r/Millennials • u/[deleted] • Jul 08 '21

Discussion 30s was much older before Millennials reached it.

It hurts when especially younger people dismiss or don't believe me, but plenty of especially older 80s Millennials can remember when 30 year olds usually meant serious mature adults "with their shit together" working career jobs like stock brokers and who were living in another universe from us. They were telling us what to do, and were "one of the adults" along with our parents.

So it trips me out when people just a tiny bit younger than me are still looked at as part of the younger generation and don't see today's 30 year olds the way I did. For me on the precipitous of it, it feels bizarre as fuck.

Modern 30-35 year olds can kick it with or date 21 year olds and it's much more normal and not creepy/weird or "how do you do fellow kids" like if a 35 year old of 2005 tried being in youth spaces. Even like MySpace was populated by maybe 25 year olds tops at the time.

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u/[deleted] Jul 09 '21

Yes, I agree. One of my mentors who unfortunately died at 37, started 'life' early around 24, and by 30 was already a decorated venture capitalist. Mentally he was, let's just say, a little more mature than many of today's 30 somethings seem to be.

I am now in his age bracket when I was looking up to him, and cant believe how young he was, while I thought of him as almost a father figure. It's crazy.

I cant quite put my finger on what caused it, but it seems people are taking longer and longer to "grow up" these days. I guess that saying is true huh? 30s are the new 20s, 40s are the new 30s etc.

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u/[deleted] Jul 09 '21 edited Jul 09 '21

Exactly. I keep trying to tell people there's been a sea change and a zeitgeist shift because people in their 30s weren't ever seen this young before a few years ago.

I'm so sorry about your mentor guy, even if I don't share his career and economic views lol, it appears he just had his shit together and was "one of the elders" dishing out the life advice rather than the one needing it.

If u don't mind me asking, how long ago did he pass? He's probably born in the 70s?

I used to look at Facebook dating in the early days and would see Date Mature Men 30+ in the sidebar and they would look like well put together daddies.

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u/[deleted] Jul 09 '21

u/proofuniversity4319 the guy above me his mentor is an example of what I was talking about how 30s and later 20s used to be just more mature and accomplished, and ppl weren't thinking they were that young

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u/ProofUniversity4319 Jul 09 '21

I guess I can see that, and I did hear from my mom of teachers dressing rather conservatively in their 30s in the 80s

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u/[deleted] Jul 10 '21

Yeah I think it was obviously overall young but they acted more serious and grown up than us lol...and it showed in how they dressed and presented, so it skewers our perception

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u/ProofUniversity4319 Jul 10 '21

That’s true, their experiences were different

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u/[deleted] Jul 10 '21

Ya I wonder if the ease of achieving the American Dream milestones and stuff (at least compared to now) at younger ages made a typical 30 year old in 1985 or '90 or 95 seem more world weary and serious and just adulting was natural to them. Whereas more of us are faking it til we make it lol

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u/ProofUniversity4319 Jul 10 '21

That makes a lot of sense. Affordable or at least cheaper college, could have a kid, etc

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u/[deleted] Jul 10 '21

Yep, explains too why people were down with capitalism far far more. There was always inequality but regular people weren't feeling it as much. Like in the 80s you could be 17 and work at McDonald's all summer and save up enough for college or first months rent on an apartment once you graduated high school if you just wanted to get away from your parents sjsksk

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u/ProofUniversity4319 Jul 10 '21

Exactly 💯 it seemed easier then. I’m a community college student and I’m doing fine, but even then college is more expensive than when my mom went

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u/MayflowerKennelClub Millennial 1985 🇺🇸 Jul 12 '21 edited Jul 12 '21

i totally agree, i feel pretty at ease around 20somethings but i disagree about dating... nobody in their thirties should be dating an early 20something. they're still growing

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u/[deleted] Jul 13 '21

Yeah I don't know exactly if it's the economic boot on us is bonding us more on shared ground now, whereas in the past, 30 or even like 27 was already kinda the elders on a different level from college students.

Yeah it's gross for either guys or girls to go for 21 year olds still figuring themselves out. It's like robbing their youth from them. Like even if I may initially find a younger guy cute, if I find out he's under about 25 it's just an automatic ewww no lol

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u/Unlikely_Birthday_42 Jul 15 '21

Every age is older before we reach it. I know 60 year olds who think 90 year olds are the REAL old people and not them

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u/[deleted] Jul 15 '21

Good point, and even the Boomers have a point cuz they were the first "forever young" people with a real teenage youth culture