A Zig-zag path. A jungle gym. A seemingly disjointed resume – trust me, I have been there.
And when the HR asks you this dreaded question: ‘Oh, it seems that you have ‘tried’ many jobs and you seem to be looking a bit unsettling with your career.’ I instantly go back in time to all the encouraging tweets, Facebook updates (yes, I do remember them vaguely in my mind), and some inspiring books to consume the wisdom: that it’s ok to be a risk-taker (at best).
Quite recently, I was been interviewed by one of the leading digital ninjas in the content marketing and PR space. And he asked me one question (or maybe telling me with his curious eyes): ‘Do you think being a millennial is a mindset when people like me want a long-term career after an erratic, disruptive reservoir of jobs that don’t seem to form a convincing narrative?’
First – being a millennial, yes, it could be a mindset, but then we are just limiting our imagination to be the freeing job seeker we are to be. Think about it: today people in their 40s, 50s, heck 60s are becoming entrepreneurs after being knocked down by jobs that didn’t define them and didn’t give them a meaning to cherish. They would still listen to our ‘cool, funky songs’, live their liberating dream to be a successful entrepreneur, or try being a YouTuber – and make millions! They think like us. They get us at the most fundamental level – but of course with a slant of maturity and wisdom.
But you get the point, right?
The truth is: if you are agile with today’s fast-paced, demanding work life and yet still find your contentment in what you love to do, you are genuinely the best version of yourself, regardless of being a millennial or not.
But I do have a lot of love for this cult: the millennial thing.
Because I have lived jobs only to leave them for something better and more purposeful: on a lookout for a journey where I can tell myself, ‘I have learned a lot in my 20s as a result of incompatibility with my ideal self. And I am going to close the chasm, bit by bit when I find myself in this noisy world.’
And so, being a millennial is more than just the generational diversity cliché; it’s about a new beginning; a new horizon and then taking it to the next level for people to maintain their curiosity and unfolding themselves, layer by layer, for another challenge, or a disguised opportunity.
What we lack – regardless of being a millennial or not – is the way we approach work in day and age: with a simple thought: ‘It’s about focus and action. And if we don’t have focus, we can still think macro and then, with time, go granular on what truly gets the best out of us.’
Living a millennial dream is forever. It’s beyond age or any set of other time/ generational dimensions: it’s about finding yourself while being raw, agreeably ‘uncensored’ and moving towards our version of North Star.
And over a period of time, you will realize, it was just part of you that always questioned – to be someone better than you are today.
So, yes, I love being called a millennial. And even though it doesn’t totally define me and my actions of why I switched so many jobs but it does get me closer to think: ‘What happened to me?’ Instead of lamenting upon ‘What’s wrong with me?’ (borrowing Mel Robbins tweet)
Big love to all millennials – we all have some part of it in ourselves! Go be your own, and keep your chin up high.
