The Surprising Truth About Being 38 in 2024 (Especially If You Were Born in 1986)
Let’s play a little game of math, shall we? If you were born in 1986, how old are you in 2024? Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask you to pull out a calculator and do any crazy long division. It’s simple, really: 2024 minus 1986 equals 38. That’s right—if you were born in 1986, you’re 38 years old.
Now, you might be thinking, “Hold on, I’m still in my 30s. What does that even mean? Where does the time go?” You’re not alone in feeling like this, especially when you’re realizing that in 2024, the world looks a little different than when you were a kid in the ‘90s. But there’s more to being 38 in 2024 than just simple math. Trust me, there’s a whole new world of cultural shifts, realizations, and, let’s face it, surprises that hit you when you realize how old you are. So, let’s unpack that, shall we?
1. The Crazy Speed of Time
Remember being 16 and thinking, “Ugh, I’ll never be 30. That sounds so old!” If you were anything like me, you probably thought turning 30 would bring gray hairs, early bedtimes, and an insufferable love for quiet evenings at home with a glass of wine. But here’s the kicker: when you’re 38, you realize the 30s weren’t the dreadful years you imagined at all. In fact, they were pretty damn fun.
The thing about time is it sneaks up on you. One minute you’re listening to cassette tapes (okay, maybe that was just me) and watching TV shows like Full House and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air every Friday night. The next minute, you’re grabbing your own bag of chips at the grocery store, trying not to think about the fact that you’re closer to 40 than you are to 18. It’s wild how quickly the years tick by.
In the blink of an eye, the world has gone from flip phones to smartphones, from VHS tapes to streaming services, and from dial-up internet to instant access to literally everything. Suddenly, you’re 38 years old, and you’ve lived through two entire decades that feel like they passed in a flash. That feeling of time speeding up? It’s real.
2. The “Wait, What? I’m the Adult Now?” Moment
It’s a strange feeling when you realize that you’re the one people come to for advice. You know, when your younger cousins, friends, or even strangers on social media ask you for life advice, and you suddenly realize: you are the adult. You are the person who’s lived through things, learned lessons, and—perhaps most importantly—learned to manage your own taxes.
It’s a whole vibe, isn’t it? You’ve gone from a kid who couldn’t wait to grow up, to an adult who sometimes wishes they could go back to the simplicity of just worrying about getting enough change for lunch. Now you’re navigating everything from career decisions to health insurance, relationships to retirement plans. And, yes, your 38-year-old self is probably starting to seriously look into skincare routines and checking your cholesterol levels. Not exactly the stuff you imagined worrying about as a kid, but here we are.
3. The Love-Hate Relationship with Social Media
Let’s talk about social media. If you’re 38 in 2024, you’ve been around long enough to witness the evolution of the internet—from the days when Facebook was a college-exclusive social network to the explosion of Instagram, TikTok, and threads that make absolutely no sense. You know the struggle of trying to “find your aesthetic” on Instagram in the early 2010s and watching those awkward selfies age like milk.
And yet, you’re still somehow obsessed with checking Instagram, scrolling through TikTok, and—on your worst days—endlessly looking at other people’s vacations, perfect relationships, and fancy dinner dates. But you also feel the pull of nostalgia every time you see a meme about the “good old days,” before influencers started charging for ads, and before TikTok was the place where everyone goes to get their life advice.
The craziest part? As a 38-year-old, you’re still just figuring out how to balance real life with this new digital world. You’re old enough to know that not everything you see online is real, but young enough to fall down a rabbit hole of “luxury apartment tours” on YouTube. It’s an age-old struggle: growing up in an analog world but fully immersed in a digital one.
4. The Freedom of Knowing What You Want (And What You Don’t)
Being 38 in 2024 also means one major thing: you finally know who you are. In your 20s, you were still figuring things out—who you were, what you liked, who you wanted to be when you grew up. But by the time you hit 38, something beautiful happens: you become unapologetically yourself.
This isn’t to say you have it all figured out—oh no, I don’t think any of us truly do—but there’s a confidence that comes with age. When you’re 38, you’ve likely been through some tough things, some breakups, job changes, or just life, and you’ve emerged stronger, maybe a little wiser, and definitely a little more self-assured.
You stop caring so much about what people think. You know what you like, and more importantly, you know what you don’t like. If you want to spend a Saturday night watching Netflix alone in your pajamas, that’s your choice, and you’re proud of it. You no longer feel the pressure to constantly impress people. You’re comfortable with being you, and that is a beautiful thing.
5. The Constant Stream of Nostalgia
Being 38 also means you’re in the perfect position to enjoy the world of nostalgia. The ‘80s and ‘90s are now officially “retro,” and you might catch yourself saying things like, “I remember when CDs were a big deal.” The thought of kids nowadays not knowing what a floppy disk is? Insane.
But even better? You’re also in a prime position to introduce the younger generation to some of the classics. You get to tell them about Friends, the Backstreet Boys, and the beauty of Blockbuster (remember those?). You’re the gatekeeper of pop culture, the one who can look back and say, “Yeah, I lived through that, and it was a good time.” In fact, we might be the last generation that gets to do this—kids born in 2006 won’t know the joy of watching an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on a VHS tape, and that’s honestly heartbreaking.
6. The Realization That You’re 38 and It’s Okay
Here’s the thing, though. When you’re 38, you realize something profound: it’s okay. There’s no magic age where everything just clicks, but at 38, you have a sense of clarity that you didn’t have when you were younger. You’re not 22 anymore, but you’re also not 60. You’re in the prime of your life, where you can take all the things you’ve learned and make them work for you.
So, as much as we love to say, “Wow, where did the time go?” let’s also say, “I’m okay with where I am.” Being 38 in 2024 isn’t just about counting the years—it’s about appreciating the life you’ve lived and the life still ahead. The best part? You’re still young enough to dream, but old enough to make those dreams a reality.
So, how old are you in 2024 if you were born in 1986? Well, you’re 38—and that’s something to be proud of. Because in a world that’s constantly changing, the one thing that remains is that we’re all just doing our best, trying to make sense of it all. And if you’ve made it to 38, you’re doing just fine.
