How would you guys range early, mid, and late 20's? Just a fun little question. I haven't created any forums in a while and just want to get into the swing of things now that I have time off from work! Here's my definition of your early, mid, and late 20's:

Early 20's: 20, 21, 22, and 23
Mid 20's: 23, 24, 25, and 26
Late 20's: 27, 28, and 29

I put 23 as both early and mid 20's for a few reasons:
1. 23 is closer to 25 (which is the midpoint of your 20's) than it is to 20
2. 23 is right in the middle of 20 and 26
3. Usually people use the college definition to break up late teens-early 20's from mid-late 20's, so by that definition, 23 would be either the first year you're out of college or the year you're graduating college.
4. 23 is a transitional period into your mid 20's.

What do you guys think? Again, this just a fun little debate and would love to hear all of your definitions!

I'd say (including ages 18-19 & 30-36 in YA years)

Ages 18-20: College Age/VERY Early Young Adult Years - 'Coming of Age Period'

Ages 21-24: Post College Age/Early YA Years - 'Officially, Entering the Workforce Period'

Ages 25-29: Mid-Late Twenties & Post Quarter Life Crisis/Core YA Years - 'Building your Career Period'

Ages 30-33: Early 30s/Late YA Years - 'Slowly, Settling Down Period'

Ages 34-36: Mid 30s/VERY Late YA Years - 'Firmly, Settling Down Period'

Early: 20 - 23
Mid: 24 - 26
Late: 27 - 29

Early: 20-23
Mid: 23-26
Late: 27-30

I agree about 23 going into both early and mid and I think it can go either way depending on the person.  I think your early twenties are defined primarily by restlessness and lack of responsibility.  It's basically an extended adolescence with more freedom i.e. at 21 you can legally drink and typically people move out from under their parents' rule during that stage of life.  It's also unusual, with the exception of in religious circles, for people to be in long-term committed relationships at that age.  23 is the age where people start to become a little more mature but it is very much a transition year.  By 24, people are generally starting to establish their career, think about more long-term relationships and what they want in life, etc.

23 was such a confusing age ;D

I started my career at 23, so that part felt more mid-20s. On the other hand, I was still a n00b @ lyf so it was all the bad parts of being in your early 20s and mid 20s and none of the good stuff. ;D

At 24, I had more confidence in myself (in terms of life direction) and more ¢a$h. I think the strong economy in 2017 added to the feeling of optimism, though, I doubt most people feel that way at 24. It also felt more like an early 20s year than 23 did in terms of the good stuff. :P

25, firmly mid-20s. No longer qualify for public drug insurance  :\'( And my doctor told me "since you're 25" that my body and brain were no longer changing. Being told you're no longer young by your doctor is what hits your hardest ;D

23 was such a confusing age ;D

I started my career at 23, so that part felt more mid-20s. On the other hand, I was still a n00b @ lyf so it was all the bad parts of being in your early 20s and mid 20s and none of the good stuff. ;D

At 24, I had more confidence in myself (in terms of life direction) and more ¢a$h. I think the strong economy in 2017 added to the feeling of optimism, though, I doubt most people feel that way at 24. It also felt more like an early 20s year than 23 did in terms of the good stuff. :P

25, firmly mid-20s. No longer qualify for public drug insurance  :\'( And my doctor told me "since you're 25" that my body and brain were no longer changing. Being told you're no longer young by your doctor is what hits your hardest ;D


Yeah, I'm a year and a half away from 25 and it sounds pretty scary lol I I agree though. 23 is pretty confusing. I'm not in college anymore and I feel like I should be mature and take life seriously. Getting a little tired of the bar scene too lol

Early 20s: 20-22/23

Mid 20s: 24-26

Late 20s: 27-29

That's how I'd divide them. As far as where people should be at a certain age, it's hard to say. Not everyone's life turns out the same. Not everyone has the perfect life where everything falls into place at the right age.

Early: 20-23
Mid: 23-26
Late: 27-30

I agree about 23 going into both early and mid and I think it can go either way depending on the person.  I think your early twenties are defined primarily by restlessness and lack of responsibility.  It's basically an extended adolescence with more freedom i.e. at 21 you can legally drink and typically people move out from under their parents' rule during that stage of life.  It's also unusual, with the exception of in religious circles, for people to be in long-term committed relationships at that age.  23 is the age where people start to become a little more mature but it is very much a transition year.  By 24, people are generally starting to establish their career, think about more long-term relationships and what they want in life, etc.


I agree. At least that's how my life is turning out right now. I worked only part time jobs in retail/customer service since I was 18 and didn't take life seriously. Now that I'm a year and a half away from being 25, I think it's time I get a little more serious about life since I've been out of college for a year now.

It's so weird though. So I was at a welcome home party for my friend the other day. He's 30 right now and his party was filled with his friends (who were mainly in their late 20's), his little sisters and brothers (who were 17, turning 18 in a couple months), and his parents. At the party, we were all outside by the pool and I couldn't help but look at my friend's little brothers and sisters and look at him and his friends. Then I sat in the middle. I was like "wow, I can't believe I'm almost to that age where I'm gonna talk about the degree I got in college and talk about what I've been up to". I don't know, when I look at my friend's little brothers and sisters, I couldn't believe how young they were and pondered to myself if I acted like that when I was 17 or 18. Then I thought about my friend and his friends. Them talking about their 10-12 year high school reunion, what they've been up to, if they're married or have kids, etc., has got me thinking about a lot of things at 23.

Ever since that party, it made me realize that I'm not getting any younger lol I realized that when I saw of my friends who are 23-26 getting engaged, working in their career fields, thinking about kids (not having just thinking of having one), etc. It's like, where did the time go?

I agree. At least that's how my life is turning out right now. I worked only part time jobs in retail/customer service since I was 18 and didn't take life seriously. Now that I'm a year and a half away from being 25, I think it's time I get a little more serious about life since I've been out of college for a year now.

It's so weird though. So I was at a welcome home party for my friend the other day. He's 30 right now and his party was filled with his friends (who were mainly in their late 20's), his little sisters and brothers (who were 17, turning 18 in a couple months), and his parents. At the party, we were all outside by the pool and I couldn't help but look at my friend's little brothers and sisters and look at him and his friends. Then I sat in the middle. I was like "wow, I can't believe I'm almost to that age where I'm gonna talk about the degree I got in college and talk about what I've been up to". I don't know, when I look at my friend's little brothers and sisters, I couldn't believe how young they were and pondered to myself if I acted like that when I was 17 or 18. Then I thought about my friend and his friends. Them talking about their 10-12 year high school reunion, what they've been up to, if they're married or have kids, etc., has got me thinking about a lot of things at 23.

Ever since that party, it made me realize that I'm not getting any younger lol I realized that when I saw of my friends who are 23-26 getting engaged, working in their career fields, thinking about kids (not having just thinking of having one), etc. It's like, where did the time go?


I'm 22, and a couple years off from officially entering my mid twenties, but could relate. Many of my peers have already graduated college, began their careers, and or are attending graduate school. I already know plenty of girls that I graduated high school with that have children (pre-marital mainly), and or are getting engaged. Its crazy to think that we all grew up with each other as kids, and now all of a sudden we are raising kids.

Right now I'm doing an internship that will hopefully help me out down the line with my career. I expect to graduate by next spring, so a little later than most people as I'll be 23 when I graduate, but thats mainly because I'm doing a double major (of Comp Sci & Poli Sci) and a Minor (of Psychology). For the longest time I envisioned myself in working in IT, but have been doing some evaluation of my life and decided to potentially go into a legal career.....yeah a career choice in a completely different direction, but I digress I'm taking the LSAT sometime in December, so hopefully I do well enough and could get placed into a good law school :).

Early twenties: 20 years - 23 years, 4 months
Mid twenties: 23 years, 4 months - 26 years, 9 months
Late twenties: 26 years, 9 months - 29 years

Same for the thirties, forties, ect.

And my doctor told me "since you're 25" that my body and brain were no longer changing. Being told you're no longer young by your doctor is what hits your hardest ;D
Prepare for the hit you take when you see a doctor and he/she's younger than you. ;)

And my doctor told me "since you're 25" that my body and brain were no longer changing. Being told you're no longer young by your doctor is what hits your hardest ;D
Those were the days!

I agree. At least that's how my life is turning out right now. I worked only part time jobs in retail/customer service since I was 18 and didn't take life seriously. Now that I'm a year and a half away from being 25, I think it's time I get a little more serious about life since I've been out of college for a year now.

It's so weird though. So I was at a welcome home party for my friend the other day. He's 30 right now and his party was filled with his friends (who were mainly in their late 20's), his little sisters and brothers (who were 17, turning 18 in a couple months), and his parents. At the party, we were all outside by the pool and I couldn't help but look at my friend's little brothers and sisters and look at him and his friends. Then I sat in the middle. I was like "wow, I can't believe I'm almost to that age where I'm gonna talk about the degree I got in college and talk about what I've been up to". I don't know, when I look at my friend's little brothers and sisters, I couldn't believe how young they were and pondered to myself if I acted like that when I was 17 or 18. Then I thought about my friend and his friends. Them talking about their 10-12 year high school reunion, what they've been up to, if they're married or have kids, etc., has got me thinking about a lot of things at 23.

Ever since that party, it made me realize that I'm not getting any younger lol I realized that when I saw of my friends who are 23-26 getting engaged, working in their career fields, thinking about kids (not having just thinking of having one), etc. It's like, where did the time go?


I can relate to this, though I've always been emotionally a few years behind my age due to my repressive upbringing so even though I'm 32, I act more 29ish.  I remember when I was about 25 (which for me was the equivalent to 22-23 for most people), I started to feel like there was some distance between me and traditional college students when it came to maturity.  I could still hang with 18 year olds (and had a few friends that age) but I started to feel the difference.  At 23 I dated a 19 year old and it really didn't seem like there was much of a difference at all except for the fact he couldn't drink legally.  Fast forward a few years and it was really hard to really socialize with people that age.  I really started thinking surely I wasn't this reckless and immature when I was that age?  Nowadays when it comes to relationships, I tend to lean younger but won't date anybody under 25.

20's is an interesting decade because it's the decade where you cone into full adulthood but still have the young and reckless sprit from your teens. I'm 22 and while most of my core friends are 20 and under, I can still have an intelligent conversation with someone who's over 25. I know your young adult years really start at 18 but it's your 20s when your in your young adult decade while 18-19 can still be in high school, heck I knew kids who finished high school at 20.

20's is an interesting decade because it's the decade where you cone into full adulthood but still have the young and reckless sprit from your teens. I'm 22 and while most of my core friends are 20 and under, I can still have an intelligent conversation with someone who's over 25. I know your young adult years really start at 18 but it's your 20s when your in your young adult decade while 18-19 can still be in high school, heck I knew kids who finished high school at 20.

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I've been able to have excellent conversations with adults over 25 since I got out of high school. I remember this 32 year old at the time in my Calculus class a couple years ago and we discussed about news and sports all the time, with our favorite teams being the same and our political views being similar. I also notice a lot of teens (especially the younger ones) aren't really as strong into politics yet. I tend to only have political conversations with those about 16 or 17 & older.

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I've been able to have excellent conversations with adults over 25 since I got out of high school. I remember this 32 year old at the time in my Calculus class a couple years ago and we discussed about news and sports all the time, with our favorite teams being the same and our political views being similar. I also notice a lot of teens (especially the younger ones) aren't really as strong into politics yet. I tend to only have political conversations with those about 16 or 17 & older.
Well that's much better than teens a few years ago, I don't remember seeing many teens talk about politics back when I was a teen like teens do today since we're in the Trump era while during our teen years was the Obama era.  When it comes to gamming, sports and music I've had in-depth conversations with not just teens but even with pre-teens about things that are not just current but things that were popular in past decades. I remember talking to a 12-year-old boy last year about how hip-hop should have more meaning behind there lyrics rather just be about drugs and partying.  I can have intelligent discussions with teens it just depends on the person.

Early 20s: 20 years - 23 years, 6 months
Mid 20s: 23 years, 6 months - 26 years, 6 months
Late 20s: 26 years, 6 months - 29 years

Even at 25 sometimes my older co-workers treat me like a baby  :-X It was worse when I was 23 and was the youngest though, now there is at least one person younger than me. :P

Even at 25 sometimes my older co-workers treat me like a baby  :-X It was worse when I was 23 and was the youngest though, now there is at least one person younger than me. :P


Where do you work lol Where I work, I'm in the middle of the pack. Youngest person at work in my dept is 16 and the oldest is 32.

Where do you work lol Where I work, I'm in the middle of the pack. Youngest person at work in my dept is 16 and the oldest is 32.


It's a small tech firm. Mostly 25-40 but a smattering who are older and younger. Youngest is 21, oldest I've worked was someone who was in his 50s (based on an educated guess from the age of his children), but right now the oldest I believe is my boss who is 41.

It's a small tech firm. Mostly 25-40 but a smattering who are older and younger. Youngest is 21, oldest I've worked was someone who was in his 50s (based on an educated guess from the age of his children), but right now the oldest I believe is my boss who is 41.


Yeah at my office I'm pretty sure I'm the absolute youngest. So they always make fun of my generation and ask me why young people 'are so addicted to avocado!?' ;D.

Yeah at my office I'm pretty sure I'm the absolute youngest. So they always make fun of my generation and ask me why young people 'are so addicted to avocado!?' ;D.


Yeah, I work in retail. That's why the age gap in the company is so wide lol I hate how this cashier, who is 16, looks at me as "old" though. That's something I dont wanna be told by teenagers lol

Yeah, I work in retail. That's why the age gap in the company is so wide lol I hate how this cashier, who is 16, looks at me as "old" though. That's something I dont wanna be told by teenagers lol
I already get told that lol, but I can still pass as being a teenager.

Yeah, I work in retail. That's why the age gap in the company is so wide lol I hate how this cashier, who is 16, looks at me as "old" though. That's something I dont wanna be told by teenagers lol


I think I was old to teenagers when I was 20 lol.

I already get told that lol, but I can still pass as being a teenager.


I've always looked older for my age. I started to grow a beard at 17, so outside of school many people already thought I was already in my early-mid 20s ;D.