The daunting task of choosing “career path” or even worse a “dream job” is often a cause of stress in young people. The pressure to get it right first time can make choosing a career feel more like you’re choosing your fate. Much of this stems from the older generation who often chose a job and stuck to it, which can pressure young people today to choose wisely. Pair this with the pressure from social media to land your #dreamjob, and you’ve got a whole lot of stress on your hands.
Studies have shown that almost a quarter of millennials are not happy with their current working situation. So you’re not alone if you’re not in your “dream job” right now. But the truth is lots of people don’t find their perfect job straight away – and in todays society that shouldn’t be something to beat yourself up about either. It’s not necessarily a bad thing.
I think that it’s easy to forget that the young people of today actually have a huge opportunity to take advantage of…
The ever – changing advancement in areas such as technology and science means that new jobs are opening up all the time. Your dream job may not even exist yet, so pressuring yourself to choose a job title might be a struggle for nothing. The job market doesn’t have the rigid structure that it once had – there are endless possibilities for networking within companies and developing new skills along the way. So it’s definitely not the end of the world if you’re in a job you don’t really enjoy or you can’t pinpoint a career you want.
Something I’ve learned recently, after months of stressing about not knowing exactly what I want to do, is to not define a career in terms of job titles. Instead it might be better think about the values, outcomes and opportunities within each job. Think about whether the job aligns with your values and offers you the ability to learn new skills and explore. Using these principles, even if you wind up in a job that isn’t your dream, at least you’re in a good position to gain experience and find other things that you’re passionate about along the way.
Click here for a resource to help you find out what you’re passionate about!
If you can’t decide exactly what you want to do or don’t get it spot on first time, then that’s okay! It doesn’t always mean that you don’t have ambitions or have made bad choices. The world that we live in now often means that people don’t take a straight path to land themselves in their dream career – your dream job might not even exist right now! Take advantage of the networking and skills – building that will happen along the way.
You might stumble upon your dream job when you least expect it – it’s not always what you planned to do.
The Daily Mindset. 