Jobs Magazine October 17 – 23, 2014 | Page 8

JOBS RESOURCES CAREER MISTAKES You are most likely to make in your twenties It’s a brutal job market out there today. Twentysomethings are often so anxious to get into some kind of steady work that they aren’t discriminating. Sometimes, they feel that the jobs you do in your 20s don’t really count. “I’ll find my career groove at 30,” is the thinking they use. Career experts believe that the 20s are an important career window that helps you establish a kind of career identity. Your 30s will be very difficult without the identity that well-directed 20s can give. Take a look at the common career mistakes that young people in their 20s make today. If any of this sounds familiar, it’s time for a reappraisal. NOT LEAVING CHILDHOOD BEHIND In school, our challenges are standardized – we all have the same subjects to study and the same tests to take. When we want to know how we’re doing, we just compare ourselves to our friends. Once out of school, though, comparing yourself to your friends is an inadequate test of success. As we grow up, we gain our own individual tastes for 8 how to reach for success. While some would like to reach for best paying jobs, others believe in building themselves up slowly. Direct comparisons can lead to a loss of faith in oneself. THERE ARE OTHER WAYS IN WHICH ONE CLINGS TO CHILDHOOD Many twentysomethings arriving on the employment scene today have been helicopter-parented. They’ve had their overindulgent parents smooth the way everywhere they’ve been. When you don’t have a lifetime of experience dealing with stressful situations and real-world compromises, the job hunt can seem especially difficult. Many twentysomethings put off t