Is life tough at 27? Real Australians tell us what life is like for them

OLD enough to have job, young enough to party. Life at 27 is pretty sweet right? Real Aussies tell us why it’s not necessarily all it’s cracked up to be.

IT’S supposed to be a golden age filled with friends, freedom and a burgeoning career. But is life in your twenties all it’s cracked up to be?

Last week, results of the US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth which tracked a group of 9000 youths since they were born, were released.

With most now aged 27 it showed one third had a degree, with 25 per cent earning between $25,000 and $39,990 per year.

Forty per cent had been unemployed while one in ten said they had fulfilled their career goals already. Just one in five owned their own home while less than half of them were single.

But what is life like for Australian 27-year-olds? News.com.au asked some of our readers for their experience. Here’s a snapshot of their lives.

Mike Monroe

Mike Monroe has been made redundant five times in the last five years but said being 27 is not all bad.

At 27, IT worker Mike Monroe described himself as loving life for all the wrong reasons.

He graduated with a bachelors degree from Newcastle University, but has been made redundant five times in the last five years. He said unemployment is “chronic” on the New South Wales central coast where he lives.

“[It’s generally unstable companies with very little cashflow,” he said, where being the last one in often means being the first one out.

While there might be IT jobs in Sydney or Newcastle, he’s caught in the trap of not being able to afford to move there until he finds work.

He’s also reluctant to travel 20 hours a week and pay the stratospheric rent charged for Sydney properties.

“I’m not really into the Sydney life, I don’t want to pay three quarters of my pay cheque just to live” he said.

Mr Monroe said most of his friends have left the coast in order to find work as “it’s not feasible” to stay in the area.

“I think a lot of people would like to do the buying a house thing …[but] I can’t think of anyone my age that has done that unless they went to the country,” he said.

“Even the cheapest house you’re talking $300,000-$400,000. It’s not a first homebuyer friendly location.”

Despite how tough the job front is, he said being 27 is not all bad and he plans to move to Canada on a working holiday visa.

“It depends how the jobs are going. If you’ve had a good run with employment I’m sure it’s a fantastic age. If you’re a bit on and off like me you’re getting tired of the work thing. Everything else is pretty good.”

Jessica Offer

At 27, Jessica Offer is pregnant with her fourth child.

Jessica lives on the Sunshine Coast with her husband and three daughters, aged seven, five and two. She’s currently pregnant with her fourth child and said being 27 with a young family is great as she is young enough to have an active role in their lives.

She married her husband at 19, six weeks after they met online.

“It was pretty whirlwind, but pretty awesome. I dated guys before him but he was very different. Obviously that was the secret for me, he was perfect! I’m sure people thought we were crazy but when you know, you know.”

Jessica said she decided to have children young in order to connect with them. After the birth of her fourth child she plans to study post natal and ante natal counselling and work in the home birth community. She said lots of her friend’s don’t have children but it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the world.

“It can actually improve your life and keep things light I guess. There is no perfect time ... you’ve just got to trust your instincts. There’s been ups and downs and that’s normal for anyone at any age. You’ve just got to embrace it to be honest.”

“We’ve had one hell of a life together, we’ve got beautiful children, we’ve got no regrets.”

Alfie Tieu

Alfie Tieu said turning 27 was the catalyst for him to quit his job in Adelaide and move home to Victoria.

Aflie grew up in Victoria but moved to Sydney at 17 to study journalism. He scored his first job at the ABC then moved to Adelaide where he has been for more than four years.

He said turning 27 was the catalyst for moving back to Melbourne into a house he built as an investment, to be closer to family and friends.

“I just felt that now that I’m in my late 20s if a part of me wants to be somewhere you have to make it happen. You can’t rely on ‘I’ll do that later,’ not at age 27.”

He doesn’t have a job lined up in Melbourne yet, but said the decision to put lifestyle before career was something he never would have done at 23. For Alfie, 27 is an awkward age “in between” 25 and 30.

“I think for most people my age it’s a time of anxiety because in the back of everyone’s mind you’re approaching 30. Even though I don’t perceive that as old by any measure, everyone has their expectations of what they planned to do at that age — the world they planned to see, the relationships, the career. [Turning] 27 is a time when I would reflect on whether I’m going to get any of that or not.”

“I certainly feel like the music is about to stop in a game of musical chairs when people settle down in relationships,” he said. “You’ve blueprinted your life by age 30, that’s the impression I get and I love to think it’s not true.”

Sarah Jeanes

Sarah Jeanes owns her own home and is married.

At 27, Sarah has been married for two and a half years, is living in her own home and working as a chartered accountant in Adelaide.

She met her husband at 24, they married after three months and moved into their own home five years ago.

“We were very quick we only dated for three months then we decided we’re going to get hitched we’re very happy with each other so I think we struck it lucky,” she said.

Her husband is also an accountant and the pair have worked hard to buy their own home which is 25 minutes out of the city. She said buying a home without a crippling mortgage is tough but they’re lucky to have inherited good money sense.

“We’re lucky in that we haven’t tried to expect the world. If there’s something we really want, like a TV, I’ve been saving for two years, all my Christmas money, I’ve been saving for so long. Both our families are still pretty frugal ... we’ve inherited those views.”

She said it’s hard seeing friends travel and do exciting things, but she’s happy with her choices.

“We budget together really well compared to our friends — especially in relationships they have a few arguments about money — we don’t have that, it takes away a huge amount of stress.”

What was your life like at 27? Which age do you think is the toughest? Continue the conversation on Twitter or leave a comment below. @NewscomauHQ | @Victoria_Craw