In response to recent events, I asked others what they were doing when they were twenty years-old. 

Here’s my story:

At twenty, I had just been promoted from shipping clerk to a paid apprenticeship as an assistant audio engineer at Mediasound Recording Studios in Manhattan. It allowed me to move from Manhattan’s Hotel Bretton Hall at 86th and Broadway to a brownstone on 85th between Central Park West and Columbus. I made $90 a week; $88 after taxes. A net of $352, minus $125 in rent, minus $22 for electricity left me with $139 a month. The train to and from work cost another $20 in monthly expense. The remaining $29.75 a week was allotted for food and other essentials such as toiletries, cleaning products, etc. Bread, at the time, was 28 cents a loaf.

Here’s Barry:

At the age of 20, well before the age of social media during the summer months, I would be working some less than ideal job waiting for the end of the day. We would get some friends together and we would head out to the lake where others our age would gather. We would swim and generally hang out. We would talk and get to know the girls there hoping for a “yes” when asked out for a date. It was pretty routine and fun. We weren’t consumed with politics. We were registered voters but it did not dominate the conversation. We might talk about our cars that always had something wrong. We would talk about upcoming concerts we might want to go to. 

Here’s Tom:

At 20, I was working in a record store. Would go to these amazing rock concerts/outdoor summer rock concert festivals. Four to five major bands billed together at those day’s on the green. Ticket price was only $10.00 to $12.50, during that magical era. And instead of texting, my friends and I would have real organic dialog.

Here’s Debra:

My life at 20 was so boring, there’s not much to tell. I really had little direction at that point. I was floundering. My mother met someone at the hairdresser’s who owned a nursing agency called Around-the-Clock-Care. And so I got a job there as a Staffing Coordinator. It was a full-time 9 to 5 job. Afterwards, I went bar hopping looking for a companion, but that scene never really worked out for me. I dated and had one near engagement, but remained unmarried, and childless. I have two lovely nephews whom I helped raise. 

Here’s Sally:

I wanted to be a model and so I got a friend to take a bunch of black and white photos of me, and went back and forth to New York City by bus. It was grueling. I went to every agency and was turned down until I met with the Ford Modeling Agency and they signed me. However, then I found myself in a pool of other very beautiful girls. The competition was fierce, so I added acting to get a leg up. I got on a few soap operas as an extra or one-liner, but never a real role. I stayed in NY for a long time until I met the man I married. 

Here’s Gary:

I was attending University of Pennsylvania studying Optometry. It wasn’t a lifelong dream of mine. My dad suggested it to me and I went with it. I actually wanted to be a medical doctor, but I hated the sight of blood. So this was a good alternative. I met a girl at school and got engaged, but I broke it off because I wasn’t really ready. I was still living at home to afford college. It was embarrassing, but it was the right decision because I later met my wife after I became an eye doctor.

I’d love to hear your story at 20. You can email or write to me care of the paper (I love getting letters), or if you’re reading this online, please comment below.