the things that I was supposed to. I graduated high school, went to college, studied hard, worked part-time jobs in the field I want to work in, and graduated with honors. I put my time in.

Apparently, I’m not alone in this. Being a 24 year old man, I proudly belong to the currently most unemployed demographic in the United States (not counting teenagers).

I think I’d be more ok with unemployment if I felt like I deserved it, like if I dropped out of school or did nothing with my free time. Again, it’s not as if I feel like I deserve employment; I just feel like I don’t deserve unemployment. I know that sounds paradoxical, but it’s all the other stuff that come with not having a job that I’m talking about.

Frankly, the money is the least important part of work to me. It’s the idea that I fit somewhere, that I’m contributing my skills into something bigger than me. I don’t want to live my life using my talents selfishly; I want to make stuff better. I want the world to be different when I’m done, even if it’s in a small way. I had no idea how important this was to me until I didn’t have it.

I guess that’s where I’ve been struggling lately. I know that I’ll fit somewhere eventually, and in the mean time, I’ll keep doing my best to find that place.

Wow, you made it to the bottom. Thanks for sticking around. Here’s a picture of a cute puppy for your perseverance.

See you next week.