Ages 20 to 30: The Starting Point for Career Growth
Human capital experts believe that dividing one's professional life by decade is relatively appropriate. That is, ages 20 to 30 as one stage, 30 to 40 as another, and so on.
Is this truly the rule in today’s workplace? How should professionals deal with the age-related milestones in their careers?
Age 20: The Starting Point for Career Growth
Age Range: 20 to 30 years old
Age Advantage: Independent, confident, full of energy
Age Disadvantage: Just entering society, in a difficult adaptation phase, sometimes doubting their own choices, relatively impatient, constantly experimenting.
Suggestion: Think and choose rationally; don’t let your emotions affect your decisions.
People in this age group tend to have forward-thinking ideas and can easily access more information resources. They are open to new things and concepts, possess a strong sense of self-centeredness and initiative. They emphasize independence and equality, making communication easier. They also have a greater pursuit and reliance on material goods, desiring cars, houses, and a dignified lifestyle. However, due to being self-reliant and lacking an economic foundation, they often approach job selection with more utilitarianism, hoping to gain the most rewards in the shortest time possible.
This is the period when individuals are independent, energetic, and full of vitality. Every company needs such talent. Therefore, people in this age group can boldly try industries they've never touched before, and frequent job-hopping is quite common.
From a position standpoint, people at this stage are generally entry-level employees or junior managers. Their career growth places higher demands on the speed of ability improvement.
Experts believe that ages 20 to 30 are the starting point for a person's career growth. How one begins directly affects future success or failure. One of the main tasks during this phase is choosing a career. Therefore, based on thorough self-analysis and analysis of internal and external environments, one should choose a suitable career, set life goals and plans, and establish a good image in the workplace. A young person's performance upon entering the workforce will greatly influence their future growth.
Additionally, to comprehensively avoid risks that may arise during career growth, it is necessary to take preventive measures early. One important task is to keep learning. Japanese scientists have found that 90% of the knowledge required for a lifetime of work is learned after starting a job. This highlights the importance of continuing education after entering the workforce.
After Two Years of Work, Feeling Like I'm Still a "Fresh Graduate"
Running (Female, 25 years old, working in the training department of a company)
By July this year, I will have been working for two years. In the company, I am still at the "Entry Level" position, feeling like I am still a "fresh graduate." Although my current work environment is good, the cautious nature of the work somewhat goes against my personality. I always feel that this job is not the most suitable for me. It cannot be said that I am completely dissatisfied because there are great opportunities to accumulate work experience and significant room to express myself. But it also cannot be said that I am satisfied because this is just a stage of building up energy, and I need to continue improving myself throughout my career.
Currently, what I need most is to invest more time and effort into truly understanding and integrating into a professional circle within an industry, then expanding to other related industries. This requires great patience and continuous effort.
At present, I get along well with my colleagues and am actively adapting to the work environment. However, the conflict lies in the fact that the characteristics of my current job do not align with my interests, and my strengths are not fully utilized in the work. Perhaps because I am still in the initial stage, I have a strong desire for self-improvement and growth. Sometimes, I hesitate whether I should switch to a job more suited to me, but I still encourage myself to continue. I cannot predict if I will be able to follow my predetermined plan. Regarding living pressure, since I still live with my parents, I do not have as much pressure as friends who live independently.
For my future career, I hope to focus on one or two closely related industries and gradually expand to others. I aim to become proficient in market and public relations aspects, and then enhance my knowledge and experience in other areas of business management. Currently, I have not encountered any "bottlenecks" in my career. Observing other peers around me, quite a number have passed their fastest rising phase, but they still strive hard to recharge themselves and continue moving forward. Therefore, I also need to keep learning.
Currently, what I hope for the most is steady progress in my career while having a suitable partner alongside me. However, for now, my career comes first.
Good Job, High Salary, But Filled with a Sense of Crisis
Mr. Li (Male, 26 years old, Project Manager at an IT company)
I have been working for this renowned IT company for almost four years since graduation. My current work environment is excellent, and I am relatively satisfied with my salary. Many classmates envy me, but I feel filled with a sense of crisis and pressure.
To be honest, I am relatively satisfied with my current situation. The greatest satisfaction from my work is that it allows me to fully realize my personal value. This sense of achievement makes me passionate about my work. However, as my tenure increases, both work and life pressures continue to erode my enthusiasm. This job is full of variables and challenges, with rapid technological updates and highly qualified personnel. There are many postgraduate and doctoral students in the company, and graduates from prestigious universities like Tsinghua and Peking University are everywhere. Being in such an environment, the pressure is immense, requiring constant recharging and further study. I am currently pursuing a master's degree.
I feel that both work and life pressures are significant for people in my age group. This mainly manifests in the gap between our expectations and the actual state, as well as the hurdles posed by work experience and economic conditions. The most troubling issue is that this job consumes youth, with a decline starting at age 30, becoming marginal at 35, and almost certainly leading to redundancy by 40. The pressure is unimaginable. If I cannot successfully transition to a different field by 35, it would be very tragic. Therefore, I hope to gradually shift from technical work to managerial work in the coming years.
At this age, life pressures are relatively minimal since I am single and have no family financial burdens. Thus, the pressure mainly comes from my career. People of the same age around me mostly talk about work, job selection, and future prospects when we meet. Of course, I still aspire to a future family life outside of work. However, given my current work status, I have little time to arrange for myself, and even less time to spend on personal emotions.
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