Ahhh, youth. Life in your 20s is such a rollercoaster ride. Full of ups and down from school to financial, from personal relationships to careers, and everything in between. Who am I? What do I want from life? Am I on the right path? Am I having an existential crisis as we speak? Would I even know?! OMG!
Relax. We all question life and make tons of mistakes along the way, that’s the point of this time period. Don’t stress if you feel a bit “off track,” here are a few bits of workplace wisdom to push your 20-something self in the right direction:
Network, network, network. Building a network, and focusing on the quality of your network is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Starting out young allows you time to grow and evolve with them, creating a greater bond for when you may need to call on them later in life. Be cognizant of who you surround yourself with in college, post-grad, or in the workforce. Developing these kinds of quality relationships can truly make life easier for you years down the line whether you need a reference, an investment, a job, or a foot in the door.
Lounging can be a dangerous choice. As mentioned before, your 20s really are a rollercoaster ride, and sometimes you can’t find your way. It can be confusing, and while being confused is ok, hanging around and doing nothing is not. Lounging around the house all day or wasting time in low-level, low-paying dead end jobs, is helping no one. Nothing is going to fall into your lap. Your peers are making moves, connections, and keeping options open while padding their resumes and becoming more and more employable. Try to stay on a course so that you don’t end up being surpassed and stuck in a cycle of underemployment.
Read more, text less. How dare I? I know, I’m sorry that was harsh. But you have to put down the phone and start consuming more useful information than those around you. This will keep you ahead of the game, spark more creativity and thoughtfulness, plus it won’t impede on your ability to write “you” instead of “U” in a work email (trust me, it happens more than you think).
Get the best job you can. If you do have a good grasp on what you ultimately want to do in life, invest time and effort into your career early on and build from there. Create a solid foundation. According to Dr. Meg Jay, author of The Defining Decade, up to 2/3 of a lifetime’s wage growth happens during the first 10 years of a career. Get your foot in the door as early as possible, understand that it takes time to really master your job, and absorb as much knowledge as you can.
Speak up, don’t lash out. We live in a world filled with “vent-sessions.” A world that allows and encourages you to lash out via social media or sites like Yelp. But in terms of business, if you have an issue with the treatment or culture at work, speak to your supervisor. Keep it on a professional level instead of sneakily blogging about it. Nothing can help the issue if it is not brought up and it reflects poorly on you once word gets back to your superiors.
Guard your reputation. In business, and in life, reputation is the most valuable currency you can possess. Be careful of what you say, do, send, produce because this is the age where everything you do can be monitored, uploaded, or forwarded. Your reputation is precious. It is the most priceless asset you will have in the corporate world because it is often perceived as your identity, a key to who you are, and sets you apart from competitors. It can unlock doors otherwise sealed. Guard it with everything you’ve got. In the words of Warren Buffet, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”