What Is Three Deadly Middles?

Three deadly middles are the worst. No one wants to be in a situation where personal and professional lives intersect, but it happens, and when it does, it can be pretty disastrous. In IT and other fields, the term "three deadly middles" refers to the times you're likely to experience the most stress: when you're newly married, when your children are young (ages 0-5), and when you're retired. The term was coined by researchers at Yahoo! in 2008. Researchers found that people who had been through all three of these periods reported feeling more stressed than those who had not experienced any of them; they also said being less satisfied with their lives overall. Three deadly middles is a slang term used by professionals in IT and other fields, who use it to describe an undesirable situation where personal and work conditions converge. It's based on the next life and career passages: The mid-20s crisis. It is when you realize that your job isn't what you thought it would be, and now you're stuck with it for another five years because of the economy. The mid-30s crisis. It is when you realize that your relationships aren't what you thought they would be, so now you're single and spending all of your time at work. The mid-40s crisis. It is when you realize that your health isn't what it should be because of all those years spent working nights and weekends instead of sleeping or exercising, so now you need to find time for both to live long enough to retire. Early instead of dying young as expected from stress-related heart attacks like your parents did before their time had come (which was at least 42). The three deadly middles have been a constant in the IT industry for years. In a perfect world, they'd all be avoided. But in this world? You must deal with them if you want to keep your job.