The 4 biggest differences between being in your 20s and your 30s

Your 20s are hard, but being in your 30s presents a whole new set of challenges.People in their 30s are expected to achieve more and find themselves going down different life paths than their friends.But your 30s bring a greater level of self-awareness, too.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. You're 23, fresh out of college. Maybe you're in debt from student loans or blowing an entire paycheck on rent. Perhaps you are struggling to find a career that's meaningful (or you've come to the crushing realization that a vocation can provide only so much meaning). And, in all likelihood, your love life — a soup of devastating heartbreak, fleeting magic and careless disasters — is best characterized as a “mess.”Yes, your 20s are hard. Popular culture and popular opinion tell us this, as does research. And for many 20-somethings (myself included, at the time) knowing that this decade is made for mistakes and misfires is a welcome palliative: The confusion, disappointment and ego-bruising all part of the formative process of becoming an adult. Eventually, things will get easier. Right？I'm now in 30s — and, by all accounts, firmly in the “adult” camp — and realize that the answer to this question is both yes and no. There are major differences between the two eras, and the transition from 20-something to 30-something contains both major learning pains and liberating realizations. Here are the four biggest differences I've witnessed between my 20s and my 30s.