By Teju Adisa-Farrar, Founder & Creative Director at World Unwrapped.
Often, people in our 20s are told, implicitly, this period in our lives is just a warm-up for adulthood; that it's about gaining experiences. I agree, however I believe it's not simply about collecting experiences. Our experiences should lead to clarity about what we want to do, where we want to do it and with whom. It is of no use to collect experiences if they are not somehow propelling us forward, helping us to create a unique path and simultaneously helping the world and/or others. All of life is an experience, but we only get one chance (unless you believe in reincarnation) so it's better to think of it as the real thing rather than a test-run.
What we do in our 20s certainly affects where we are and how we feel about our 30s. It's no surprise that many young adults feel worried about getting older and their future when we are told it's OK if we don't have it "figured out," and at the same time are characterized as being selfish, have to pay more student loans than any other generation and stereotyped as audacious entrepreneurs. Here is a list of things that are commonly told to millennials and my feelings about this advice:
- A[ny] job is better than no job. I disagree with this statement. For a generation that is overeducated (whatever that means) and underemployed, it is clear that any job is not better than no job. It's not better for the economy or for the people who are less skilled/educated who rely on certain types of jobs to support themselves. We were told, as children, that if we go to college and do well in school, we would get a good job (and be able to pay off our college loans). Many millennials do well in school, graduate college and are not able to find decent-paying jobs. Some cannot even find jobs that require their level of education, resulting in many other issues. While those of us who have jobs are grateful, having a job is not better -- it's necessary. We cannot pay our bills without a job. Having a job that helps us develop skills and learn what we are passionate about is the ideal we should look for.
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