by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
I will never forget my first encounter with a Stetson University grad. I had just
moved to DeLand the summer before I was to start teaching and I wandered into
a Pier 1 store in nearby Daytona Beach. I was proudly wearing an SU polo shirt
when the cashier asked me if I worked at Stetson. We chatted for a while about
Stetson. She told me she had graduated two years earlier. I asked if she was
in the management training program at Pier 1. Nope, she replied, just a clerk.
My heart sank. Is this the value of a degree from Stetson – a job as a retail
clerk? No, she was just trying to discover what she wanted to do in life -- and
while she was deciding, a retail job was all the stress she could handle. She
had been a philosophy major determined to go to grad school, but when her
plans changed, she had no career focus whatsoever.
Welcome to the world of twentysomethings -- that uncertain time of transitions
from classrooms and professors to cubicles and bosses.
Numerous experts have identified a point in many people's lives when they face
anxiety and a sense of being adrift, lost. People change jobs, change careers,
change lives. As identified in the early 1990s, this time of life is not a midlife
crisis, but a quarterlife crisis. Twentysomethings around the globe struggle with
the transition from college to career -- and not just to career, but to the perfect career.
|
How Life is Different from College. Reality Bites -- If You Let It
Some new grads are in for a massive culture shock upon
graduation. Do you know how the real world differs from college?
- Lots less vacation time
- Can't sleep in
- Work every day, including Fridays
- Daily commute
- Success is not measured by grades
- No excuses for late work
- Independent living (and expenses)
- No drop/add for employers
- Answer to at least one boss
- Must work with people of all ages
|
Experts say that the crisis hits folks in their 20s, because after years of learning
the system of how to succeed in school, college grads are thrown into the world
of work with no real understanding of how to succeed in it. Others blame the
way pop culture has portrayed work, giving younger workers unrealistic expectations.
Don't believe in the quarterlife crisis? Check out the Websites and books on the
subject. The bigger question is, has there always been a quarterlife crisis, or is it
something relatively new?
Studies show that folks in their 20s are working shorter tenures at multiple employers.
Many are either going back to college or changing careers. Most feel overwhelmed
with the plethora of options available to them -- unlike their parents, who had more
clear-cut career paths (and more loyal employers).
Certainly, whatever the causes, life is not what these folks expected -- or were
prepared for. And pressure from families and others to “just get over it” seem to
make matters worse.
Are you in your 20s? Are you having some of these feelings? Does the description
fit you? If so, then this article is for you. Here are five strategies you can take to
right yourself and get back on track for fulfilling your dreams.
1. Develop realistic expectations. Unless you are extremely fortunate,
you are not likely to get the corner office, the multimillion dollar salary, and the
mansion in the suburbs while you are in your 20s. Life is not a sitcom -- or a
reality show. Life is what you make it.
Develop a mentoring relationship with someone in your same profession and
learn the steps it takes to make the kind of progression you hope to make.
Most lower-level jobs, especially entry-level ones, are where workers "pay their dues"
by completing all the assignments that the senior employees don't want to do. You
won't be assigned account director for Mitsubishi's $200 million advertising
campaign on your first job with BBDO.
We have a great catalog of advice from folks in their 20s in our
Real World Section.
2. Take time to discover your passions. Many folks get into a
quarterlife crisis because they take the first job offer after college and embark
on a series of wrong jobs/careers. This situation is especially the case, it seems,
for liberal-arts students who did not think about career choices while in school.
Take a weekend or part of a vacation and spend some alone time conducting
some serious self-assessment. What are your passions? What are the types
of activities you love accomplishing? What do you dislike? What first inspired
you about your college major(s)? Consider one or more assessment tests.
Spending this time should allow you to begin getting clarity about your next
steps in terms of career and education.
And beware that your passions may change as you experience more things
and grow as a person.
Take advantage of these resources on Quintessential Careers:
Career Exploration Tools and Resources
Career Assessment Tools & Tests
3. Set goals and visualize your future. It does not do any good to have
realistic expectations and an understanding about your passions if you do
not have a plan for progressing in your career.
Where do you see yourself in five years? What type of job do you envision?
What type of life do you want?
Once you have the answers to those questions, develop some action steps
to take during those five years to get you to -- or close to -- your goals.
Read: 10
Tips for Successful Career Planning.
4. Consider changing careers. One of the things you may find
during this process is that your current career is not for you -- and that's
perfectly okay, even if you are already on your fifth career since college.
Most studies show that people will change careers multiple times over
the course of a lifetime -- some as many as seven or more career changes.
If you are unhappy with what you currently do, if you dread going to work
in the morning, if your work is causing to be (mentally or physically)
sick… then you must make a change.
The best way to make a career change is with a plan... a plan to gain
initial experience in the field, get additional training or education, and
expand your network.
Read my article, The
10-Step Plan to Career Change, and check out these
Job
& Career Resources for Career Changers.
5. Cultivate a positive meaning/definition of success. Too
many 20-year-olds have a too materialistic definition of success. Does
wealth and materialistic positions mean you're successful?
You need to stop judging yourself by other people's standards -- and
develop your own. How do you define success? What gives you the
most satisfaction and happiness? What gives your life meaning?
As you go about defining what success means to you, remember that
many of the so-called trappings of success -- money, material
possessions, etc. -- are the results of success, not the definition of it.
An interesting article to contemplate is
What
Will 21st Century Career Success Look Like?
Resources to Help Twentysomething Job-Seekers
Books:
Also check out the books we list in this section of our online
bookstore: Success
After College Books.
Websites:
- Quarterlifecrisis.com --
a community for twentysomethings and companion site to Quarterlife Crisis: the Unique
Challenges of Life in Your Twenties
- Soundtrack
for the Quarterlife Crisis -- 44 songs for the twentysomething soundtrack,
with titles such as, “What Do You Do With a B.A. in English,” from Avenue Q
Final Thoughts
There are certinaly more opportunities -- and challenges -- facing twentysomethings.
Besides the materials in this article, please read
Lisa's Story: A Personal Account of a
Quarterlife Crisis. And if you are still in college -- or know someone who is --
review this Checklist
for College Students to Help Avoid/Reduce Quarterlife Issues.
Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search
terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.
Dr. Randall S. Hansen is founder of Quintessential Careers,
one of the oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well CEO of
EmpoweringSites.com. He is also founder of
MyCollegeSuccessStory.com and
EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. He is publisher of
Quintessential Careers Press,
including the Quintessential Careers electronic newsletter,
QuintZine. Dr. Hansen is also a
published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of articles. He's often
quoted in the media and conducts empowering workshops around the country. Finally, Dr. Hansen is
also an educator, having taught at the college level for more than 15 years. Visit his
personal Website or
reach him by email at randall(at)quintcareers.com.
