Fighting the media gloom: Graduates and young people can have amazing careers

It’s been that time of year when young people are receiving their A-Level and GCSE results, not to mention degrees! I’ve been briefly keeping an eye on it all in the media, and I had to respond and share with you guys.

In the papers and TV news, focus was being given to how difficult it will be for young people to find employment, and the importance of these qualifications in respect to prospective employers. The pressure to be ‘amazing’ seems to have got out of control. Not enough to have the degree, or the grades, or the multiple language skills, or the IT savvy etc etc. That might not be enough for employers. Sometimes you might read a story about how a qualified graduate is working in a menial job ‘because no-one else would employ them’ and how awful things are in the UK now.
I’ve also cast an eye over the letters page section of newspapers, with people putting their ten pence worth in about how all these young people can or can’t find work and how terrible it is blah blah blah.

And it’s been aggrieving me no end. Not only the general pessimism but the fact they think the only way to work is to be employed in the traditional sense. The overall impression I’m getting from mass media, and the public who voice their views in the mass media,  is that the only work path (still! Still in 2010 they think this!!)  is to run yourself ragged trying to impress/appeal to employers and examiners - big trajectory of letting other people hold the reigns and say whether you can or can’t do something. No mention of setting up your own business, or going freelance, or having a portfolio career, or even taking a less- than-great part time job to financially help you while you get your real dream career going. These ideas and options could really help young people right now.

And these ideas can be applied to more traditional work areas as well. I was discussing with a lawyer-friend the other day about her work, and how she was hoping to get out of City law in the next year or so. She couldn’t stand the long hours and office politics.  Just as an idea I suggested she go freelance and select the types of cases, and number of cases, she wanted to as her case load at her firm was just too high. It was like a light bulb was switched on - she could have the status and profession she wanted, but on her own terms. Don’t doctors and dentists and accountants and consultants have their own practices too?

So when the media are bemoaning the state of the working world and how it’s going to be terrible for the upcoming generation to find work, don’t forget that we all can create our own careers - they don’t have to be handed to us on a plate ready-made (or like rare chances we have to scramble and fight for). Graduates and young people are in a great position to start up their own ventures - with their technological savvy they’re ahead already, and we’re all living in a time now where it’s easier to connect with others across the globe and build the kinds of jobs and projects we want as careers. That’s not to say creating a bespoke career is necessarily easy, but it’s a risk that’s more fun to take and you’re giving yourself a chance, rather than desperately hoping someone somewhere will give you a chance of regular employment.

Oh, and as a final note, young people (well anyone, really!) could consider going global. We don't have to restrict ourselves to British employers or markets anymore - if the UK is as bad as the press are making out, maybe our fortunes lie elsewhere ;)