A lot of us enter our jobs through the need of getting “suitable” work and to start building up our CV. But 2-5 years down the line you might be thinking; What am I doing? What should I do next?
As a twentysomething I believe a career move, or thoughts around a career should be progressive in life. It sounds like a cliché at first, but I’m not just talking about moving upwards within your company/field/industry/sector, but in achieving what you can achieve or experiencing what you can experience whilst in the medium term. I’m not just talking about work experience here, this can be life experience that will make you wiser. I’m talking about an opportunity in life that is basically “now or never”.
[blockquote_right] [themecolor]This period is the time to experiment.[/themecolor] [/blockquote_right] This period is the time to experiment and move into getting a new and better opportunity (after researching the pros and cons of course), to be a little risqué, and not surpass an opportunity just because it may require you to move locations. Whilst you have no real financial burden like a mortgage (and even then you can rent the place out) and probably have no dependent partner or kids, its best to explore new territories in a job or what comes incidentally with a job. That could be going abroad for work, switching industry and getting an initial pay cut, doing a project on the side because you have a real passion elsewhere, having a “time out” session travelling and opening your eyes and mind, or if you’re gunning for that next promotion, volunteer for the right project that would move you forward.
In essence, being twentysomething, you have the time and the ability to handle more risk, so do it while you can. Do it before you regret not having done it, before you move too high up the ladder in an industry that you’re not so keen on, before you get stuck in a rut at thirty something.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
[blockquote_right] [themecolor]You have to look at yourself alone and see what it is you could do, what you want to do and what you could do without.[/themecolor] [/blockquote_right]On a separate note, I also think that it’s particularly important to our age group to stop comparing ourselves to our friends. You can admire them but comparing salary, job criteria and career aspirations depends on each person’s ability, background and way of thinking. [themecolor]Whilst you can be influenced positively, envy will do no good![/themecolor] You have to look at yourself alone and see what it is you could do, what you want to do and what you could do without. Talking openly about your goals or what you might want to do with trustworthy friends is a great positive however. You can’t get enough advice from other experienced professionals especially from someone who is your age, or from someone you look up to.
So it’s time to separate work from career, analyse what you really want and find out how to get there. It’s time to launch yourself!
Hey Maria,
Thank you for this wonderful article, it will serve us well. Loved this from above, “This period is the time to experiment..” The fact that I don’t have any real financial burdens and especially no kids gives me so much freedom to experiment with lots of opportunities. I notice that my risk friendly mentality actually scares my family but now is MY time and a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do! 🙂