Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis: Advice from Twentysomethings Who Have Been There and Survived

by Alexandra Robbins

Overview

The practical followup to the acclaimed bestseller

In 2001, the groundbreaking book Quarterlife Crisis® addressed the unique and unsettling trials of entering modern adulthood. For the first time, it identified how twentysomethings were lost and confused, and lamented the absence of a guide-a roadmap with solutions for how to emerge from the crisis successful, happy, and sane.

Now, the author of Quarterlife Crisis® delivers that roadmap. Alexandra Robbins goes beyond defining the problem of the quarterlife crisis and puts readers on the path to conquering it. She asks-and answers-the tough, soul-searching questions that keep young adults awake at night:

- How do I weigh doing what I love versus making money?
- Will I ever find my "soul mate"?
- Why is it so hard to make friends?
- Why are my twenties so different from what I expected?

With new voices as well as follow-up interviews with some of the original Quarterlife Crisis® twentysomethings, Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis® is the new go-to guide for people who want it all...but just aren't sure what that is yet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399530388
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/05/2004
Series:	Perigee Book
Edition description:	PERIGEE
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.13(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.67(d)
Age Range:	18 - 17 Years

About the Author

Alexandra Robbins, a contributing editor at Mademoiselle, is a journalist who has written for such publications as The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, The Washington Post, Salon, and Time Digital.

Table of Contents

	Introduction: The Answers	xi
Part 1	Hopes and Dreams	1
1.	What if I don't know what I want?	3
2.	How do I find my passion?	15
3.	When do I let go of my dream?	26
4.	What if I don't get what I want by the age I thought I'd get it?	39
5.	How do I start over? or, What if I spent years working hard and now realize I made a mistake?	46
Part 2	Relationships	55
6.	Why am I having trouble meeting people?	57
7.	How important are sparks?	65
8.	How do I know if I'm dating The One?	72
9.	How do I know if I was just experimenting or if I'm really gay or bi?	79
Part 3	Work Life	85
10.	How do I weigh doing something I love versus making enough money?	87
11.	Will I always hate going to work?	96
12.	When do I give up on a job?	103
13.	What if I want to completely change direction in my career?	111
14.	Should I go back to school? or, What if school was a waste?	119
Part 4	Home, Friends, and Family	127
15.	Why is it so hard to live alone?	129
16.	What if I feel like I'm "stuck"?	135
17.	Why is it so hard to find friends?	141
18.	What if my friends and I are drifting apart?	148
19.	How do I stop comparing myself to other people?	154
20.	Should I move back in with my parents?	162
Part 5	Identity	169
21.	Why can't I deal with adulthood?	171
22.	What do I do if my life seems boring or meaningless?	180
23.	How do I stop feeling so overwhelmed?	191
24.	When will I stop feeling afraid of and start looking forward to growing older?	198
25.	What if I don't like myself? or, Will I ever be happy?	203
	Conclusion	220
	Acknowledgments	225
	About the Author	235

Editorial Reviews

This is Robbins's follow-up to Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life in Your Twenties, wherein she was one of the first to document the harsh realities facing young adults in this generation. Here, she offers valuable input on love, friendships, money, and unfulfilled expectations to those experiencing the uncertainty of young adulthood.

Library Journal

In 2001, Alexandra Robbins delivered the sad news that being 20-something wasn't necessarily a bed of roses. Her Quarterlife Crisis squelched Me-Generation misconceptions about those supposedly "no sweat" post-college years. In Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis, she sketches out a road map for navigating past those vexing young adult problems: Will I ever find my soul mate? Why is it so hard to make friends? How do I choose between pursuing my dreams or pursuing big bucks?

Highly effective. . . . Every reader is likely to find one person who truly speaks to his or her concerns.

Newhouse News Service

Many of our readers in their 20s and early 30s could relate.

Times Herald

Down-to-earth advice from hundreds of people who successfully walloped the quarterlife crisis.

Indianapolis Star

A new book and a new message for the millions of 20-somethings who are still lost.

Tulsa World

There's a lot of good career advice here.

Washington Post

Robbins gets answers that can point a person in the right direction.

Chicago Tribune