Hiiiii! If you’re new here, welcome! If you’re returning, welcome back! It’s been about 3 months since my last post and a lot has happened since then. For those of you who are new, my name is Tyler and this is a written compilation of… my life. I’m a 26 year old grad student living in California and like every other milennial, I’m just trying to figure life out. If you’d like to know more, check out my latest Q&A post because that’s where the “real tea” is. At the end of this post I’ll be discussing a topic that I think is pretty relatable if you’re around the same age as me so feel free to skip ahead.

Here’s what’s currently happening: quarantine is still sorta kinda a thing, I’m wrapping up my summer classes for grad school, I’ve been (safely) traveling, and I’m about to start a podcast. Let’s take this one at a time. I personally have been at home since March 13th - that was our last day in the classroom and school was out in June. We did the whole distance learning (see the previous post for more about how that went) and we’re about to start this next school year doing distance learning again. I got accepted into a graduate teaching credential program in May and I’ve been enrolled in some 6-week summer courses since July. The credential program is 2 years long and candidates have the option to take a few more classes to receive a Master’s degree. I recently took a poll on Instagram (if you’re not following me what are you doing?!) asking about college degrees. I wanted to know why people went to college, if they are using their degree, etc. and I’ll share all about that in an upcoming post. Long story short, my summer classes have been mostly busy work and that’s that on that. Oh, and I had the crazy idea recently to start a podcast… what?!

I won’t share the name of the podcast just yet but I’ve been researching how to start one, what I’ll need, etc. My mind is constantly on 100 and though this blog has been my pride and joy, I think it’s time to add something new. Don’t worry, this blog isn’t going anywhere anytime soon! I just want to branch out and try something new. I have so many ideas and opinions that I would love to share. Honestly speaking, I appreciate young people who can keep it real about life. This blog, my podcast, and whatever else I venture into are for the people who are trying to figure out this crazy world just like me. The goal is to let whatever creative outlet I have serve as a place of transparency, encouragement, lessons, and laughter for whoever needs it. I guess I kind of think of it like this: if I could do life over and tell my younger self some things, what would I say? If I got the chance to sit at a round table with people my age or my color or anyone in my field, what would I discuss? If I needed relief from the negativity on the internet, what kind of content am I looking for? Instead of constantly searching for that, I’ve decided to create that. Will it flop? Who knows, but it’s worth a try.

See how my brain works, I totally forgot about the whole traveling piece. Now before anyone tries to drag me, let me say that I take all the precautions before traveling. Since COVID-19 came to ruin 2020, I’ve only hung around the same people and I’m very particular about how and where I travel. I’ve been to Clearlake, Lake Tahoe, the Bay Area (briefly), San Diego, and all along the California Coastal Highway. These have all been road trips and I don’t like being around a lot of people anyway so I’m definitely social distancing and wearing my mask. For the love of everything good, wear your freakin’ mask!!!

Anyway, I recently received a request to talk about the pressures of being a millennial in their 20’s. First and foremost I’d like to say that I feel this pressure everyday and every time I’m trying to make a move that will affect my future. I think the biggest pressure comes from society - particularly, society’s timeline and ideas surrounding “normal”. Following what society says, I should have a degree, a marriage, a house, maybe a child, and financial success before I’m 30. Realistically, I’m a 26 year old who decided to go back to school, I’m not married, and I don’t have kids or a house. What’s interesting to me is that our generation was raised by the people who said go to school, get your degree and go be successful. Yet, these are the same people who work in HR that couldn’t care less about whether you have a degree or not because there’s so many life paths that don’t require one or they want you to have a PhD and they’ll pay you $20/hour. Make it make sense!!! It’s really difficult letting go of what society says we should be doing and what we should have. I fantasized about being married with kids by 25. Why was I obsessing over a wedding when I was 14 instead of just enjoying adolescence? Why do I feel like the clock is ticking because I don’t have a kid? That’s another thing - if I have a kid at 22 that’s too young but if I wait until I’m 32 that’s too old. See why it’s hard trying to go by this standard?

It’s a simultaneous battle between being who I want to be, feeling left behind when I look at how other people in their 20’s are doing, and trying to keep up with the ever-changing rules of life. I think everyone should just mind their own business and not project their lifestyle on the next person. If you own your own business at 27 and you’re making 6 figures a year, that’s great. If you dropped out of college at 19 that’s fine too. If you want to wait until you’re 35 to start a family that’s acceptable. If you never want to get married then live your best life. It’s 2020, why should we all be held to the same standards of success, especially when the standard changes every week? Half the things I see people have, I don’t want or I’m not ready for that. The number one question I get asked right now is why I’m not married. There’s several reasons I guess but more than anything I’m not going to rush into that just to walk around as “Mrs.” and have a cute ring. I want to be married, I’m just not super pressed over it anymore. There are always exceptions to the rule but it seems like half the young people I know who are married have the title of wife/husband but don’t have a marriage that’s actually fulfilling. Like our good sis Jordyn Woods said, “I don’t need your situation.” Marriage is not a symbol of success, but I don’t know if we are ready to talk about that yet. So live your life doing what you want, when you want, with who you want. I’m still working on taking that advice and I’ll let you know how it goes lol.

I’d like to give a sincere thank you to everyone who takes the time to read what I think. You could be doing anything with your day and you chose to listen to little ole me. You are appreciated! Please stay tuned for the podcast, I’m super excited about it! Wash your hands, mind your business, and stop using your/you’re incorrectly. I love y’all!

All My Love,

Tyler

”Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Luke 12:6-7 NIV