Never Too Late

I’ve always believed that you become like the people you surround yourself with, that’s how I’ve approached my friendships and even my mentorships. While I may not grow up to be a teacher or coach, Jason, John, Scott and Nicola are absolutely people I would want to be like. They all show me everyday that with hard work, persistence and sometimes just a little luck that you can find and do what you really want too.

 

These past few months have been overwhelming for me. At first, it seemed like a constant stream of applications and phone interviews. Friends and family tirelessly asking where I was in the process and what I would be doing next year. I became exhausted, both mentally and physically. To me, it wasn’t just about finding a job, it’s about finding a job that I want to wake up and do everyday. Should I take a job that requires traveling? What kind of city or state do I want? How far away from family and friends? Will I find an apartment? One question of, “what will you do in May” becomes about 100 more in my mind in a few seconds. I needed the attention off of me for some time to think about what do I really want?

 

 I think it’s easy for millennial to get lost in this process. The Harvard Business Review will tell you that millennials want a job that is personally fulfilling, that allows for learning new skills and opportunities. This really reminded me of the advice Professor Page gave me, he said to try to always find ways to acquire new skills that would allow you to do something you want to in the future. I thought this was great advice because just as his field didn’t exist when he was an undergrad, there will always be new and changing technology for my generation and although we’ve grown up digitally, there’s a chance it could change faster than we can.

Author and workplace expert Dan Schawbel advises millennials to “sacrifice today for a position tomorrow”. He stresses the importance of working hard today so you can be in a better position tomorrow and have the freedom you want later on. While I understand the hard work needed, I think that advice is so tricky to listen too. In my conversations will fellow college seniors, especially here at Michigan, we feel that since we’ve worked so hard in school and our internships that we should be able to find our place. I’m not saying I think I’ve earned a top leadership position at a company, but a few years of doing entry work doesn’t exactly thrill my generation.

 

Schawbel also advises millennials to take risks early in your career to learn and if you want to last long in a job, pick one that you’re passionate about.

 

How are we supposed to take risks, not settle for a job we don’t enjoy and put in the sacrifice all at the same time?

 

This was definitely an idea I kept in mind during my interviews and I wanted to know: how did you figure it out?

 

The advice Nicola gave to me really stood out. Not being afraid of doing what you want to do despite what other people may think you should do. I find myself constantly worried I’m going to let people down in my career choice. Giving up a big job to do something else sounds like a possibility in the hypothetical, especially when I have someone like Jason in my life who is an example that you can, but I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that maybe I can’t.

 

What I’m beginning to see is that sacrificing today might just mean some balance. I might have to take a few years so I can support myself financially. Not every millennial can graduate college and do anything. We have debt to pay off and parents who would like to stop paying for our rent, but just because not everyone can make the choice to follow their dream right now doesn’t mean you can’t one day. In fact, Jason, John, Scott and Nicola all ended up doing things they love, but they didn’t do it immediately.  It took a few years doing other work, some good support systems and sometimes a leap of faith to go after what they ultimately wanted, while it might not have been easy, they got there.

 

 John Paul told me to think about what makes you happy everyday, and to do that and I think that I might not know what that is just yet. Millennials are changing jobs more in their lifetime than anyone else and maybe it’s to keep acquiring new skills and climbing the ladder. Or maybe it’s to keep on that search of what makes you feel some personal fulfillment, a role that pushes you to wake up early and go to work and feel like you’re making an impact.

 

All four of these people are close to me. They remind me that I’ll be okay, I’ll get to a place and a career and a moment where it all comes together, even though some days it feels like I might not find it. When it comes to picking your future, it always feels like people are telling you what you should do, what would be the best decision for you, but nobody else can make that for you. I think it’s so important for millennials to really take a step back, to see the people that have come before them. This podcast shared the journeys of 4 people who are pursing a career they are passionate about and how through a few changes, personally and in their careers, and how they learned from the mentors that came before them, just like I am learning from them before me.

 

The best parts of these conversations weren’t recorded. They came after I had a few minutes to reflect on what someone who is further down the road than me was really saying. Don’t be afraid. Take a leap of faith. Do what you feel is best. Keep learning. It wasn’t until I had these talks that I realized how much I needed to think about myself, how I forgot to keep in mind what I would need to be happy at the end of the day. This project gave me the opportunity to ask questions I never thought to of people that are real everyday mentors to me and share my personal worries and struggles afterwards. It has changed my approach on “what to do after May?” While I might not be sure right now, I feel confident that I’ll figure it out one day and that I now have the right support system and mentors to help guide me back if I ever get lost.