The path to your ideal career is anything but straight. Do you invest in a career path that brings you joy and fulfills you? Or take a job that is in demand and provides job security, but has you tiptoeing burnout? So many questions with no one-size-fits-all answer–and no one understands this better than millennials navigating career quandaries.
During their working lifetime, they were told education was the key to career development, but the costs were astronomical. Now, two recessions later, a pandemic, and sensationalized quiet quitting– it’s only expected that the group who makes up almost a quarter of the workforce, is grappling with confusion about their career.
Five Important Millenial Career Lessons
Times have changed since previous generations were in the workforce. Today we’re going to dive into career advice for millennials and anyone trying to find balance between being content with their career choices and also finding purpose and direction in the work they do.
Invest In Yourself and Professional Development
Long gone are the days when people spent decades with the same employer. In fact, according to numbers released from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the current average is just over four years for employees to stay with one employer. Investing your time and energy in your career is important, but that doesn’t mean it has to be with the same company or organization year after year.
You Are Not Your Job
Doing work that is expected of you and that you’re proud of is a sure sign of a good work ethic. At the same time that doesn’t mean your job and identity should be one in the same. Your manager offering constructive criticism of your work isn’t a personal attack, but it starts to feel that way, it is time to look for a different job.
Re-think and Re-visit Work and Life Integration
Work-life integration isn’t just about the hours you clock, but it’s about the flexibility you have to live your life while working. Does work give you time to keep appointments with your mental and physical healthcare providers? If you’re feeling physically ill or need a mental health day, does your manager guilt you into rescinding the request? Before you are an employee, you are a person, and working in an environment that understands that is really what work-life integration is all about.
Staying With a Job You’ve Outgrown Doesn’t Serve You
Consider basing the amount of time you spend with any given employer on how it feels to work with them. Do your values align with the company? Do you enjoy the work you do? How do you get along with your coworkers and management?
While everyone has days they dread heading into the office or logging in online, if you find those days consistently outweigh the rest, it’s time to make a change. Take an inventory of your own Sunday Anxieties. Is your stress and anxiety level off the charts Sunday evening because of the work week ahead?
Never Stop Learning
Whether it’s keep pace with new trends in your current position or starting fresh with a new career altogether, never stop learning. Growth is something that serves you now and will continue to serve you the rest of your life.
Our therapists here at Let’s Talk Psychological Wellness are committed to empowering you to be confident and content with all aspects of your life including your career. Feel confident in your professional direction. Call, text, or email us.