Job Hunting: It's the Millennial Thing To Do
It's not a secret that all the cool kids nowadays are switching jobs and careers like shoelaces. Gone are the days of gettin that good manufacturing job and sticking with it 'till retirement. First of all those jobs don't exist anymore, but secondly, regarding the comparable, stable jobs that do exist--kids my age are getting bored and our idealism isn't meshing with the concept of coloring inside the lines. We want to have careers that align with our values and allow us to do some good in the world. We're also willing to take on some risk in order to achieve that. We don't have kids, houses, or other assets that create drag on our willingness to drop a good job for something more fulfilling. We gotta save the planet and like the environment and public health and like voting rights, racial discrimination and homeless or something. #Resist
As I look around, I've realized that a lot of my peers are engaged in this hunt right now. Even as us millennials work in well-respected positions with opportunity for growth, we're still not afraid to look around for the next thing if it give us an opportunity to really flex our skills in the work place. On the one hand it's kind of like an "oooh, shiny" kind of thing, but on the other hand, I just read Dave Epstein's "Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World" and he told me it's okay, so I feel no shame. My peers are redefining their career paths, and it's actually kind of inspiring to watch. Even within my corner of interest (the world of public policy), there are soooo many options and so many ways to contribute to public discourse. There's the government bureacrat, the elected official, their staffers and advisers, the researchers and think-tankers, the NGO workers and activists, the journalists, the humanitarian workers--I'm not saying all of these options interest me, but when I look back and see what's out there, it is kind of exciting to think about where your life could go professionally. Who wouldn't want to try that out?
So currently I'm in a job that I've worked really hard to get, and still I really could not tell you what my life will look like in 10 years--where I'll be living, who I'll be living with (if anyone), what I'll be doing. Will my life look similar to what it is now, or will I have totally remixed it by then? I'm kind of excited to find out. In any case, one things for sure, in 2019 I've learned that I need to be constantly growing and learning in order to feel alive. When I feel stagnant, it takes a real toll on my mental health. Now that I've learned that lesson, I'm not making those mistakes again. I'm making little calendars and plans for myself personally and professionally, and I'm going to keep trying to figure it out one day at a time!
Love y'all,
Aja
As I look around, I've realized that a lot of my peers are engaged in this hunt right now. Even as us millennials work in well-respected positions with opportunity for growth, we're still not afraid to look around for the next thing if it give us an opportunity to really flex our skills in the work place. On the one hand it's kind of like an "oooh, shiny" kind of thing, but on the other hand, I just read Dave Epstein's "Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World" and he told me it's okay, so I feel no shame. My peers are redefining their career paths, and it's actually kind of inspiring to watch. Even within my corner of interest (the world of public policy), there are soooo many options and so many ways to contribute to public discourse. There's the government bureacrat, the elected official, their staffers and advisers, the researchers and think-tankers, the NGO workers and activists, the journalists, the humanitarian workers--I'm not saying all of these options interest me, but when I look back and see what's out there, it is kind of exciting to think about where your life could go professionally. Who wouldn't want to try that out?
So currently I'm in a job that I've worked really hard to get, and still I really could not tell you what my life will look like in 10 years--where I'll be living, who I'll be living with (if anyone), what I'll be doing. Will my life look similar to what it is now, or will I have totally remixed it by then? I'm kind of excited to find out. In any case, one things for sure, in 2019 I've learned that I need to be constantly growing and learning in order to feel alive. When I feel stagnant, it takes a real toll on my mental health. Now that I've learned that lesson, I'm not making those mistakes again. I'm making little calendars and plans for myself personally and professionally, and I'm going to keep trying to figure it out one day at a time!
Love y'all,
Aja
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