The fly that has no one to advise him, follows a corpse into the grave– African Proverb

Get it Right Early

Three years ago ( 2015), I partnered with Jamaican Gospel Artiste, Jermaine Gordon and First Heritage Cooperative Credit Union to do a Habits Matter School Tour to promote my first book, “Heartache Queen Unshackled.” Prior to this tour, I remember reflecting and praying about helping young people. I questioned myself about why I was doing this outreach and the words, “Get it Right Early” came to me forcefully.

I was 35 years old at the time and was plagued by mid-life regrets. I knew I should have been farther along on my journey had I known some of the things I learned later in life. I felt compelled to empower our youths to do life right, to teach them success strategies and develop the mindset and attitude that will lead to their success. To top it off, an opportunity came to teach personal development and Career Guidance at a vocational school for mostly young men 17 -34 years. This group is currently called Millennials, and there is currently a lot of miseducation regarding this group.

According to the Manpower Group by 2020 Millennials will make up over a third of the global workforce. As a Career Coach, I believe my job is to help them make the transition to the workforce and to help them to maximize this season of their lives. I have fallen in love with Millennials. I want to help them to win at life. I have been excited to teach them life skills and help them take their next step through employment, and begin their journey of adult responsibility and economic empowerment. I have been excited about learning about them, and today I will share some myths and facts regarding this impressive generation.

The Millennial Challenge

Millennials (in 2018 are between ages 18 and 34) according to TIME magazine have been labelled as the “Me Me generation… lazy, entitled narcissists who still live with their parents.” They are also said to be job-hoppers, unsatisfied with their work, industry killers, disloyal to their employers and have bad work ethics. However, this may in fact be a misunderstanding of Millennials. The Manpower group did a global workforce analysis on Millennials in 25 countries including Japan, China, Canada, India, Spain and Mexico. They dispel some of these myths in a document entitled “Millennial Careers 2020 Vision: Facts, Figures and Practical Advice from Workforce Experts.” 

Contrary to these negative labels, the Manpower group found that Millennials are hardworking. Over half expected to work past age 65, although a significant number are optimistic that they will retire before age 65. They, however, foresee significant breaks along the way (84% of them or 4 in 10). They plan to take time out for caring for children, supporting partner in their job and in caring for themselves. Vacation and time off rank highly on their list job priorities which also includes money, flexible working conditions, job security and working with great people.

Millennials everywhere say purpose is a priority. This was music to my ears as the Design to Win Road Map is all about discovering purpose and finding or creating a job that aligns with your purpose. While job security is crucial for Millennials, they define it differently. Job security is more about having the skills to be employable. They are not job-hoppers. They want to advance with the same employer and are willing to work full-time to ensure and maintain their standard of living.

Helping Millennials to Win

Millennials value skill development and continued learning. They understand the need for skills development to remain employable. In fact, 93% of them want lifelong learning and are willing to spend their own time and/or money on further training. This again is music to my ears. This is why I have written this Career and Life Management book, Design to Win Road Map, to help Millennials to develop essential skills that will lead to their success in life and in the workforce. Millennials have made learning new skills a top factor when considering a new job.

Remarkably, three quarters of Millennials are working in full-time jobs. Though they favour full-time work, over half say they are open to non-traditional forms of employment in the future – freelance, gig work or portfolio careers with multiple jobs.  Self-employment is also a tempting future option. However, they do not want to remain in one position or role for more than two years. They will stay if there is better work-life balance, have a clear career path and if they are recognized by managers and colleagues. They will leave jobs when they feel unappreciated. Finally, Millennials possess the ability to quickly grow and adapt their skill set to remain employable throughout their working life.

In the view of these findings, if you are a Millennial, the Design to Win Road Map will be quite helpful. I understand that the vast majority of Millennials see ongoing skills development as an important part of their future careers. The Design to Win Road Map will help you to carve out your career path and strengthen your desire for learning and development. It will teach you how to deal with the challenges that will come with work and adult living. This book will enable you to do meaningful work which aligns with your purpose and values. It will help you to find career and life fulfillment.

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If this article has helped you in any way, I invite you to share it and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more career and life empowerment tips to release the winning you. Each week, I do a Facebook Live broadcast either in my Design to Win Facebook group or on my author page, C. Ruth Taylor to help you win gold in your life and career. Look out for the launch of Design to Win Road Map on May 9, 2018.