I wanted to share this Pew report with you, Young, Underemployed and Optimistic. It has some great job stats for people of all ages. Here are a couple of points that I wanted to pull out and highlight…
Most of us believe that “young adults are having the toughest time of any age group in today’s economy—and a lopsided majority says it’s more difficult for today’s young adults than it was for their parents’ generation to pay for college, find a job, buy a home or save for the future.” I do believe this is accurate, and it doesn’t mean they have to give up on their dream job. It just means the plan may need to be adjusted. Or the path to get there looks different than it used to. More people are probably taking jobs they don’t really enjoy just because they need to be financially stable.
I honestly don’t think this is any different from the past. College grads in years past have done the same thing. They need to take care of themselves, so they take what they can get. The key is to realize that this job is a stepping stone towards something better long-term. You have to have a plan for transitioning out of it when it’s time to make the leap. It’s about making a plan in the first place, and then adjusting it as needed to the times and what’s required based on that, whether it’s your living situation or the economy.
There’s no point in living in the past and being frustrated that today can’t be different. Look at how things are now and how you can tackle those challenges. If you need to wait an extra year to get married to save money, or stay in that job you don’t like an extra 6 months, then that may be what you need to do. I stayed in my bridge job an extra 8 months beyond what I felt I could handle because I would be vested in my retirement if I did so.
Although it can be seen as disappointing that young adults have to adjust, we all have had to do this to a certain extent at one time or another in our lives. Just be smart about it and don’t give up on the ideal career for the long run.
Hallie Crawford
Job Coach
P.S. Are you in the ideal career for you? Find out if you’re in the right career with our Ideal Career Quiz.
