EarlyCareer :: Career Advice – All about Jobs, CV’s/ Resumes, Interviews and other career advice!

In all likelihood you have quite a number of preconceived ideas and beliefs about the world of work. The question remains, however, how realistic these ideas and beliefs are?

More often than not, they are not very realistic and you end up doubting what you are doing. You start questioning whether you are in the right field, whether you are with the right company, whether you are ever going to be promoted, whether the tasks you are given is all that you will ever do, whether the money you are earning will ever get better, whether it is really worth giving up your life-style for your job, whether there is any meaning in what you are doing etc… Yep, welcome to the reality of work, call it a quarter life-crises, call it whatever you like, but don’t worry, the good news is that there is nothing wrong with you!

It certainly is more the norm to experience these feelings when you start working than not! This section might give you insight into why you are feeling the way you are and what you can do about it. So enjoy, sit back, don’t make any rash decisions and remember that your early career is, thankfully, not a destination, but only part of the journey of learning, exploring and growing.

Many young people between the ages of 22 and 30 experience great differences in what they expected from an occupation or career and what really goes on in that occupation or career. To put it very simply and clearly, there is a very good chance that you are going to experience a great reality shock when you start working. You might become very disillusioned and doubtful about what you are doing and where you are heading.

Don’t worry… this is very, very normal and you certainly are not the first or the last person who will experience these feelings. Most young people go through three very distinct stages during their early career years; the expectation stage, the reality shock of work stage, and the overcoming of the reality shock stage.

Stage I: The Expectation Stage

The expectation stage is the stage where most people make the mistake of creating an unrealistic picture of the world of work. Let’s be honest, you have been looking for a job, you went through the recruitment and selection process, even pulling off the interview, you are ambitious, keen to make a difference and to start making some real money and finally be independent. You are filled with a sense of relief and excitement and it certainly is exciting times. You are free to feel excited and you should be very happy that from now on you will be seen as part of the working, economically productive population. The following things might be going through your mind:

Wow! Just found a job!
Now I’ll be earning some real money!
My parents are very proud and everyone is expecting great things from me!
I can bring some of my wonderful and innovative ideas to the workplace!
I’ll be given challenging tasks; I’ll prove my worth and make a difference!
I’ll even be promoted in no time!

As discussed in the ‘Deciding what to do with your life’ section on this site, the more effort you put into figuring out who you are and what you want and staying true to this, and also going through the effort of obtaining as much information about the world of work and what it is all about, the more likely it will be that you form a realistic and grounded view of the world of work. This is very important, because it might lessen the chances of you experiencing some very difficult times in the next stage.

Stage II: The reality shock of work-stage

Everything has been going fine with your new job up until this point, when slowly, but surely you start experiencing a sense of frustration, anxiety and even unhappiness. You hit a bump and you start asking some serious questions:

I feel quite insecure about where I will be in five years from now;
This certainly is not what I expected!
I find it really hard to balance my job and the life-style that I want;
I don’t really know what the point of all this is;
Is this really what I am going to be doing for the rest of my life?
Why does it seem that most of my friends are more sorted than I am?
I work for a great company, within a great team, but something is still bugging me!

If these questions seem familiar to you, then welcome to the reality shock stage! This stage is all about testing the things you expected from work against the reality of work. What causes the shock is the fact that you realise that what you expected and what you are experiencing are not the same.

The tasks given to you suck, your boss just doesn’t seem to realise what you can offer, you are stuck in a small area with people who all seem a bit different to you, no-one really pats you on the back to say well-done and you certainly are not making enough money to buy all the things you want. It all seems to be falling apart, you are truly experiencing a crisis and you are only 24!

Take a deep breath, sit back, relax, you are not alone; millions and millions of young people around the globe are experiencing the same feelings, doubts and fears. Keep a cool head, don’t freak out, there is hope and soon you’ll be looking back with a smile on your face, truly realising why you had to go through this stage.

Stage III: Overcoming the Reality Shock

The good thing about overcoming the reality shock stage is the fact that you learn an immense amount about yourself. You can carry on with life with a new sense of relief, and knowledge of who you are, what you want and where you are going. Who knows, maybe you’ll experience the same feelings in your mid-life, but I am truly convinced that if you effectively deal with the issues in your early career, you’ll cruise through your mid-life without many problems.

Just like most other things in life, the reality shock stage of work will give you the opportunity to learn and grow. You have to put things into perspective and you have to take responsibility for getting yourself out of the reality shock stage. Realise that every day that you are dealing with it, brings you closer to the solution. Even though it might feel as if you are standing still, even moving backwards, hold on to the thought that you are actually moving forward. You are on your way to a solution and when you get there, you will look forward with new-found insight.

Do not try to resist or fight the reality. It is exactly what it is, it is REALITY. It is the way things are. You cannot easily change reality, but you can adapt to reality. Understand this. You have to accept things as they are and then you need to figure out how you fit into this reality. Yes, maybe it involves leaving the company that you are with at the moment. So be it. Maybe it involves following a completely different career than what you originally expected. Maybe it involves staying where you are, accepting where you are and making small changes to the way you work or behave.

Whatever it involves, take the responsibility, make the changes, adapt and get on with following the things that you are passionate about. I don’t believe that there is really a step-by-step guide of how to overcome the reality shock stage. What I do know though, is that when you truly find out who you are and what you want, you are free to face any situation with a sense of confidence and security.

‘Today is the start of the rest of your life. Stop procrastinating, stop doubting, stop fearing, live life, experience everything that you can, be open-minded, be passionate about what you do and smile, because today is the start of the rest of your life!’