Gen Y Advice

I just read an article of why Gen Y’s are often unhappy in their careers. I haven’t put the link here because it was written for a generic 25 year old with the apparent comprehension skills of a 5 year old in the 1960’s. However the concluding advice for Gen Y’s was pretty much in concord with the advice that I think all young people need to hear:

“Stay wildly ambitious. The current world is bubbling with opportunity for an ambitious person to find flowery, fulfilling success. The specific direction may be unclear, but it’ll work itself out—just dive in somewhere (And I would add – dive in early, nothing generates success like early engagement in passionate achievement).

Stop thinking that you’re special. The fact is, right now, you’re not special. You’re another completely inexperienced young person who doesn’t have all that much to offer yet. You can become special by working really hard for a long time.

Ignore everyone else. Other people’s grass seeming greener is not a new concept, but in today’s image crafting world, other people’s grass looks like a glorious meadow. The truth is that everyone else is just as indecisive, self-doubting, and frustrated as you are, and if you just do your thing, you’ll never have any reason to envy others.”

If I was to add one point I would say this – try and find some value system that doesn’t have yourself in the middle of it. It could be your local community, your planet, your country’s politics, the health of immigrants, the economy, a technology sector, fashion, whatever … just make sure that you care passionately about something other than yourself.