I have about 2 and half years of experience being in my twenties and there some things that I have noticed certain trends about being this age. I must say that I really hate reading lists about “Things every twenty-something should know” or “what ever twenty-something should be doing” because all they do is stress you out and make you think you’re living your life wrong. Which we already all think we are anyways.
But this is part 1 of my “list” of things that I have noticed during this short time of being in my twenties.
It really is all about “who you know” not “what you know”
It is unfair but it is what it is. I am all for networking except for when it leads to companies hiring under-qualified twenty-somethings, and then later complaining about how incompetent millennials are. I won’t complain too much because I got my current job solely through networking and being at the right place at the right time, but the emphasis on networking often gives young professionals false hope that they can get an amazing job from who they know, but come time to deliver quality skills, they are coming up short.
“Social Media is not a career”
Duh. I can’t even count the number of times I was told this while networking. Social media is a day to day activity and it is like breathing for a lot of people. There is no need for fourty-somethings telling me that I’m not going to make a living doing social media. Young people have been marketing themselves on social media since before professionals even realized it could be used as a valid marketing tool.
Generation Y invented social media and Generation X took it upon themselves to write articles about it and teach courses on it and call themselves “social media experts”. There is something wrong with a job posting requiring 7+ years of professional social media experience when Twitter itself was only created about 6 years ago.
Don’t expect to be taken seriously
I worked in my last office for almost 5 years, and was always the youngest person working there. The department was failing and no one was open to suggestions. The point is, it doesn’t matter how many degrees you have, if you’re under a certain age, you still won’t be taken seriously as a professional. They won’t hire you, but they sure will ask you to teach tenured, 60-something PhDs how to right-click a mouse and compose an email.
Just be grateful, no matter what
This first year out of college has been an interesting time. I’m technically not even out of college since I made the ridiculous decision to go to grad school, but grad school is so different, it doesn’t even count. The point is, that everyone’s journey is different. I was lucky enough to find a full time job and find myself envious of my unemployed friends who get to do crafts and watch Netflix all day. Meanwhile, they’re willing to do anything to secure that 9-5 position. This time is so trivial when you look at the big picture that as long you’re doing something that makes you happy you should just be grateful to be where you are.
What Sarah Says 