Thursday, November 14, 2024

Tom Hanks is right: 35 might be the hardest age

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As Tom Hanks reflects on his life and career, 35 stands out as the most difficult age.

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight about his new movie Here where he played a range of ages, Hanks noted that the “the hardest for us was when we were playing 35.”

It’s the “time when your metabolism stops, gravity starts tearing you down, your bones start wearing off,” Hanks, now 68, said. Experts interviewed by Fortune say Hanks isn’t alone in finding the mid-thirties age difficult.

Neither the youngest or oldest kid on the block, people in their mid-thirties might be going through a bit of a slump with financial and family responsibilities setting in.

Many 35 year olds might feel their dreams collide with reality. Financial pressures intensify, and retirement might feel far out of sight Douglas Boneparth, certified financial planner and founder of Bone Fide Wealth, told Fortune.

“Age 35 can be uniquely challenging because it’s often a transitional period where expectations meet reality,” Boneparth, who specializes in millennials finances, said.

Common life transitions can add pressure.

“This is around the time when people may start having families, purchasing a home, and more…full-on ‘adulting’ sets in,” Vicki Salemi, career expert at Monster, said. “It’s important to stay positive, have a plan, talk to people, network, and more, to navigate these changes to move forward.”

Often long enough to make some headway, but not far enough to reach a point of full power— many mid-30s workers might feel like they’re in a bit of a rut.

The current cohort, millennials, are the least satisfied in their jobs, according to a Forbes survey of more than 1,000 U.S. workers. It’s no wonder given that many of them are middle-managers, a position known for creating great levels of stress. Said managers have recently reported even higher levels of burnout given their current role to communicate office mandates and other shifting cultural norms to their team.

“At age 35, many professionals find themselves balancing career advancement with increasing responsibilities at work, often facing pressure to achieve leadership roles or pivot toward long-term career goals,” Dan Schawbel, workplace expert and managing partner at Workplace Intelligence, adds.

Many might have a breaking point, where they realize they want to change paths, notes Boneparth.

“It’s a time when people may feel pressure to advance further in their careers or realize that the path they’re on might not align with their long-term aspirations,” he says of the life stage. Salemi backs up this sentiment, explaining that this is often a point where people become ready for a career change, something that is exciting “but could feel daunting.”

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