By Aishwarya Rao
The pursuit of bliss – how has the pursuit of happiness changed the professional profiles of the younger generation? We must ask ourselves if millennials have evolved into human beings who choose passion over career for the happiness it promises? Or are they perhaps the smartest of the last few generations, who have found a way to create careers from their interests and passions. Millennials today are individuals who have grown up with the permission to explore what they love and invest in it.
They are more aware of what they want to pursue and how they plan to achieve a successful career in a field that interests them. Be it fashion, art, music, movies, etc., basically uncommon career choices that still manage to yield successful results.
There has been a shift in how the younger generation perceives professions, no longer is it that there are only a few professions with attractive pay scales or provide opportunities for growth or carry social value in terms of respectability. The world today has a constructed a new definition of what an acceptable career or profession is and society has wholeheartedly embraced this view.
The birth of the digital domain has also provided a plethora of opportunities, and not only for data processors or computer engineers. It has also ushered those with creative minds and innovational attributes to maximize their potential. The world has evolved in the last decade, people’s perception of what creates value and what is valuable has drastically changed. This weightage on job satisfaction involving emotional/ mental peace is affecting employee longevity in their professions. The shifting track in professions is more visible now also because of the evolution of higher education in qualifying individuals for these newly developed professions.
A few years ago, there were no specialized courses that adequately qualified one to pursue these newly created jobs. But with developments made in the education sector and the rise of online education – a plethora of new career options await people to explore them. The benefit of these extensive professional opportunities is that it supports every kind of intelligence, creative spirit as well as academically curious individual.
While all of this might suit the millennial thought process and aligns with their “always hungry- never settle” attitude, it has also fostered easy distraction, loss of focus and uncertainty. The brave new millennial world of seekers and not settlers have in turn also morphed professions and professional lives to an extent. Today, the venture into a career does not guarantee certainty in continuity or tenure. Job titles, job descriptions and requirements also keep evolving, the scope for growth – vertical, horizontal or in parallel careers is ever-present, which ensures fluidity between professions. For people in their 20s -30s, job-hopping is “in”, and there in more of life to Live in variety.
This is a win-win for most, as Job-hopping individuals are more likely to earn a higher wage, develop their career on a faster track and find a better fit in work culture by exploring different jobs more frequently.
The stigma against the rolling stone that does not settle is fast dying. Employers today are aware, they are happy to hire youngsters who they know might not stay for long in their companies, short term workers today don’t dispel productivity or project success.
The Money Factor
The most common misconception is that Millennials are entirely courting money and therefore moving jobs for mere wage. It’s often believed that they don’t have the piece forget their slice of the pie like their seniors did. However, that isn’t true for all.
Many employees are willing to take pay cuts for the right job, especially if there is an irregular work culture and work life and home life balance in their prior jobs. Other factors for switching jobs quickly include being overtaxed at work, poor support from a team or managers, back biting office culture and disrespectful work environment. Environmental and social consciousness also attracts millennials today, when a company’s mission aligns its values to theirs, youngsters are willing to commit to a job for longer.
One might argue that aren’t millennials being narrow minded? Wouldn’t they just put up with a few negatives to maintain some nuance continuity?
Most people choose to move to other companies because they’re hopeful in finding a better fit for their career trajectory. When the opportunity arises, one must grab it so to speak. In such cases, smaller companies have a higher chance of employee retention provided their work culture and perks are positive matches. It all boils down to the fact that the youth of today have a say in the direction their careers are going. They’re the writers of their career narratives and are steering their futures.
The Appeal of Relocating:
Unlike the previous generations, Millennials are planning to settle down and start a family at a much later stage in their lives. This makes relocation a highly desirable and doable option for them. They often see relocating as a positive career change and look forward to it not only from a work standpoint but also to explore new cities and cultures
Today’s graduates also have more flexibility at the start of their careers. So, employers hiring millennials are more likely to make relocations packages available for a move to a new city, and millennials are eager to explore new places in an affordable transition.
The lifting of the job switching stigma
Earlier, applicants were always told that recruiters negatively evaluated CVs that showed stints that were shorter than 2 years in a particular organization. Multiple jobs within that short span of time would be a red flag and signify lack of maturity. However, that is slowly changing.
Millennials are now the largest group of professionals in the market, and as their careers advance, millennial hiring managers will bring in a significant change on the negative perceptions of job-hopping and focus on securing candidates who align vision wise, ethics and culturally with the organization.
Today there is a mirroring of personal ideals and professional ideology, the understanding that just as you grow out of relationships and different phases of life, there are instances where you grow out of a role or a work culture.
Passion has been redefined and today it is almost expected in work environments. Vigor, excitement, and a willingness to learn have replaced loyalty in many ways. So, in conclusion Millennials aren’t confused they are curious, they aren’t torn but flexible, they aren’t choosing between one and the other but rather testing one and another and they are clearly able to identify between their passion and profession. While their passion may be long-standing, sometimes the profession isn’t.
This clarity and acknowledgement of both allows for conscious curiosity and a willingness for adventure in work just as in life.
The author is director of The Vivekalaya Group of Institutions.
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