Time. That thing that governs our everyday life, but a concept we are yet to fully understand. Especially when most of us are scrambling to find more of it.
For millennials in particular, the pressures of time are being felt even more so. On the one hand we have older millennials – those in their mid to late 30’s – who are questioning their career choices. Questions like, “I wish someone had of helped me figure out the right job,” or “It’s too late to start a new career,” playing on the minds of many. On the other, we have younger millennials – those in their mid 20’s – who are struggling to make decisions. Questions like, “I’m getting older”, “I’m not sure what I want to do” or “What happens if I make the wrong decision?” keeping them stuck.
While slightly different reasons, one thing is certain.
A huge majority of millennials feel that time is running out
In a fast-paced world, it might be expected that this feeling is normal. Older generations may dismiss the issue with “there’s nothing to worry about” or “back in my day” anecdotes. Understandingly so, on face value. But the reality is, it’s a very real issue for millennials – with legitimate reasons.
Pressure from society
“I don’t know what I want to do.”
Millennials are a generation who have been pressured to pursue four-year degrees without always knowing if there is (or was) a viable career on the other side of graduation. This also includes taking on mountains of student debt – adding pressure.
Expectations
“Why am I falling behind?”
Millennials are a generation who are dealing with more internal challenges from external situations than other gens. High expectations, overachieving personality’s, instant gratification complexes and FOMO, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. Social media offers a chance to compare lives and stories: usually doing more harm than good.
Lack of support
“I wish I had of known.”
Despite the pressure to attend university, the support provided by higher education institutions is few and far between. Most higher education providers don’t set up graduates with expectations of what the job market is like comparative to their chosen degree. As a result, many graduate directionless and with limited options.
Global Events
“What am I going to do now?”
The impacts of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis are still being felt. For millennials who graduated between 2007-2008 when the economy began to nose into the Great Recession, many jobs that would originally have been available, dried up. This forced many to take jobs that they hadn’t anticipated and, in some ways, changed the course of their career direction. Some millennials still feeling bitter or regretting the course of life.
Like the 2008 Recession, the 2020 pandemic has added another spanner in the works. Younger millennials – even Gen Z – who are newly graduating or entering the labor market are already having to re-think pathways and options.
Unsurprisingly all these factors, go hand in hand with the burdening mental health crisis that this generation face. Time pressure, now a big-ticket anxiety and stress factor.
So what do we do about it? The challenge for this generation will be to rise above the perceived pressures that exist. Rather than waste time on regretting that things were different, wishing for better, or remaining stuck, accept that things are as they are. Yes, there are reasons to feel “the pinch”, but at the end of the day, we all get the same amount of time.
