What is the defining issue for our generation when it comes to
our careers? Trying to survive in an economy defined by the disappearance of job and
pension security.
For the first time in America since World War II, there is no
reasonable expectation that if you are talented and willing to work hard, you can
expect to have a secure job and a comfortable retirement. Our nation's relative
wealth is diminishing, our standard of living is declining, there is an ever growing
disparity between rich and poor, and established institutions are no longer
themselves secure, much less reliable sources of security for individuals.
How are young, talented Xers facing this historic challenge?
Here is what Harold, a 23 year old college graduate working as a
temp has to say: "It's hard to find a job that's a good match with my interests and
my skills. I'm working as a temp to pay the bills. Right now I have to live
modestly, lower my expectations a little, and keep my eyes open for the right
opportunity. Most of my creative energy goes into a software program I am trying to
develop on my own, when I have time. I've learned a lot doing that and I've thought
about trying to create my own business around that. Everyone can't be Bill Gates.
But, maybe I'm learning something that a guy like Gates would find valuable in an
employee."
Whether they are dropping out of the rat race, climbing out by
starting their own companies, or staying in and trying to succeed within established
companies,
most Generation Xers are just trying to build secure lives in an insecure world.
No one in this generation expects to have a career built around
a long-term relationship with any one employer. Xers know we cannot count on
institutions to grant us economic security. We must create our own.
Instead of getting boxed in by the rapidly changing economy, we
are positioning ourselves as free agents in the job market, as sole proprietors of
our creative talent. Xers do not change jobs with such frequency because we are
restless. We know exactly what we are looking for -- opportunities to make valuable
contributions while expanding our own abilities. Building a career for ambitious
Xers means doing whatever it takes to find and maximize those opportunities.
That means, even though Harold is working right now as a temp,
the seeds of his potential career are taking root not just in his heart, mind, and
computer, but in every place he goes and in everything he does. "Even when I am
temping, I am thinking of strategies to market the software I am writing. But, it's
not just that. If I am working anywhere near a software person, I will always try to
get them talking, test out ideas on them. You never know what you can learn. And, I
figure maybe one of them will get to thinking that I might be useful to have around.
So I could get a job out of it. And who knows where that could lead. You can't
afford to leave a lot of stones unturned these days."
For most Xers, positioning ourselves as sole proprietors of our
abilities means maximizing every job opportunity no matter how short-term, learning
from every possible source, accepting new challenges, turning dead-end jobs into
opportunities, adding skills to our repertoires, meeting and impressing new people,
creating tangible end-results, proving to others and confirming for ourselves that we
are growing in value as players in the work-force.
So, the old fashioned career model is out. Xers won't be paying
dues, doing the lowly grunt work, paying homage to the corporate hierarchy -- at
least not on the basis of some vague long-term promise. Don't blame us. We may be
playing a new game, but we are not the ones who changed the rules.
It's not that Xers are unwilling to work long hard committed
hours, focus our entrepreneurial spirit on management driven goals, and make valuable
contributions to the company's bottom line. But Xers have to approach our career
growth in terms of a new model -- short term investments of creative energy in
exchange for training, creative responsibility, and proper credit. If Xers can't
expect guarantees of job and pension security, we can hold out for employers willing
to offer that kind of support and the chance to be serious players in securing our
own economic future.
According to the US Department of Labor, one in three individuals graduating from
college between 1990 and 2005 will go on to positions that don't require a college
degree, almost twice the percentage of people who faced the same problem in the
1980s. Interesting, since by 1993, 47% of 18-24 year olds had at least some higher
education, compared with 31% as of 1980.
