Rachel

I totally agree- 18 is crazy young! A lot of career paths look like one thing on TV, but are actually quite different in reality.

Another thing I’ve accepted in my twenties is that nothing is going to happen at “the right time” so we might as well embrace things as they come and accept that timing is always going to be off.

Thanks so much for commenting!

Nicole

Loving all of your comments lately! Thanks for being a regular!

You brought up another thing I think is interesting. A lot of Gen Y’ers I know have something on the side of their day job: freelancing, moonlighting, passion projects. I don’t have statistics to back it up, but my guess is that freelancing and moonlighting wasn’t all that common for Gen X and Boomers. I wonder why our generation is more likely to do this. Is it that we seek flexibility and indepence more than other generations did?

Nicole

I agree, making career changes is REALLY tough. This is especially tricky if you have a big mortgage, a family and lots of bills. Even so, I think it’s important to always consider the big picture- like Suzy Welch says the “10-10-10″ rule: how will this decision affect me in 10 days, 10 months and 10 years.

I think journaling and taking random notes is really important for someone who knows they need a change but they aren’t sure what that change (or new career path) is. Seeing yourself on paper and looking at trends is often quite revealing!

Nicole

Isn’t it a shame that changing career paths is considered a “failure”? I really hope this belief starts to fade as Gen Y starts raising their own kids differently.

You’re absolutely right though, what makes our generation different is that we have SO many options. Information is easily acccesible and at our finger tips. We have more options than any generation before us did. This is a great thing, but sometimes a confusing thing!

I think finding the right career is like finding the right life partner/husband/wife- it takes a lot of “frogs” before you find your prince. This is normal and probably a blessing. Imagine if we all married the first person we ever dated- whoa!

Nicole

I can totally relate. I think people get scared of pursuing the career path they really want. What these people forget to ask themselves is, “Where would you be in 5 years if you stayed in the job you hate?” and then, “Where would you be in 5 years if you made a switch?” It’s an overly simple concept but one we often forget- without action and risk, you will wake up Groundhog’s Day-style and still be living what you’ve always disliked.

Nicole

I tell my two younger sisters (one is now graduated from college) to do what they love in college even if people question “what they are going to do with it.” Ignore those people! I don’t think a career/job is always going to be butterflies and sunshine, but I think you can get paid for something you enjoy doing.

The more you like the field, the more you are going to excel at it. Therefore, you probably end up making more money anyways.

Srini- we should schedule a Skype so I can talk to you about the whole story here. Not ready to go public yet.

Nicole