As one of many proud Millennials, there are clear trends I’m seeing amongst my peers and the emerging generation of young people rising behind us. The most obvious of which, is that we all want to work on something we’re passionate about. We seek purpose. We crave a work environment appeals to our mission-driven sensibilities. Most of all, we require a “why” that aligns with our inner voice.
We’re a generation that was consistently told by our optimistic Baby Boomer parents that, “You as Millennials can be anything you want to be,” and we believed them.
The problem though, is that without mastering a useful set of hard skills first, success in finding your dream job or launching a successful mission-driven venture is far less likely.
Treat every job you take on as a form of paid business school, and you’ll find tremendous learnings within each environment you encounter. It’s important to remember that the job that you don’t necessarily like right now is a necessary step to one day landing the career you love.
Ani Allen
What a great post Adam…thank you. I definitely agree with what you are saying, growing up I was always told I could be anything and anyone I wanted to be. Something that I definitely teach my kids now, but with the proper tools of them knowing that it’s not an easy road but it’s worth it at the end.
Nora DiNuzzo
Great observation, Adam. I agree that sometimes you need to take a job you don’t love every aspect of in order to gain foundational skills, develop business acumen and learn how to be a team player. And honestly, the job that pays the bills might not exactly fit your purpose-driven ideals.
Personally, I work in advertising and often feel conflicted about whether or not what I do serves a positive purpose. Could I be doing something instead where I help people lead better lives, instead of just selling them the product du jour? But, then I consider the positive aspects of advertising (and really now, social media) — being able to create and share impactful stories, help people discover new products and services that make their quality of life better, and be part of the commerce engine that helps drive our national and global economy forward.
I have also taken steps to find other ways to give back — mentoring local college students who are interested in marketing and advertising careers, supporting even younger people through my volunteer work with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and contributing my time and dollars to other causes that I care about. For me, I have found this is the best way I can use my education and skills to build a career and support my family, while also finding my purpose. The two aren’t always on the exact same path for everyone in our generation — and I think that’s okay.
Adam
Nora, I couldn’t agree more with your approach. The truth is that each person has to find their own distinctive path, and the pursuit of both profit and purpose are good things as long as they’re balanced. Sounds like you’re doing a great job of incorporating both in your life. Thanks for the great comment!
Rachel Krebs
I’m a Gen Xer and this is an incredibly important topic. I hope other Millennials join you in this conversation! If it interests you, there may be a need to start an online course for Millennials to discuss the realities of the workplace alongside their hopes and aspirations.
I greatly admire the hopefulness and confidence of Millennials, as well as their collaborative nature. I have, however, observed some challenges they have faced in the workplaces, as well as frustrations other generations have experienced in working with Millennials. In the end, I do think that each generation has a lot to learn from one another.
Adam
Rachel, from my understanding every generation has gone through it’s growing pains as they mature. The previous generation claims they have it “too easy” (I can only imagine how hard the “greatest generation” was on their hippie children that came of age in the 60’s and early 70’s) and the emerging generation rebel. I have so much faith in Millennials though, and am even more excited about watching the emergence of the generation in their teens. Maybe I’m naively optimistic, but if you look at the course of human history I can only draw one major conclusion – As a people, we improve.