After 21 years of waking up excited on my birthday, this past year I didn’t feel much of anything. For the first time in my life, I didn’t have anything to look forward to on my birthday.
The past few years have been difficult to come to terms with. When I turned 19 it felt bizarre to know that it was my last year as a teenager. At 20, I didn’t really know what to do. I felt old, but not old enough to do anything fun. And when I finally turned 21, I was ecstatic.
But birthday number 22 just seemed so grown up, so adult. I never thought I would actually reach this age and a part of me feels like it’s all downhill from here.
Sure, in three years I’ll be 25. I’ll finally be one quarter of a century old. I will legally be able to ride in the passenger seat of a car with a teenager who has their learner’s permit, and I can get a better deal at most rental car agencies.
Other than that though, I can’t really think of the perks of getting older.
In the past, the real world has always seemed so far away. College felt like it would last forever, and I never really thought I’d be finished with it.
David Abramowitz, a third-year mathematics and economics student, is already feeling nostalgic about his college experience.
As far as the real world goes, Abramowitz says, “It’s coming and I’m not really ready for it.”
It took a while, but I have finally come to terms with the fact that I’m a full-fledged “grown-up.”
College life is completely different than life in the real world. Instead of waking up late and manipulating your schedule so that you don’t have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, you’ll be hearing an alarm sound around 6 a.m. There are no excuses, no slacking off, and your actions now really do count for something.
Valerie Abrego, a third-year political science and linguistics student, also feels the looming presence of the real world. Abrego said she used to only worry about how her grades would affect her at UCLA, and now she worries about how they will help her after she graduates. Still, she’s positive about the future.
“I’m kind of looking forward to that transition and to see how it goes,” she said.
Soon the days of sporting BearWear, flip-flops and jeans will be long gone for all of us, and at work parties, it’s likely there won’t be any beer pong tables or tapped out kegs. I won’t need to worry about tests and papers or grades.
And the change in scenery will also be a relief. To be honest, I’m getting pretty sick of the feeling of dread that takes over me when I have a looming midterm. It’s hard to completely enjoy yourself just knowing you have reading that you should be doing.
Dustin Abelin, a 2007 graduate and music history student who is taking a couple of classes in the fall, is looking forward to the future.
“I’m pretty excited. (I’m) still not 100 percent sure what I’m going to do,” he said.
In 10 years, many of us will be in our 30s, starting families, tying the knot and having block parties with our neighbors. It still seems so far off in the distance, especially when we just celebrated our graduation, but I used to think college was far away too.
Getting older is not a bad thing. As long as you’re actually doing something with your life, it’s just a matter of finding that stability. That’s the part that worries me. If you have a successful career and are financially stable, then it’s fine. If you’re living at home with your parents working at the local fast food joint, it’s probably a huge bummer.
So just keep setting goals after college, and make sure you don’t lose your ambition. The best years of our lives are ahead of us, and we don’t want to waste any time.
Do you want to lie when someone asks your age? E-mail Shackelford at bshackelford@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.