A modern contemporary of the mid-life crisis - the quarter-life crisis - is something faced mainly by 20-somethings. The term was created for young adults who experience an earlier existential crisis and feelings of uncertainty about their direction in life, especially during the transition from school to the workforce.

Survey findings on young adults in Singapore

Four final-year undergraduates, from Nanyang Technological University, conducted a survey with 390 students from local universities and polytechnics on this phenomenon. The survey showed that two-thirds of respondents felt anxious about life after graduation. 80% were concerned about finance and career-related matters while 72.5% were afraid of making wrong choices in life post-graduation. One-third of these young adults wished that there was someone to help them with their life choices, and half of the respondents indicated they had difficulties making choices in life after graduation.

The Next Stop youth initiative

The four undergraduates set up a youth initiative, The Next Stop, to help young adults navigate their quarter-life crises in Singapore. The social campaign provides a one-stop website that is designed to address finance and career-related concerns that young adults of Singapore may face upon graduation.

“The stress, doubts, fear, and anxiety associated with an unclear future might be more complicated and intense among Asians because of their stronger emphasis on family – it is very important not to disappoint one’s parents by making bad career or life choices. The mere thought of failing the expectations of significant others is itself a huge psychological and emotional burden to some,” said Dr. Albert Lee, assistant professor of psychology at Nanyang Technological University.

He added: “Communication and social support are coping strategies for stress and anxiety. Thus, introducing more mechanisms to make communication channels and social support groups more accessible to youths would be helpful, as some youths don’t even know such services exist.”

The initiative hopes to build a community of quarter-lifers by highlighting their stories through video interviews and featured articles.

These efforts will complement The Next Stop’s campus outreach programme that will commence in February to engage young adults on-ground and give them more tips on finance management and career planning.

In addition, the team will be organising a forum-style event, termed “A Casual Cuppa” on March 15, to help students navigate their lives after graduation. Financial experts and career-planning professionals will be present at the event to offer advice to young adults to address their quarter-life concerns.

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