When you begin your career journey, your parents may have plenty of career advice to share with you. They can’t help it because, duh—they want you to succeed in whatever it is you do! But how relevant is their career advice for today’s workplace?
The truth is that their advice could be hit or miss. After all, things were pretty different back in your parents’ day. From their learning and internship opportunities to their workplace structure, things have changed dramatically within the span of a couple of decades.
How has the workplace changed since your parents’ time? What can you expect as you launch your career? Here’s a breakdown of how your career path will likely be much different from your parents.
- You’re More Likely to Start Your Career with Debt
Perhaps one of the biggest differences in you and your parents’ career is how much debt you’ll start with. The cost of higher education is significantly higher than it was a few decades ago.
For instance, the average cost of in-state tuition, room, and board at a public four-year institution in 1990 was $3,958. Compare this to the academic year 2018-19, where the average total cost for attending a public four-year institution and living on campus was a whopping $24,900.
Everything is more expensive now. The price of textbooks alone has increased 812 percent since 1978. As a result, students are relying more on scholarship and grant opportunities to help them cover the steep cost of tuition.
- Internships Are the New Entry-Level Job
Few would argue the importance of finding internship opportunities in today’s competitive job market. For many young professionals, internships have become a vital stepping-stone to career success. But in your parents’ day, internships weren’t all that important to scoring a job.
In fact, there’s a decent chance that they skipped the interning experience altogether. Internships didn’t really take off until the 1980s and, even then, they were often viewed as a simple way to enhance your resume.
These days, internships have replaced many entry-level jobs and are now considered a critical step in a person’s career development.What does this mean for you? It means that your newfound mission is to have at least one internship under your belt by the time you graduate. With the experience you gain from your internship, you can seriously boost your employment prospects and become a rockstar in your field.
- Finding a Job Will Be Tougher
Searching for a job? There’s a good chance that you’ll have a tougher time securing employment compared to your parents.
Back in their day, the economy was in good shape — especially in the 1990s during the dot-com bubble. Jobs were plenty, and anyone who had an undergraduate degree was essentially guaranteed a job.
There also weren’t multi-stage job interviews. It was unheard of for a job seeker to simply walk in, ask for a job, and get it on the spot — no questions asked. Today, you get a job from a family member and they would probably still make you go through the job interview process.
- There Is No Traditional Career Ladder
Many professionals are still taught to embrace the idea of a career ladder, a framework in which you slowly reach the top of your career through a series of promotions. The only problem? The traditional career ladder from your parents’ time is now extinct.
Companies want to keep their best employees in the same position to promote company stability, making it more difficult for employees to progress in their career. As a result, many young professionals have had to get creative with their career moves.
For instance, it’s no longer uncommon for employees to move laterally in their career by taking a related position in a different department of the same company. By moving sideways rather than upwards, you can potentially gain valuable skills that enhance your marketability and increase your pay.
- Job Hopping Is More Common
In your parents’ time, bouncing from one position to the next was considered a huge no-no. Job hopping was often viewed as a huge red flag to prospective employers.
Now, job hopping is a common career tactic that young professionals are using these days to advance their career. Although switching positions too quickly can be a risky career move, it can also pay off — quite literally. According to a survey from staffing firm Robert Half, 64 percent of professionals say that job hopping can be beneficial and potentially lead to a bigger salary.
The key to making it work in your favor is to job hop with intention. In other words, don’t leave for the money alone, especially if the position doesn’t provide opportunities for growth.
- A Learning Mindset Is Crucial to Success
Your parents didn’t grow up with technology at their fingertips like you did. This can be viewed as both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, technology has made it easier (and safer) to learn new skills within a controlled environment.
On the other hand, technology has also made it extremely difficult to keep a current skillset. Certain jobs, particularly those in the computer science industry, may require constant training and upskilling to perform the job as needed.
Fostering a learning mindset is key to developing your skills and staying relevant in your career. Even if you don’t work in IT or a related field, continuing to expand your skills can be a vital asset to your career. Employers appreciate hiring someone who is always willing to learn and gain the skills they need to progress in their career.
Carving Your Own Career Path
Your well-meaning parents will probably try to give you career advice. While some of it may be worth following, other pieces of advice may be outdated and not applicable to your situation at all. By all means, feel free to bounce ideas off them and get their take on things. But at the end of the day, just remember that this is your career path — not theirs.
