“You’re young” they said, “You have all of the the time in the world”. But when is too young too young, and too old too old? Nowadays you don’t have to hit your 50’s to have a mid-life crisis. Myself, including several of my friends, and tons of other people in my generation are suffering from a “Millennial Meltdown”.
I define a “Millennial Meltdown” as a period in a millennial’s life where they feel as though they are stuck between their dreams and their reality. For example, we don’t want to work for anyone, but these bills need to be paid lol. Most of us have spent over half of our lives in school and are wondering, “Now what?”. I myself have two degrees. One that I’m currently not using, and the other...let’s just say I’m hopeful that doors will soon open. But sometimes as I’m conversing with my fellow millennials, we often ask “Why did I even go to school?”
Now I’m not shooting college down, but I do believe there should be major changes to this system. For example, how can an 18 year old pick what career they're going to have for the rest of their life? I'm 26 and still never know what to cook for dinner haha. Or why do you have to get multiple degrees in different fields just to prove that you are knowledgeable on a topic? And lastly, why are we all in student debt?!?!!
Unfortunately, sometimes what you’re passionate about now won’t pay the bills later! How many college graduates do you see going back to school for a degree unrelated to their bachelor's degree? It happens all of the time. I wish the “higher education” system was like a store. Can I return my degree for a full refund if I don’t get a job in my field within 90 days? Can I exchange my degree for something else if I change my mind after starting my career? Sounds crazy, but it’s real out here in these streets lol
Sometimes we do luck up and find careers within our field, but for the other college graduates “the struggle is real”. Some are either settling for entry-level or low income jobs, going back to school for another degree, or find other means to make ends meet. Hiring managers are even turning down millennials for jobs because they believe that we feel “entitled”.
Well you’re damn right we feel entitled. Unlike many of the baby boomers, we’ve spent years in college, worked unpaid internships, and are now thousands of dollars in debt! However, one thing about my generation that I love, is that we are passionate people, go-getters, and all around hustlers. So if you’re in this uncomfortable place of trying to get what you want with what you have, here are some tips to help you along the way.
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
Take time to figure out what your end goal is
Create and write down your action plan
Network, network, network
Just….do….it
At the end of the day we have to understand that we are in control of our own destiny. There are tons of opportunities out there, which one will you go after? Better yet, which opportunity will you create for yourself?