It’s been an interesting time for me lately. I’m thinking about the future, well, at least about my future. While I am rather excited to see how things will turn out for the country and the planet, I’ve been a bit less globally minded than that lately. Is it time for a new career? Is it time to go back to school? Whatever time it is, the questions have been keeping me up, so let’s think them out a little. 

Life
You may not realize it, but we’ve witnessed the birth of a new life stage, which is being called ‘The Odyssey Years ’. I’m sure that the name will become a touch less cumbersome and literary in time, but for now, it’s all we’ve got. The last life stage to come about was adolescence. Before the turn of the century, when you were old enough to start working, you did. Since then, we’ve admitted that the latter end of childhood is pretty important to our development. High school might not have been the most pleasant for you, but at least you weren’t working your hands to the bone. This new odyssey period comes after adolescence, but before genuine adulthood. People are getting married much later in life than ever before because they simply cannot settle down. More and more people are spending their twenties jumping between the workforce and institutes of higher education. If this sounds like you, tell your parents to calm down; you’ll build a family and a stock portfolio soon enough.  

Career
This isn’t the best time to jump careers. That was an understatement. Does that mean that we should sit complacently? Does that mean that we shouldn’t try? Absolutely not! Just be smart about it. Don’t burn bridges. There’s less money around; that’s all. It isn’t the end of the world; it’s the beginning of a new one. 

Start Living
I’m sick of people who’ve given up. They’ve been getting me down lately, and they’re probably the reason I’ve been so antsy. You are responsible for every decision you make. As soon as you resign yourself to being a pawn of fate, you’ve lost because fate is mostly the actions of everyone around you working in tandem. Turn your life upside down and see how you do. Go get a new hobby. Start working on a new degree. Go do something!