Milestones or Millstones?
By Upasana Kinra | Psychologist and Career & College Counsellor
"Age is something that doesn’t matter, unless you are a cheese." —Luis Buñuel
And yet, we treat it like the most magical number of all, the one that decides whether you’re too young to know anything or too old to try.
Want to change careers at 45?
“Oh, love, shouldn’t you be thinking about retirement?”
Want to lead a team at 23?
“How cute. Maybe let the grown-ups talk now?”
Welcome to the age Olympics, where you’re always either too early or too late, and the finish line keeps moving based on someone else's opinion.
Milestones or Millstones?
By 18, you're expected to know what you want to do for the rest of your life (preferably something prestigious, profitable, and parent-approved).
By 25, you should have a degree, a job, a LinkedIn that screams “future leader,” and maybe even a houseplant you haven’t killed.
By 30, a mortgage. By 35, babies. By 40, regret. By 50, invisibility.
Missed a milestone? Shame on you. Society has spoken.
The Job Market: Age Edition
At 22, you’re “inexperienced.”
At 30, you’re “too expensive.”
At 45, you’re “a great mentor” (translation: we’ll hire someone younger but pick your brain first).
At 60, you're a “wisdom resource” (a.k.a. a relic with Wi-Fi).
Take Jacinda Ardern, who became Prime Minister of New Zealand at just 37, or our very own Rishi Sunak, at 42. Imagine what they could have achieved if they'd listened to the "too young" crowd, with no experience, but a lot of ambition and a Canva Pro account.
Relationships: The Age Gap Chronicles
When an older man dates a younger woman: “Power couple!”
When an older woman dates a younger man: “Desperate cougar vibes.”
Same-age relationships? “How boring. Where’s the scandal?”
We love love, as long as it fits within the unspoken rulebook curated by nosy aunties, online commentators, and whoever writes those “15 Things Only People Over 30 Understand” articles.
Culture Shock: Age Edition
In some cultures, elders are revered for their wisdom. In others, they're shuffled off to retirement homes and told that TikTok is too complicated for anyone over 35.
Meanwhile, in your own family, you might be a child until you're married, and then immediately an elder responsible for everyone else's life choices. No transition phase. Just straight to giving unsolicited advice.
In both cases, your value is determined by either how few candles are on your cake or how well you pretend to blow them out without triggering your cholesterol.
Technology: The Great Divide
Young people are digital natives, born with a smartphone in one hand and Wi-Fi passwords in the other. Older folks? Obviously incapable of logging into Zoom without assistance from the nearest 12-year-old.
And yet, who invented the internet? Who runs billion-pound companies? Who still thinks Facebook is cool? That’s right: the people we keep assuming can’t work a laptop.
Health and Hormones: Plot Twist
Younger bodies are invincible until they start sitting at a desk for 9 hours a day. Older bodies are fragile until they complete marathons at 90. So yes, your age determines your strength, until it doesn’t.
Drink celery juice and do yoga at 25? Wellness.
Do it at 65? “She’s trying to feel young again.”
Eat a burger at 16? Cute.
Eat a burger at 60? “Risky life choice, Uncle.”
Final Verdict? Age Totally Matters. Except It Doesn’t.
Let’s face it - age is the most overhyped, misused metric of all time.
It dictates when you should dream, date, dance, switch careers, or eat carbs. And it’s used to either guilt you or glorify you, depending on who's watching.
But here’s a radical idea: What if we stopped judging people by the candles on their cake or the wrinkles on their face? What if we started judging them by their kindness, talent, grit, and curiosity? You know, the stuff that actually matters.
Until then, keep doing what you love - too early, too late, and just on time. Because age might be a number, but you are not a spreadsheet.
Now, which age-related stereotype are you challenging today?
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