By Christine Hassler, Author of The 20 Something Manifesto
Although this book is written for the job seeker, the advice is priceless for working with Millennials.
Their resumes are crammed and coiffed and they’ve read a million books about finding their passion, but the twenty somethings who come to me for career coaching are still asking the ultimate question: “How do I figure out what I want to do with my life?” They are confused, anxious,overwhelmed by expectations, and doubting their decisions. Why? How can a generation that is so technologically and socially savvy be at such a loss when it comes to deciding who will sign their paychecks?
My answer? For twenty somethings, when it comes to choosing a career path, life is like the Cheesecake Factory. Most people go to the Cheesecake Factory for its cheesecake, but what I remember most about my first dining experience there was not the cheesecake, but the menu. This is no ordinary menu. It is spiral bound. There are 167 food items to choose from and that’s not including cheesecake. When they handed me the menu, I felt like I needed an hour just to read through my options.
How was I supposed to pick just one? Should I have what everyone else was having? Even if I questioned the waiter incessantly before deciding, how would I know I was choosing the right thing? When the food arrived, everyone else’s decisions looked better than mine. What was in front of me, now that it was mine, didn’t seem that appetizing. Who knew dinner could be this challenging just because of so many options!
Do you get the analogy? The twenty-something experience is full of limitless choices with no guarantees and constant opportunities for comparison to everyone else. Today’s young adults have been exposed to an expansive life: the experience of other cultures, endless entertainment, and new forms of technology have made possibilities seem limitless. New businesses, new career paths, and new entrepreneurs keep multiplying. Yet as options have expanded, so have anxiety and indecision. TOO much possibility has become paralyzing. “You can do and be anything you want” has become more of a pressure-cooker expectation than motivational advice.
So what’s a twenty something to do?
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