In her new book, journalist Elizabeth Segran illustrates the life-changing necessity of the ups, downs, and happy accidents we experience in our 20s.
The Rocket Years: How Your Twenties Launch the Rest of Your Life explores the pivotal impact of the third decade of life on the relationships, career opportunities, passions, and goals we pursue throughout the rest of our lives. Segran takes sociological studies as the foundation on which to build knowledge of an often turbulent time of life.
From quitting a job to traveling the world or embarking on a new relationship, moments of flexibility and change are crucial to the development of our friendships, political stances, careers, faith, and more in the coming decades. In this interview, Segran discusses the most important things she learned in her research, the accessibility of her book for people beyond their 20s, and the prevailing themes that structure the book’s chapters. Segran argues that while it can be a scary time, it is also perhaps the single most fertile moment for seizing opportunities and trying new things.
Segran is a journalist who has written for such publications as the Atlantic, the Nation, the New Republic, and Salon. She received a Ph.D in South and Southeast Asian Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently a senior staff writer at Fast Company.