The passage from high school to college, a career, and then to independent adulthood is a pivotal phase in the lives of 18- to 25-year-olds. This age group, often referred to as Transitional Age Youth (TAY), faces a myriad of challenges that can significantly influence their journey towards self-sufficiency. Over the past few years, I’ve written primarily about the obstacles that face our middle- to-high-school-age students. However, as an introduction to a new program we’ll be offering at The Noble Path Foundation called AIM High+Plus, I would like to address some specific concerns that are relevant to this often overlooked demographic.
MENTAL HEALTH
One of the most pressing issues for TAY is mental health. The late teens and early twenties are a peak period for the onset of mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and substance use disorders. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, young adults in this demographic have the highest prevalence of serious mental illness compared to other age groups. Transitioning to college or the workforce can contribute to these findings due to increased stress, new responsibilities, and potential social isolation stemming from completion of high school and loss of friendships.
To make matters worse, many young adults lack access to adequate mental health resources. Switching from pediatric to adult services often creates a gap in care, leaving many without support during this critical time. Unwarranted stigma around seeking help can further complicate the issue, leading to untreated conditions that can hinder their academic and career progression.
FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE
Achieving financial independence is a significant hurdle for many TAY. Rising college tuition, student loan debt, and the high cost of living here in Southern California make it increasingly difficult for young adults to support themselves. A high percentage of the high school graduates I’ve encountered also lack a sound understanding of how to effectively use even basic financial skills like budgeting and investing. In turn, this lack of financial literacy can lead to debt accumulation, credit insecurity, anxiety, and other negative consequences.
For those pursuing higher education, the transition from secondary to tertiary schooling can be daunting. The academic rigor of college often exceeds what they were used to in high school and many students fall short of adapting to the self-discipline and time management needed to succeed. Students forced to work long hours to offset the high price of tuition can find they have less time for studying and socializing, which in turn can create additional stress and isolation.
PRACTICAL LIFE SKILLS
Outside of academic and economic stumbling blocks, many TAY enter adulthood without the practical life skills needed to navigate independence successfully. Basic proficiency in everyday tasks such as cooking, cleaning, first aid, and general car care are often overlooked in traditional education and at home. Without these competencies, young adults can struggle to maintain a balanced and organized home life, leaving them doubtful or concerned about their ability to subsist on their own.
Helicopter parenting—characterized by excessive involvement and control over a child’s life, though well-intentioned– can actually exacerbate this issue by inadvertently hindering the development of skills and confidence necessary for autonomy, resulting in TAY being left in a dependent state despite reaching the age where they are expected to be self-sufficient. Commonly referred to as a “failure to launch,” children who have been over-protected, shielded from failure or adversity, or micromanaged to the point of rarely making decisions for themselves, can experience delayed emotional maturity, a lack of intrinsic drive, an elevated fear of failure, and inability to self-advocate – all crucial skills necessary to developing a healthy sense of identity and purpose.
Added to all of the above, there is also the pressure of identifying and declaring a career path without a clear understanding of the job market or even knowing what it is they’d like to “be when they grow up.” When entry level positions often require prior experience, it creates a Catch-22 type of situation since internships and part-time jobs either don’t provide this exposure or are neither accessible or financially viable. Furthermore, the shift toward automation, with technology and AI transforming industries, makes it increasingly difficult for TAY to anticipate which skills will be most valuable in the future.
For most high school graduates, going away to school, forming new friendships and navigating close interpersonal relationships can be both exciting and challenging. But societal expectations around success and achieving milestones such as graduating college, finding a job, and owning a car or home can create immense pressure. Social media often amplifies these expectations, as young adults compare their progress to curated portrayals of peers’ lives.
A SOLUTION
According to Dr. Nate Balfanz, a clinical psychologist specializing in child and adolescent treatment and founder of Dr. Nate Psych in San Clemente, “the vast majority of adolescents struggle with the idea of understanding and accepting who they are and what they believe in, frequently displaying an image of themselves to the outside world that is inconsistent with how they think or feel about themselves on the inside.” He explains that this internal conflict can sometimes lead to depression, anxiety, social isolation or even manifest as substance abuse or thoughts of self-harm and suicide.
However, when TAYs are given the tools and support they need and are able to overcome this dichotomy of self and public perception, Balfanz says that the understanding then “grants them the confidence to form healthy interpersonal relationships, the ability to maintain safe boundaries, and the courage to act with conviction and try new things.”
Our AIM High+Plus program is a 7-week series featuring presentations from skilled and experienced business leaders on financial literacy and investing, resume building and business planning, career workshops, life skill seminars, and opportunities for networking and internships. Other topics covered by mental health and wellness professionals will focus on substance abuse, nutrition, coping skills, and building and maintaining healthy relationships.
The goal of the program is to help empower 18-25 year olds by providing the tools and confidence necessary for TAY to thrive and succeed. Like our regular AIM High series for young people ages 13-17, the AIM High+Plus sessions will also be 100% free of charge. We hope to launch this ground-breaking series in late Spring or early Summer and will accept the first 12-15 participants who register.
The road to independent adulthood can be a bumpy one for transitional age youth, as mental health barriers, financial instability, career uncertainty, lack of life skills, and societal pressures all contribute to the challenges of this period. But with the right collaborative effort of educators, mental health professionals, business associates, community partners, and other non-profits, we hope to prevent their failure to launch and instead, help launch them into a lifetime of self-reliance and prosperity.
For more information on The Noble Path Foundation and our AIM High+Plus program, please contact Cindi Juncal at 949-981-4998 or [email protected].
#
Cindi is President and Founder of The Noble Path Foundation, a 501(c)(3) located in San Clemente, CA, dedicated to helping the youth of our communities reach their highest potential via healthy nutrition and lifestyle choices, safe and fun social activities, and motivational mentoring. For sources mentioned in this article, please visit our website and search MEDIA at www.thenoblepathfoundation.org.
SOURCES:
Mental Illness statistics: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness
“Failure to Launch”: Shaping Intervention for Highly Dependent Adult Children: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5504878/
Financial Literacy: What It Is and Why It Is So Important to Teach Teens:
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/financial-literacy.asp
Neither College Nor Career Ready: https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2024/10/02/neither-college-nor-career-ready/
The Transition from Adolescence to Adulthood: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/metamorphosis/202107/the-transition-from-adolescence-to-adulthood
Helping Older Teenagers Cope With End-of-Adolescence Stress: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/surviving-your-childs-adolescence/202212/helping-older-teenagers-cope-with-end-of-adolescence
Understanding Resilience Among Transition-Age Youth with Serious Mental Illness: Protocol For a Scoping Review: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9486183/#:~:text=Transition%2Dage%20youth%20(16%E2%80%93,disorder%2C%20schizophrenia%20spectrum%20disorders).
Challenges Faced by Transitional Aged Youth With Mental Health Concerns: https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/challenges-transitional-age-youth-with-mh-concerns
How Do We Support Our Adolescents in Their Search for Identity and Acceptance? https://www.drnatepsych.com/how-do-we-support-our-adolescents-in-their-search-for-identity-and-acceptance
