The world of work has changed dramatically in the last few decades. Not very long ago, a college degree was a guarantee that you’d have a job. Those days are gone, and with this new employment uncertainty comes a second challenge that no one seems to be talking about.
When college graduates work jobs that don’t require degrees, or jobs that are completely unrelated to their degrees, we call them underemployed. In 2018, the Wall Street Journal reported that 43% of recent graduates were underemployed. 43%! That’s almost half. 2/3 of those underemployed graduates remain in jobs that have nothing to do with their degrees 5 years later. In fact, 1/3 of college graduates remain underemployed for their entire careers!
Why did you seek education?
I think I can make a safe bet and say that the number one reason you sought any form of education was to gain access to a certain career path. A recent study showed that 88% of students chose their major with a specific career in mind.
Have you ever heard that story about the cranky professor who walks into the first day of a freshmen class and says “look to your left, look to your right, half of you won’t be here at graduation”? What they should say is:
“look to your left, look to your right, half of you won’t end up in the career you came here to unlock.”
– Cranky Professor
By the way, this is costing people a LOT of money. The starting salary of the typical underemployed graduate is $10,000 less per year.
The Company
To make matters even more complex, the days of the “company” are over – no one graduates and goes to work for the same organization for their entire career anymore. In fact, the average person now changes jobs 12 times during his or her career. This means that people typically spend about 4 years at any one employer.
With so much uncertainty, it can be overwhelming trying to chart a course. Thankfully you’re here, and have a chance to hear the message I am about to share with you: you can either be at the mercy of these circumstances or you can realize the truth:
You’re already a small business owner.
Conclusion
When you go to work for an employer, I want you to shift your thinking: you’re a small business owner with a single customer. You work for yourself, not for “the company.” Your goal is to serve that customer well so that you can add 3-4 bullets to your marketing material, your resume. The goal of this job is to get you the next one.
What are the 3 things you need to add to your resume so that you can give yourself a promotion when you move? Where do you want to be in 10 years? It’s OK if you don’t have a firm answer on that, but you do need to evaluate what you’re doing now and what direction it moves you in.
You are Self-employed – act like it.
15 Key Professional Skills
Every employer is looking for two things when trying to fill a position:
- Technical skills – the ability of the person to do the job-specific tasks. College classes focus on these.
- Professional skills – the transferable abilities that are needed to do ANY job. We spend almost no time teaching or learning these, and frequently find ourselves feeling like some people are talented and we are not.
One of the best ways to take control of your career is to master these skills. I prepared a cheat sheet for you:
The 15 Professional Skills You Need to Master. Just enter your name and email below to subscribe to the Intentional Academy weekly email list and I’ll send you copy!
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