Today's professional youth
Editorial – by Managing Director Alexander De Beir
Remember how you felt when you graduated? Getting ready to jump into professional life?
How would imminent graduates feel today? In a few weeks, they will obtain their master’s or bachelor’s degree. However, for this new generation of would-be professionals, a lot has changed compared to, 30, 10 or even 3 years ago. A pandemic, a war 1,500 km from here. Gamechanger ChatGPT. Global warming. These things would make anyone start questioning a lot of things before committing to a job.
Figures also show that young professionals today are struggling more often with their mental health. A 2023 survey by US think tank MarieChristie Institute (https://marychristieinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/The-Mental-Health-and-Wellbeing-of-Young-Professionals-Survey.pdf) tells us more than half (51%) of young professionals surveyed reported needing help for emotional or mental health problems in the past year. 43% screened positive for anxiety.
So, are we going to blame them? Absolutely not. Blaming and pointing fingers is the last thing we are allowed to do. Instead encourage them? Definitely yes!
Avoid the f-word!
F for… fatalism, of course! Young people should think anything but that the battle is already settled. That they themselves have little room for manoeuvre and must simply follow the path that is set before them.
Dear young adults, we are counting on you! We believe in you! That you would not want to simply go down the same paths as your predecessors, we can quite understand that.
A 2022 Belgian survey by Partena, for example, showed that 47% of young people under 35 want more flexibility in their work. And we hear it everywhere: Purpose is primordial for the new generation in the workplace today. Right, they are the Millenials.
We, who have been at work longer, must learn to accept and even appreciate that you have a new perspective on work.
5 Tips for young professionals
Nevertheless, we can give you some tips to build a happy, fulfilling career. Here a five of my favorite personal ones:
– Travel (if you can)! Continue studying abroad or explore the world in between. I was lucky enough to spend a year studying in Asia. To this day, I am reaping the benefits of this unique experience.
– Do student jobs. Even the jobs you didn’t like will enrich you on a human level. And remember, what you want to do in professional life is sometimes better found out by first eliminating what you definitely don’t want to do.
– Radiate enthusiasm! This is contagious. More than ever, positivism is a virtuous attitude.
– Embrace your intellectual independence: definitely do not make the mistake of thinking that “the knowledge” is a matter of clicks on the internet, that artificial intelligence and the quick, bite-sized answers you can find online may relieve you of building your own knowledge as well as critical sense. History, geography, literature… keep building your ready knowledge. Follow the current state of affairs and make up your own mind.
– Set the bar high for yourself and focus on your strengths. This way, you will not only make yourself better but also others, friends, as well as colleagues.
And finally, remember: fear never is a good advisor!
At ADM, we daily experience how young and more mature professionals complement and enrich each other with their outlook on work and the world. An intergenerational working environment is a unique context to be cherished. I wish this for everyone!
