Lessons Learned from Living Through the Great Recession as a Millennial

Up until recently, we didn’t really talk a lot about the 2008-2009 economic crisis much, at least not on a personal level. But for me, it was an important part of my history, my adulthood. And now, with whatever is happening in this economy, it seems we’re on familiar footing. Here’s an anecdotal review of that period of my life, and the affects it’s had on my well-being and mindset.

I know a lot of people have trouble realizing who a millennial is, but generally the term applies to those of us born between the early 1980s and late 1990s, so about 1980—1999. That puts me on the higher end of the age bracket, but still a millennial.

At the time of the 2008-2009 recession, I was just a few years out of college. My first job was as a full-time contract position in graphic design, and after about a year, I was hired into the company with a true salaried position. Within another year, the recession started to hit.

I have a lot of memories from…