Consider the following statistics from The New York Times’ most recent buzz worthy article, “What is it About 20-Somethings?”

One-third of people in their 20s move to a new residence every year.

Forty percent move back home with their parents at least once.

They go through an average of seven jobs in their 20s, more job changes than in any other stretch.

Two-thirds spend at least some time living with a romantic partner without being married.

And marriage occurs later than ever. The median age at first marriage in the early 1970s, when the baby boomers were young, was 21 for women and 23 for men; by 2009 it had climbed to 26 for women and 28 for men, five years in a little more than a generation.

Do these apply to you? They definitely apply to me. 

1. I have moved at least once a year since graduating college.
2. I have moved back to my parents twice since graduating college.
3. I am on job #3 since graduating college.
4. I have lived with a boyfriend.
5. At age 26, I don’t see marriage coming my way anytime soon.

Now consider this.

Sociologists traditionally define the “transition to adulthood” as marked by five milestones: completing school, leaving home, becoming financially independent, marrying and having a child.

In 1960, 77% of women and 65% of men had, by the time they reached 30, passed all five milestones. Among 30-year-olds in 2000, according to data from the United States Census Bureau, fewer than half of the women and one-third of the men had done so.

So now the big question is- WHY THE DELAY TO ADULT HOOD?

And then, of course, IS THIS A GOOD THING?

Some scholars are calling the movement “emerging adulthood.”  A period of “identity exploration, instability, self-focus, feeling in-between and a sense of possibilities.”  Sounds a lot like puberty to me.

For a variety of reasons, this topic of “emerging adulthood” has been heavy on my mind lately.  I see “fear” lurking all around my peers and I’m starting to wonder why. Many of us 20-somethings are afraid to commit to a romantic partner, to a job, to owning a home or to making big purchases.  Most of us are employed college graduates too.  Isn’t that what we went to college for?

Many of us feel like we should be where our parents were when they were our age.  But where were they?  Yes, they may have had a mortgage and 2 kids in the suburbs but my guess is that they still struggled financially.  I’d also bet that they weren’t working in their dream job either.

Are today’s 20-somethings being too idealistic? Are we waiting for the perfect man, the perfect job, the perfect home?  Does that exist?  Are we trying to avoid the mistakes our parents made in their lives?  Are we afraid of divorce?  Do we avoid trusting society?

Or, do we just have way too many damn options?

Since we were kids, we’ve been told by our parents that we can “be anyone and do anything.” Despite the plethora of excuses that could be made, The New York Times article states that 96% of surveyed 2o-somethings feel they “will get to where they want to be in life,”  therefore indicating a high sense of possibilities and optimism.

But when given too many choices, it is inevitable that we will get stuck.  Here are my thoughts.

4 Possible Root Causes of “Emerging Adulthood”

1. As a person who was raised on MTV, I think that the media has made success, glamour, riches and freedom look a lot more attainable than it actually is. Get on a reality show, and you’ve made it in life- no brains required.  Turn on any TV station and you will get a false sense of reality- no hard work required.  From “The Real World” to “The Bachelor” to “Jersey Shore” to “My Sweet 16,” you see beautiful “normal” people living it up with no mortgage, baby or “boring” adult responsibilities in sight.  No one seems to work and you never see babies spitting up,  life emergencies, overdrawn bank accounts or anything else “adult” like.

In this age, those who don’t take the traditional path to adulthood are rewarded by society. And the reward comes in Gen Y’s most highly regarded currency- recognition.

2. We’ve been raised in the information age; a time when the answer to any question is only a click away. We are used to instant gratification.  Therefore, the idea of building something slowly over time (like a family or retirement account) is almost foreign to us. If it’s not quick and easy, we don’t mess with it.

3. Lastly, we’ve been inundated with information about how we should live our best lives. Take a walk through the magazine aisle and you’ll see what I mean…

Exercise!  Eat anti-oxidants! Get rid of your roots!  Fall fashion!  Spring fashion! Get more education!  Read books!  Volunteer!  Network!  Start wearing wrinkle cream in your 20’s!  Organize your home!  Travel!  Decorate your home!  Stay up on the latest technology!  Buy a home!  Use my credit card!  Get out of Debt! Check your Facebook!  Write a blog!  Invest your money properly!  Budget! Lose weight!  Get rich!  Move up the corporate ladder!  Cook healthy meals!  Raise your family!

My head is about to explode just thinking about all of the things we are “supposed” to do on a daily basis. How would anyone have time to grow up if they were so caught up in doing what is “right” every day (i.e. what sells and keeps this country’s economy going).

Although our parents read compelling magazines too, my guess is that the # of magazines (and information in general) has more than tripled over the past few decades.  Slowly society has turned up the heat on information overload and we didn’t even know what hit us- until suddenly there is a societal shift that’s left us all wondering.

4.  Although college ended, the party never ended. I spent some time with my cousins from Italy last week and they brought up a fascinating point: in Italy, university is not all about beer!  Although I’m being a bit sarcastic, I can personally say that in America, college never ends for many.

The bar scene has become an integral part of the 20-Somethings culture.  We “deserve it.”  We are “young” and we are “supposed to have fun.”  Do we “deserve” wasting thousands of dollars a year (not to mention our brain cells and livers) on going to bars when we could be paying down debt or saving money?  Well, we need to have some great pictures to post on Facebook and for many, the only humor is drunk humor.

In conclusion, it looks like I can’t answer my own question. I’m not sure if this shift to “emerging”/delayed adulthood is a good or a bad thing. We could sit here and argue all day about WHY it came about and if it is good or bad for society.  All I know is that, for whatever reason, the statistics are true.  Today’s 20-somethings are in no rush to pass the 5 milestones before 30.

We will continue to believe we can “do anything” and “be anyone.”  Only time will tell how the delay to adulthood will affect our future children, retirement accounts and society as a whole.  What do YOU think?

Thanks for sending in all of your resumes over the past week in preparation for Job Search Boot Camp!  I’ve loved looking at them.  After reviewing all the resumes, I wanted to share 5 big picture ways to avoid your resume getting thrown in the trash.

These are just the first step of having a polished rock star status resume.  Without these, you won’t make it far.

5 Very Basic Things You Need to do with your resume

1. Make it pretty.
2. Put your references on a second page by themselves.
3. Finish your sentences.  Tell me more.  Show quantifiable value that you added.
4. Keep it to 1 page!
5. Cut cheesy interests and bullshit about crappy jobs.

Shout Outs!

• Most Likely to Call for an Interview: Jen Deweerd from Ontario, Canada
• Overall favorite resume: Katie Garton, Syracuse, New York

Possibly THE best blog post I’ve ever read.

How Recruiters Read Resumes in 10 Seconds or Less

What would you find out if you were eavesdropping on corporate recruiters?

On Company Loyalty… considering leaving your company? Do a Sunday Night Gut Check.

Simplifying Simplicity with Five Simple Questions.

As you may have gathered by now, I don’t believe in traditional job searching.  I think huge job boards are typically a black hole of nothingness, traditional resumes are old school and cover letters are ineffective bull shit. 

Therefore, I was pretty darn excited when I came across this modern job-seeker Yifei Zhang on brazencareerist.com. Yifei (pronounced EE-fay) wants a job at hubspot.com, so what did he do?  He created heyhubspot.com as a way of showcasing his skills, talents and desire to be a valuable member to the hubspot team. 

Yifei is a college drop out who, in my opinion, is smarter and more innovative than most of the college grads I know.  He is living proof of my theory that “the best education is self-education.”

Yifei took an unconventional (and perhaps controversial) path to starting his career.  He did the same thing in trying to land his dream job at Hub Spot.  Read Yifei’s story below and then give us your feedback.

Yifei’s Story

I come from an Asian family with strong educational roots. As a little kid, I loved reading. Loved learning. And I had great parents who supported me. Then high school came around, and I started to hate institutionalized education. I couldn’t have explained it as well then, but the rules of were designed to make everyone “adequate” – even those who aspired to be more.

Long story short, I went to college at BU, and worked my face off trying to break free of the bureaucracy and actually learn a thing or two. But it seemed so inefficient, all the busywork and prerequisites. I loved the people, the atmosphere, and those unique moments of intense challenge (right around finals). And when I realized that I could have all of that outside of the campus without the cost or absurdity, I made up my mind to leave.

So my last two years have been spent immersing myself in topics ranging from entrepreneurship to meditation. I taught myself web design, worked first in high end retail and now a non-profit foundation, made a lot of friends in the Boston start-up community, and am just looking to continue the journey.

Why I used Social Media to Apply for This Job

I decided to apply to HubSpot using a blog because it seemed like the right thing to do. No joke. HubSpot is a young, progressive start-up that helps businesses get found online. They market themselves through quirky online videos and rap songs. The blogging approach seemed to be a good fit for the company culture. Had I been looking into investment banking, I might have taken a different route.

What are your general thoughts about using social media in a job search?

I think online media can be effective in today’s job market… but only if you understand the bigger picture. The main advantage isn’t the ability to put your resume and accomplishments online. The main advantage is being able to convey your “soft” qualifications – your passion for the subject, your personality, your ability to engage an audience, etc. It’s that ellusive quality called “brand.”

My own approach, while it has a bit of novelty to it, is just another way of tackling the same problem: how do I stand out?

What do YOU think?

• Would YOU ever try to land a job by creating a site like Yifei’s? 
• Do you think Yifei’s method will be effective?
• Do you think that dropping out of college will be a help or a hinderance to Yifei’s career?
• Employers- if someone applied for a job at your company through a method like Yifei’s, how would you react?
• Do you think more traditional companies will start using social media to find their ideal candidates?

Stories like this prove that the recruiting and job searching game is changing.  I’d love to hear what YOU think!

How do YOU feel about people making money via social media? Are sponsored tweets unethical? Is paying the bills via blogging wrong? Let us know what you think!

Suze Orman vs. Dave Ramsey: whose advice would you rather take? Suze recently changed her advice saying people should agressivley save rather than agressilve pay down debt. Dave Ramsey’s advice has not changed. What’s better: a personal finance advisor who changes with the times, or one that sticks with his or her guns?

What are you doing in “the other 8 hours”? Do you want a new car, a bigger apartment and a life that doesn’t require cutting out your morning lattes? If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’re going to get the same results. It may be time to become a “crea8tor”: make more money and live your passion.

The Twentysomething Guide to Financial Potholes. How many of these potholes have YOU experienced?

Five Lessons Learned From Financial Peace University 2009 from one of my new favorite blogs debtkid.com.