Confessions

Can I Still Get Married Before 30?

Every time I scroll through social media, it’s another pre-wedding shoot, another wedding hashtag, another baby announcement. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder: am I falling behind? Do I still have a chance to get married before 30? I have a remote job. The freedom is fun, I can set my own hours, work from anywhere, but there’s another side to it. My income isn’t always stable. Some months I’m flush with projects, other months it’s painfully quiet. I also do not have as many opportunities to socialise and make new friends as I work from home. When I look at friends who seem more “settled”, I can’t stop myself from comparing. And then there’s everything I see and hear about marriages around me. Stories of divorce, cheating, and messy relationships don’t feel distant anymore, they’re everywhere. Sometimes I’m scared. What’s the point of rushing into marriage, only to risk ending up in the same statistics? But on the flip side, every time I go to a family gathering, the questions circle back to the same thing: “When are you getting married?” It feels like I’m caught between two walls, racing against time, but afraid of making the wrong choice. I don’t have the answers. What I do know is marriage shouldn’t just be about age. It’s about emotional readiness, financial stability, and the right partner. And I don’t want to marry just because of an age marker, or because people say I’m running out of time. So I’m shifting my mindset. Instead of treating marriage as a deadline, I’m focusing on building my foundation. That means steadying my career, growing my savings, learning what a healthy relationship looks like, and making peace with myself first. I’m still anxious sometimes, especially when I hear about another breakup or face those pointed family questions. But at least I can remind myself: I’m not refusing marriage, I’m choosing to be wise about it. Maybe I won’t get married before 30. But when I do, I want it to be because I’m ready, not because I was afraid of being late. This article is part of TSS Confessions, a weekly column where we delve into personal finance topics that are unscripted and genuine real accounts from people.