Your Major Life Events in Adulthood on a Checklist

Being an adult comes with the freedom to do whatever you want; so how do you know what should be explored and what shouldn’t?

Adult life comes with a lot of experimenting in order to figure out what you like, what you don’t like, and what you want your life to look like.

It can be overwhelming sometimes, but this life events checklist was made to help give you an idea of which major life events most adults experience.

From making major purchases to navigating a career change, adult life is always going to surprise you and keep life interesting.

Read on to see which life events made it to our adult life checklist.

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Buying a Car

When you’re a young adult you experience a lot of “firsts” at the same time. You move away from your family, possibly attend college, and you start to become responsible for how you get around from place to place.

Buying your first car is one of the first forms of freedom you’ll experience in adulthood. As far as big purchases go, it’s like a test run for all the other big purchases you will likely make later in life.

Shopping for a car gives you the opportunity to figure out what’s important to you and what you value when it comes to spending your money. Will you be more concerned with safety features? Will you prefer something new or be fine with an older model?

This kind of purchase also sets you up to learn how to, and get used to, making payments on a regular schedule. Purchasing a car comes with a lot of financial responsibility!

You will also have to shop around for car insurance to find what suits your needs best. Will you want coverage for just other drivers or a plan that is more extensive?

Each step of buying a car will challenge you to think about your needs and how to balance that with your budget.

You will likely have to make monthly payments for your car and regular payments for your insurance as well. Having these new responsibilities will teach you how to monitor your expenses and how to judge when and where to use your money and when to save.

It’s also great practice for one of adult life’s biggest purchases, a home.

Buying a Home

Moving out on your own for the first time often looks like dorm life or sharing an apartment with roommates. Once you’ve been in the working world for a while and have saved some money, you’ll likely wonder what it’s like to own a home.

Owning a home is much different from renting an apartment. For one, you don’t have to answer to a landlord or worry about whether or not you can make renovations or own pets.

Buying a home is one of the biggest choices in adulthood because it makes you consider so many things. What kind of neighborhood do you want to live in, and can you afford that? Do you want a starter home with one bedroom or do you want to plan for a family already?

You get to explore what wall colors you prefer, what kind of yard you’d like to have, and what your overall decorating style is. Experimenting with what kind of vibe you want to feel in your home is fun and allows you to try different and new things.

Buying a home also means you will likely need a loan. Loans are money that is loaned to you and the amount you qualify for depends on how much money you make, what your credit score is, and other factors. You can learn about loans more here.

Loans will help you with the financial strain of buying your first home.

Career Shifts

Some people know what career they want from a young age and stay satisfied in that career into adulthood. Others experience something fairly common, which is realizing that their career isn’t as fulfilling as it once was.

There’s nothing wrong with that! The good news is that it is never too late to make a career change.

Whether you’ve decided your current career isn’t lucrative enough or you simply aren’t happy anymore, life is too short to stick with a career that makes you unhappy.

No matter what kind of career you’d like to try, there are often options for you to pursue.

You can explore going back to college or taking courses if that’s required or if you need to earn a license of some kind.

If you’re curious about exploring a career but don’t want to lose the financial stability of your current job, look into volunteer options or mentorship programs.

If you know anyone who already works in a career you’re curious about, meet with them and ask questions. Ask about the pros and cons and what you can expect from it.

Depending on what career you’re curious about, you may even be able to both keep your current job and explore a new one. For instance, if you’ve always wanted to be an actor or a painter there are ways to pursue those without jumping in all at once.

You can also juggle two careers if you have the time. This often works best when at least one career offers creative expression and takes less time than the other.

You can take theatre classes and participate in plays after work hours. You can take painting lessons and sign up for art shows. You can walk people’s dogs or petsit for them on weekends.

Life Events Checklist and More

Now you know about some of the biggest events you will come across in your adult life. This life events checklist is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to adult life!

At Shifted Magazine we know that being an adult is always surprising and often gives us opportunities to learn more about ourselves and the world around us.

Check out the lifestyle section of our website for more tips and tricks to survive adulthood!

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