Careers and 20-Somethings: Are the two mutually exclusive?

The New York Times Magazine featured a really interesting article this past weekend about careers and 20-somethings. The gist is this: The decade of your 20s was once seen as the beginning of adulthood — job, marriage and all the things that came with being a grown up.

However, today’s 20-somethings, according to the article, aren’t exactly embracing this notion of growing up. Instead, they are lingering in transition, moving back home in record numbers, going back to school or pursuing unpaid internships rather than getting a full-time job.

There’s no doubt that the economic recession has played a part in these trends, but according to the article, there is something deeper going on. The five traditional milestones of adulthood, which according to the article, are completing school, leaving home, becoming financially independent, getting married and  having a child, are being met later and later, or not at all — irrespective of the economic downturn.

In 1960, 77 percent of women and 65 percent of men had, by the time they reached 30, passed all five milestones. Among 30-year-olds in 2000, according to data from the United States Census Bureau, fewer than half of the women and one-third of the men had done so.

Are you a 20-something struggling to get your foothold in the career world? Do you find yourself desiring adventure, opportunity and excitement over predictability, certainty and responsibility. Sure, 20 somethings in the 1950s were holding down full-time jobs by their early 20s — but they also worked in the same cubicle for 50 years just to get their pension and a gold watch.

If you want to see the world, experience different cultures, make a difference in someone else’s life today — while you are still young — the JobMonkey can be an excellent resource.

From Lauren’s blog posts about volunteering and studying abroad, to our website’s sections on overseas volunteerism and work abroad jobs, let us help you jump start a lifelong career that suits your interests and passions. Yes, even in your 20s!