Quarter-life Crisis

In Chinese society, we are expected to “achieve something at 30”. Are you going down this road?

After leaving the College, whether you are working or studying, I bet it is inevitable to undergo “graduation perplexity”.

It makes sense if you have thought of reaching certain social status in a few years, such as owning a property, getting married and getting promoted in job. The perplexity is even tenser when every student here is so outstanding. It is hard not to compare yourself with them on social media.

Anxiety comes from the inability to attain what you hope for in reality. This explains why most people experience the “quarter-life crisis” by 30 years old.

Not long after graduation, I went on a solo cycling trip to Qinghai, via Guizhou, Yunnan and Tibet. Somehow I tried to escape, but also to picture my future. I did not come home with clear answers, but I had a better idea about what not to do.

Right now I am a freelance videographer. If you have stories about quarter-life crisis, feel free to contact me. I will probably produce a documentary for peers in the same edge.

I hope people around you have faith in you and support you.

Biography of Mr. Heyman Chan

An alumnus of S.H. Ho College. A videographer based in Hong Kong. A graduate from Urban Studies Programme at CUHK. An avid lover of nature. After graduation, he founded Plain Hiker, a social enterprise, with friends from the College. He hopes to rebuild the genuine connection between humans and the mother nature, and tell moving stories through images. Currently a director of project management from the second cohort of S.H. Ho College Alumni Association.