To all contributing to this thread: please try to keep it on topic - namely, the apparent lengthening of adolescence and/or dependence into people's mid 20s or thereabouts. Of course, redefinition of adulthood can be mentioned, but matters like interest rates and the cost of houses should not get much more than a mention.

Things like the need for formal qualifications rather than (or as well as) on-the-job training are of course relevant.

Ah, Trident. Thank you for the extra info/explanation. Makes your point of view ever so much more palatable to me now (not that anyone should care about that lol!). But just for the record, I worked at jobs you probably wouldn't take in order to pay for my own education (while attending school) and for an apartment I shared with a friend. My parents didn't pay a dime for university. I'm not whining, I actually liked it that way because then I didn't have to answer to anyone other than myself for my actions/decisions/possible failures. And I didn't get married straight out of highschool (he was 27 I was 24) (and no, our parents did not pay for the wedding) and my house is not ridiculously large at 1000 sq feet. But it's paid for and nobody can take it from me unless the city suddenly decides to build a freeway through my back yard lol. I'm fully in agreement with you that people shouldn't live beyond their means, but that's not exactly a new concept lol. Everyone should be cautious, not just the "younger generation" and trust me, monetary conservatism is not something your generation invented either out of necessity or by choice or because of any of the sad governmental fiscal screwups of late. Nor "recycling" for that matter, but I digress as usual lol. I'm more of a pragmatist than a pessimist, so it saddens me if what you say is a typical attitude because it sounds awfully negative/hopeless.

And lol at you bloomsby. Some people remain adolescents until their deaths (I will probably be one of them). Sorry, I should have read the rules on posting in this thread. Oh wait, there were no implicit rules stated as to relevancy of content for this thread. Oh well. Apologies all around. If people are determined that a DISCUSSION is only allowed to go in ONE direction, perhaps they should just talk to themselves instead of putting something out there and then admonishing people for submitting opinions or comments that they weren't hoping for on the onset. I for one, would rather hear/read everything someone else might have to say because then I might learn something, as I have from people like Trident.

I can only speak from MY experiences prior to the age of 25 (which I thought I did, but I guess that's not 'relevant'). And, interest rates, job mobility, willingness of companies to offer job training based on assets/prospects etc etc are all tied like an umbilical cord to an interesting thing called economics. Makes them all equally relevant, not just one's particular personal concept choices. Well, at least according to the last course I took anyway lol.

(edited because I finally figured out how to put my keyboard back to "normal" - seriously, no offense meant to any Quebecois in the audience lol. And also, because one my heroines died this year, so will add a quote...)

“I am convinced that most people do not grow up...We marry and dare to have children and call that growing up. I think what we do is mostly grow old. We carry accumulation of years in our bodies, and on our faces, but generally our real selves, the children inside, are innocent and shy as magnolias.”
- Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter

They say that the brain hasn't completed its last lot of synaptic pruning etc until around age 25, so physiologically I suppose adolescent could extend until then. Emotionally and psychologically is a different matter. Some are far more mature and settled by then than others.

I was as silly as a rabbit I know, and wouldn't have trusted myself to even look after a canary. Yet my (beautiful) sister was as calm and settled as a little old judge.

So it's probably a very individualised thing.

Interesting discussion! There is a saying that old people become childish again. Hey, I'm getting there and having a great time doing so. The only thing I dread is that soon my children will recognize it and try to "mother" me again - and, oh my, want me to move in with them!