Quarterlife Solutions

Here is an article by Winnie Choa in The Cavalier Daily at The University of Virgina. 

The link to the article is:

Getting out alive at 25   or http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=23074&pid=1284

 Getting out alive at 25

As graduation approaches, fourth years are plagued by the same questions that dominate the thoughts of twentysomethings all over the country: What do I do after college? Do I want to focus on a career or family first? Should I do something I love or something that will make me money? And perhaps most importantly, what do I do with my life?

Fourth-year College student Katy Shrum is questioning what her plans for after graduation are.

“All of a sudden, I felt old,” Shrum said. “My life flashed before me and I had no idea what my career options were.”

This phenomenon, commonly known as the quarterlife crisis, is the subject of Jason Steinle’s new book, “Upload Experience: Quarterlife Solutions for Teens and Twentysomethings.”

The quarterlife crisis, Steinle explains, is a stage people in their teens and twenties go through as they leave the stability and sanctuary of the home to enter the real world. Without the structure of college life, many students are forced to face the unpredictability of life beyond the classroom. A vast majority try to recreate the controlled foundation of their college lives by planning every step of their future. Promotion by 25, married by 27, first child by 30.

Shrum is all too familiar with the quarterlife crisis, having experienced one earlier this year when applying to graduate school.

“When you get to a point where you’re heading out on your own, there are people who are getting married and people are expecting that, expecting you to have a plan for the rest of your life,” she said. “Officially you’re out of your teenage years. You realize you have to be responsible but you’re not and it’s scary.”

The problem with putting life on a calendar to stay on track with career goals and financial aims is the sheer unpredictability of the real world. Statistics support Steinle’s claim that college graduates do not have their lives together and, in fact, don’t even know where to begin.

Pop quiz. Which of the following is true?

a)Polls show 50 to 95 percent of Americans are unsatisfied in their current jobs.

b)The average college graduate has more than eight jobs from the age of 22 to the age of 32.

c)Divorce rates are highest for couples married in their teens and early twenties.

d)Drug and alcohol abuse is highest for teens and twenty-year-olds.

e)All of the above.

The correct answer is E, a point Jason Steinle focuses heavily on in his book. According to Steinle, many of the questions quarterlifers find themselves conflicted about can be solved through a process known as “upload experiencing,” or using the life skills and knowledge of another person and applying them to one’s own life. “Upload experiencing” is not the same as living vicariously through another person, but rather it’s a way of connecting to somebody else’s experiences and using them to make life decisions.

Steinle uses “The Matrix” as an analogy to explain “upload experience.” In the movie, the main character, Neo, has the knowledge of martial arts uploaded into his mind, which he then uses in his own experiences. Steinle adapts this science fiction concept to explain his research on the quarterlife crisis.

“The ultimate ‘central center’ to upload information into is our body, mind, spirit,” said the 28-year-old author, who is himself a quarterlifer. “In my opinion this is how all true learning and growth occurs.”

Steinle helped found the Health and Harmony Chiropractic and Wellness Center in Colorado when he was 24, after earning his doctorate in chiropractic. To build community awareness, he hosted weekly health education awareness lectures (H.E.A.L. talks). One Wednesday evening, a local radio show host was a member of his audience and invited Steinle to be a guest on his show, which led to an opportunity for Steinle to host his own show. After two years of working with radio, Steinle was given a chance to appear on television.

Despite his success, Steinle said he was still asking himself what he wanted out of life and what he wanted to do with his career. The questions led him to more questions, specifically interviews with other quarterlifers, to find out their experiences and how closely those mimicked his own. Steinle spent four years asking people about their experiences and interviewing quarterlifers to try to understand what caused the phenomenon and what could be done to overcome it.

A constant theme he found in the interviews was the utter focus individuals had on finding the perfect job, the perfect relationship, the perfect children, and knowing when and how to reach their life goals. He said he observes many post-college graduates believe they have only one chance at success, and if they miss one opportunity, then their life plans have been foiled and ruined. In turn, this places a tremendous amount of stress on the individual to get everything right.

The typical quarterlifer might say: “I have to get this internship so I can get the right job. I need the right job so I can make the right connections and be promoted. Once I’m promoted, I can be successful and focus on my family.”

This is the exact type of thinking Steinle claims is the cause of the quarterlife crisis. His research also involved interviews with men and women as old as their 60s, which revealed a distinction that he uses as evidence of his theory.

“The truth is as I’ve interviewed people in their 40s, 50s and 60s plus, they are facing the same questions as the over 300 quarterlifers I’ve interviewed,” Steinle said. “The difference is that older generations are more comfortable with the uncertainty of not knowing what the next step will be.”

He emphasizes that the pressure quarterlifers place on themselves to get it right the first time is the very thing his book is trying to address.

In “Upload Experience,” each of the thirty chapters take on one of the thirty questions that Steinle theorizes quarterlifers are in crisis over. With questions ranging from “Is life fair?” to “Where should I live?” Steinle offers case studies and anecdotes to emphasize his points.

In “Am I with the right one?” he offers an example of a man who meets his wife only when he’s not looking for her, especially after a number of other relationships.

In “How can I overcome the feeling of being stuck?” he presents the story of a woman who takes it upon herself to try new things and engage in activities that interest her, and the opportunities that inevitably follow.

To Steinle, the quarterlife crisis is just another stage in life that an individual can remain in for months or years, depending on the attitude he takes. “Upload Experience” is Steinle’s effort to share the research and knowledge he’s gathered over the past few years to ease the transition from college into the real world, and to relieve some of the pressure teens and twentysomethings may feel to always making the right decision.

Specifically for college graduates, Steinle offers four words of advice:

1. What is the worst that can happen?

2. What is the best that can happen?

3. What is most likely to happen?

4. Am I willing to live with the worst in order to have a shot at the best?

Thanks for stopping by!  For additional articles please visit www.quarterlifesolutions.com/blog You may also like the resources and products available at www.quarterlifesolutions.com and www.uploadexperience.com

Here is an article by Jocelyn Jones that appeared in The Scroll at Brigham Young Univeristy Jocelyn Jones Scroll Staff April 5, 2005

Students in their late teens, twenties or early thirties are bombarded with questions and decisions like: What should I pick as a major?

Jason Steinle’s book, UPLOAD EXPERIENCE: Quarterlife Solutions for Teens and Twentysomethings, offers decision advice for “quarterlifers”

The term “upload experience” means, “to transfer the life skills of another person into your own life,” Steinle said.

Steinle hosts a radio and television show in

Colorado geared towards “quarterlifers.” He has taken special interest in asking older generations what they know now that they wish they had known earlier in life.

“People would tell me things they didn’t learn in school, but that they learned in the school of hard knocks,” Steinle said.

He has spent the past three and a half years compiling this counsel and guidance into his new book.

Steinle shared the key ingredient successful people in all walks of life have in common.

“They have a motivational source, whether it is a book, a movie, a song, etc. They have something they can refer to,” he said.

One dilemma that Steinle addresses in his book is procrastination.

“The key to quit procrastination is to link activities in your life to what you think your purpose is,” he said.

“The one thing that I got out of this whole process is that right now we have a lot of uncertainty and worry.

“The questions that we’re facing right now are questions that we’re going to face for the rest of our lives,” he said. “The difference in older people asking those questions is that they have learned to live with uncertainty.

“The majority of people I talk to say that one of the most exciting times in life is the quarterlife … and you don’t need to stress. They wish they would have enjoyed it and appreciated it more and not worried so much. Everything works out,” Steinle said.

UPLOAD EXPERIENCE: Quarterlife Solutions for Teens and Twentysomethings will be officially released May 5, but is currently available through www.amazon.com or www.uploadexperience.com.

The book contains about 100 profiles and “you see what other people are worried about. The book is very interactive but it is also something you could just pick up and read for 5 minutes,” Steinle said.

For more information about the book or about Jason Steinle visit www.uploadexperience.com.

The

Average

College Student

The student body is diverse, but trends show similarities.
students will drop out of
school by their second year.
• 26 percent of people age 25
and over have completed four
years or more of college in
the

United States.
• More than 1,100 college
students commit suicide each
year.
• 30 percent of college
students identified themselves
as suffering from an anxiety
disorder or depression.

Sources:

U.S. Census Beureau,
2003

American College Health
Association survey

Like what you hear? Check out our blog www.quarterlifesolutions.com/blog for more podcasts.You may also like our resources…including a more in depth interview with T. Jason Smith located at www.uploadexperience.com and www.quarterlifesolutions.com

Here is an article by Tristan Vawters that appeared in The Shorthorn at the University of Texas.

UNIVERSITY OF

TEXAS AT

ARLINGTONApril 1, 2005

Uncertain Times
Enlightenment doesn’t come easily to students

By Tristan Vawters
The Shorthorn Assistant News Editor

Angelela Roberts is a little anxious.

The biology sophomore is stressed because she’s not sure if she wants to continue pursuing her major.

“My major is biology right now, but really I don’t want to do it,” she said. “I want to change it, but I don’t know what I want to change it to.”

Roberts has put some pressure on herself because of her role in her family.

“I don’t get pressure from my parents or anyone, but I’m the oldest, and I have to set an example,” she said. “It’s a heavy burden.”

According to Colorado-based author Jason Steinle, who recently wrote Uploading Experience, Roberts is not alone. Steinle has spent the past four years researching how students can cope with pressure and eventually find their niche in life. The book states how students of all ages deal with life during and after college.

“The truth is, as I’ve interviewed people in their 40s, 50s and 60s plus, they are facing the same questions as students are, such as, ‘Who am I?’ ‘What is my purpose?’ ‘Where do I find Mr. or Ms. Right?’ ” he said. “The difference is that older generations are more comfortable with the uncertainty of not knowing what the next step will be.”

Steinle believes that students ages 18 through 25, or “quarterlifers,” have many choices that cause them to be distressed.

“As quarterlifers, we are faced with so many decisions that we get overwhelmed,” he said. “We don’t have a firm foundation established, and the chaos creates fear and anxiety. We want reassurance and something that stays constant in the midst of all change.”

Shirley Binder, special assistant to the graduate affairs dean, said that it may be difficult for students to get a job, but there are more options available for young people now.

“When I was that age, the only careers open to women were being a secretary, teacher or marriage,” she said.

Binder thinks that being in college and getting ready to graduate can be the most exciting part of your life, but it can be the scariest.

“It’s scary, but I’ve been through a lot of scary times in my life, but that’s living,” she said. “My advice for students is to be willing to take on something challenging when you’re not sure you’re ready for it. Try to learn and do things as fast as you can.”

Like what you hear? Check out our blog www.quarterlifesolutions.com/blog for more podcasts.You may also like our resources…including a more in depth interview with T. Jason Smith located at www.uploadexperience.com and www.quarterlifesolutions.com

 

Here is an article by David Barkdull that appeared in the University of Idaho Argonaut.

Life after graduation 

By David Barkdull
Argonaut Staff
April 01, 2005
Students must be prepared for the real world

With each passing day, the harsh reality of graduation and taking the next step draws nearer for University of Idaho seniors.

The reality of what’s to come after graduation, with no preparation, is also setting in, something that may contribute to drop out rates for younger college students.

According to the American College Testing Report, out of 2,654 colleges and universities surveyed nationwide, one out of every four students will dropout of school by their second year.

Dan Blanco, former director of Career Services, said the classic dropout is Bill Gates.

 “For every Bill Gates there are thousands who get a degree that others didn’t get a shot at,” Blanco said.

But dropping out can be unnecessary, said Blanco and author Jason Steinle.

Steinle, author of “Upload Experience: Quarterlife solutions for Teens and Twentysomethings,” said when he graduated he worried about life after school.

“When I graduated I had all these questions and I thought I was all alone, but began to find out my friends were in the same situations,” he said.

Steinle said that after four years of research he has come to realize that as quarterlifers – people in the early to mid-20s – know far more than they give themselves credit for.

“Our major hurdle is that we have not yet learned to trust ourselves or the process of making our way into the real world,” he said.

Anne Wimer, a senior marketing and Spanish major, said this is a time when students are trying to figure out what they want to do for the rest of their lives.

“It’s scary, that’s for sure,” Wimer said. “It’s also exciting.”

One issue recent college graduates are faced with is settling into a job.

According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, 10.9 percent of 20-24-year-olds were unemployed in September 2003, as opposed to 6.7 percent in September 2000. The jobless rate for 25-34-year-olds rose to 6.3 percent from 3.7 percent during this same period.

Steinle said one of the reasons recent college graduates move from job to job is that they are not used to the lack of changes with which college students are faced, such as transitions from summer and winter break.

“Oftentimes the problem is not that the job is a poor fit. Instead it’s because, as quarterlifers, we’re so used to change every few months that we feel like something’s not right,” Steinle said. “People get really antsy.”

Steinle said students should find out about as many things as possible at college through clubs and organizations so they have a better sense of what they are interested in.

Blanco said sometimes people are faced with a fork in the road, and what they are working with on a day-to-day basis is not what their actual degree was intended for.

“It’s important to start early,” Blanco said. “Searching for a job should start as early as your freshman year.”

Blanco said there are three pillars students should rely on when making the journey through their college careers.

“Do as well as they can academically, because some majors are more (grade point average) sensitive than others, develop professionally relevant job experience, and develop what I like to call walking-around smarts,” Blanco said.

Blanco said “walking-around smarts” include communicating well orally and in writing, because sooner or later in life students must make use of persuasion techniques to make a case for their ideas.

Staying motivated might be another problem UI students deal with while making the journey through their college careers.

Steinle said what he found among successful people in the workforce is that they have systems to keep them going. He suggested creating a list of five motivational songs, five motivational movies and five people who “pump you up,” which will make things easier when times get tough.

“When you’re getting overwhelmed come graduation time, you can go to that list,” Steinle said. “It changes your state and allows you to get back to what you’re working on.”

After interviewing 300 quarterlifers, Steinle said, “We should take the experiences of these quarterlifers so we don’t have to keep reinventing the wheel. I wrote ‘Quarterlife Solutions’ because I want to share with you what others have generously shared with me.”

Like what you hear? Check out our blog www.quarterlifesolutions.com/blog for more podcasts.

You may also like our resources…including a more in depth interview with T. Jason Smith located at www.uploadexperience.com and www.quarterlifesolutions.com

Below is an article by Katherine Sather that was published in the Montana Kaimin at the University of Montana.

Friday, March 25, 2005

UM professionals offer ways to heal senioritis

Katherine Sather

Caps and gowns are for sale, and graduation announcements are in the mail.

The countdown to graduation and freedom is on.

So what’s this anxious, confused feeling?

According to some sources, it’s part of being a “quarterlifer.” The age group of 20-somethings and college seniors has recently become fodder for talk shows, self-help books and Web sites. One company even suggests you can have a “quarterlife crisis.” The idea is that 20-somethings are faced with decisions that will determine the rest of their lives.

“It gets overwhelming,” said Jason Steinle, quarterlifer and author of “Upload Experience: Quarterlife Solutions for Teens and Twenty-Somethings.” “We’re afraid if we start out with the wrong foot forward, we’ll start on the wrong path.”

Many places offer guidance. A Web site called www.quarterlifecrisis.com arranges support groups and message boards for 20-somethings, and a company called Cap and Compass, www.capandcompass.com, offers seminars and college graduation starter kits.

The Kaimin consulted Steinle for some tips on surviving the senior year. We also tapped into some campus administrators and students who shared their experiences. The number one piece of advice:

1. Relax.

Transitions in life will always produce anxiety, even if they’re positive transitions, said

University of

Montana Provost Lois Muir. “It’s just a part of life,” she said. “It’s a good thing for them to practice now.”Steinle recommends making a self-assessment. Ask yourself four questions when you’re feeling anxious:a) What is the worst that could happen? b) What’s the best thing that could happen? c) What is most likely to happen? d) Can I live with the worst, or do I have a shot at the best?

2. Don’t lose focus on school.

Former ASUM President Jon Swan, who graduated in 2003, said the biggest obstacle he and his friends faced during senior year was procrastination. Since he had a job lined up after graduation, he found it hard to concentrate on schoolwork.

“Take a lot of caution about procrastinating for things,” he said. “If something’s due, make sure you have it done within enough time, so you’re not freaking out at the end.”

3. Channel your energy.

According to Jim Lemcke, assistant director of public safety, there’s an increase in campus pranks in May.

“I don’t know if that’s seniors or students in general just getting fired up to leave,” he said.

But extra energy can be channeled into something positive like exercise. Jen Anderson, assistant tennis coach at UM, says that her senior tennis players are feeling the stress of graduation. Many are waiting to hear if they were accepted to medical school.

“Practice and conditioning helps them relax and not focus on what’s going to happen,” she said.

4. Realize that you have tons of options.

Just because you have a degree in English literature doesn’t mean you need a career in it, said assistant director of Dining Services Ken Arledge, who was recommended to the Kaimin as wise counsel.

Arledge has counseled many of his student employees at Dining Services who were concerned because they couldn’t find a job in their field.

He recommends that graduates first decide where they would like to live, whether it’s

Los Angeles or

Great Falls, and move there. They can find work to get by while they’re looking for their dream job. “Put yourself in a position to take advantage of an opportunity,” he said.5. Don’t be afraid to be single.Steinle cited statistics that the average marrying age is 27 for men and 25 for women, an increase from 23 and 21 in 1970. The new 20-somethings are waiting until they’re financially and emotionally stable before tying the knot, he said.

“A lot of people I interviewed said when they married in their 20s, they didn’t know who they were. As they began to discover who they were, they drifted apart from their partners,” he said.

6. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the answers.

Steinle said he’s discovered that as people age, they become more comfortable with the uncertainty of the future.

“They begin to realize, ‘I’m gonna be fine,’” he said.

Arledge said that students shouldn’t underestimate the value of a degree.

“When you get out, you have probably the most freedom of choice you’ll ever have in life,” he said.

A final word from Lemcke: “Words of wisdom you can spread all over the place like manure. Don’t take yourself or life too seriously and stash $100 in your pocket for emergencies.”

Thanks for stopping by!  For additional articles please visit www.quarterlifesolutions.com/blog You may also like the resources and products available at www.quarterlifesolutions.com and www.uploadexperience.com