When you reach the age of 30, you should bare your own responsibilities independently by your abilities, and set life goals and development direction for yourself. However, finding goal and direction is not an easy task. “Leave or Stay”, is the biggest confusion faced by the working people who are nearly 30 years old, that is, the “youth crisis” that the society calls.
//The workplace network LinkedIn interviewed more than 18,000 respondents which was aged 25 to 33 in 16 regions last year. More than 87% of Hong Kong respondents said that they have experienced a “youth crisis”. Nearly 30% of young people choose to “switch to another industry” or choose “naked resignation” to reassess their own career path. //
Ah Wa (pseudonym), 28-year-old, is a journalist. After graduating from college, he joined the media industry. He worked for five years in TV stations, newspaper companies, and online media company. He had a good understanding of the media. From the point of view of a Human Resources company, Ah wa owns the conditions for career promotion. However, he decided to transfer to construction industry, an industry that he was completely unfamiliar with.
In others’ eyes, this is like a dramatic life, but the truth is, Ah Wa has already thought about it thousands of times. “For the enthusiasm for the readers, and the quick success of the bosses in the era of big data, the quality of news topics and content is declining. As one of them, it is hard to fulfill my original intention.” Ah Wa continued, “Even outsiders know that the wage of media industry is low. We always work overtime, and there are many colleagues who are eligible for promotion. However, there are too many variables affecting the rate of promotion.”
“My relatives and friends were all surprised when they heard about the news of my job change.” Ah Wa said. The most common comment for him was like changing jobs is definitely wrong for a high educated person. He had doubted about his own ability before. These doubts caused him insomnia, and raised the mind of job transfer.
In the end, Ah wa decided to join the construction industry by following his relative. He becomes a cement worker and worked in the construction sites. The income increased by nearly 30%, and the holidays were more stable. Now that he has been in the business for more than a year, he recalls that physical adjustment is a small problem. The main concern is that there is no common standard in construction industry and it is hard to adapt.
// A recent survey by JobsDB, a local job search platform, found that “salary and remuneration” remained the top of the rank (20.1%), “work and life balance” (13.1%) ranked 2nd, and “career development opportunities” (10.3%) rank 3rd. //
Changing careers in a sudden is like turning the past experience into wastepaper. This is also the reason why young people feel uncertain. Ah Yu (pseudonym), a Customer Service Officer of an education company in Hong Kong, is also facing this problem.
At the same age as Ah Wa, Ah Yu has been engaged in the education industry since graduating from the language department of university. She has worked in two companies and has 5 years of work experience. She has good execution ability and get along well with her colleagues. The boss also knows her great ability. Therefore, her performance evaluation is often good, and her salary has also increased in a timely manner. However, the boss has avoided to promote her.
“The company is small and medium-sized. We often do everything by oneself. We will select course for customers, arrange for admission, and handle administrative affairs during the period. Sometimes we have to go to the affiliates in Shanghai and other cities to discuss about cooperation.” said Ah Yu. “At present, my position is an officer. Based on my experience, my seniority can achieve a higher position such as senior officer or assistant manager.”
Ah Yu has always been clear about her aggressive personality, but her boss thinks that she is inflexible, so she has not been promoted. Since these impressions are difficult to reverse, job transfer is currently the only option.
Ah Yu hopes to improve both the position and the wages. Under this premise, there is not much work choice, and it is necessary to compete with others with similar seniority. Therefore, Ah Yu is pressurized when finding a “Dream job”.
Regardless of the cases like Ah Wa or Ah Yu, you should ask yourself “What do you want to do?” when you want to change jobs. Then, you have to do data research, evaluate the feasibility of job change. Six People Map, a human resources consulting company, shared in JobsDB a few months ago. It is not a long time to work for less than 5 years. Therefore, the company will pay more attention to communication skills and enthusiasm when hiring staff. “For example, you are the editor of a social media page, your goal is to be like a graphic designer, so you must learn to use all kinds of drawing software, to prepare for your own work, in order to show your determination to the new employer during the interview.”
Adam Gregory, General Manager of LinkedIn Hong Kong, shared that a mentor is good for a people facing confusion. It is also good to communicate more with the experienced people outside the daily social circle, as this helps to provide new insights for achieving career goals.
Nowadays, employees are not only aiming for better salary when they switch jobs, but also hope that employers can provide a better corporate culture, work environment and enough professional development opportunities. Therefore, the management team of the company also face the change of trend. It is necessary to clarify the employees’ responsibilities, listen to their opinions, and provide sufficient guidance to establish a good corporate culture. Only this can help to cultivate employee loyalty and retain talents.
Photo source: Internet
