We recently dived into a few of the challenges that come with being a millennial or Gen Z-er in the modern workplace and offered some strategies to get through them. Now it’s time to come full circle and talk about the other side — turns out there are quite a few great things about being a young professional, too.
Here are a few of the best perks.
You have huge opportunities for learning and growth
As a young professional, you essentially have your whole career ahead of you. We know that can feel overwhelming — but it really means that the stakes are low in the beginning, and you have an amazing opportunity to soak up knowledge!
At a good company, your bosses and coworkers won’t expect you to know everything, but they will expect that you ask questions. What better gig is there than a place to grow into your skills and discover what you’re truly passionate about while learning from seasoned pros?
You’ll have more energy than some of your coworkers — so you can be more efficient
It’s no secret that we run out of energy as we age. Have you ever babysat a five-year-old and walked away feeling like you got hit by a bus, wondering how on earth they keep going after all those hours of running around asking “why”? Yeah, us too.
When you start a new job as one of the youngest people in the office, you have the opportunity to be that five-year-old (though hopefully with a little more poise).
Find a routine that works for you, and celebrate the fact that you can wake up early, crank through a full day of work, and still have a little energy for your friends or side hustles when you get home.
You can impress your bosses with what you know
It’s tough to feel like you’re being boxed in as a “digital native” and nothing else, but that frustration can actually turn into an amazing opportunity. If your company doesn’t expect you to know anything about traditional marketing, but you do… say hello to a one-way ticket to knocking their socks off.
If you think about it, you can capitalize on the not-so-great narratives about millennials and Gen-Zers by surprising your company with who you really are. For every belief that you’re lazy, entitled, or don’t know how to communicate without a smartphone in your hand, you can demonstrate the opposite — and it’ll mean even more than if that’s what your bosses and coworkers were expecting in the first place.
You are the future of the workforce
We are the generations coming into companies, rising in the ranks, and not even thinking about retirement yet. Do you know what that means?
We are the future of the workforce.
It can be hard to feel oppressed by outdated company traditions, especially when you haven’t been around long enough for your workplace to take you seriously — but you have the opportunity to plant seeds and watch them grow throughout the years, ultimately revolutionizing the modern professional landscape.
It’s no small feat. Get excited.
