9 Myths That Can Sabotage Your Career in Your 20s -TheJobNetwork

9 Myths That Can Sabotage Your Career in Your 20s -TheJobNetworkYoure in your 20s and hoping to set yourself up for a lifetime of success. Trouble is, the media portrays you as a useless wanderer, unable to move past adolescence, and not able to get it done as older generations have. But none of this is true. Here are 9 of the fruchtwein common myths you hear about changing careers in your 20s, and how you can start working against them to get yourself on track. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) 1. Your twenties dont matterStop thinking of your twenties as a practice ground for your real work life, which will begin at 30. The choices you make now can have an impact, positive and negative, on your professional future. Dont delay starting your life and career by someone elses arbitrary calendar of when you can and cannot be serious about things. Start being the person you want to be when you grow up now and get a head start.2. You need to fi nd your perfect career firstYou dont actually have to hold out for your absolute dream job. Its okaycrucial evento take jobs that are less than ideal but which have the benefit of being a good stepping stone for you. Can a job lead to a better opportunity down the road? Can it build a valuable skill relevant to your dream career? Can it give you necessary, if unorthodox, experience that will help you in your path? Consider taking some of these, rather than waiting indefinitely for the golden ring.3. You can do anything you want to doNope, not if you dont have the right skills or experience. Make koranvers to be honest with yourself about your particular strengths and weaknesses before setting your goals. That way you wont spend the next few years of your life laboring over the impossible. You can do anything you want, provided its also something you are capable of doing.4. Work isnt supposed to feel like workYeah, yeah, youre supposed to do what you love and love what you do. But th e fact remains that even ones dream job is still, at the end of the day, a job. If you follow your passion and find work that is really meaningful to you, thats fantastic. Most people dont get that in a lifetime. But that doesnt mean it wont sometimes feel like work, because it is. The sooner you prepare yourself for this, the better off youll be.5. You can pursue your dream job laterWhile this is true, and going after what you really want is always an option, it never hurts to start making the moves and taking the risks now, when you dont have mortgages or family to hinder you.6. If you dont like your job, you should quitContrary to popular opinion, it is time to start being responsible with your decisions. Before you make any rash decisions because you just dont like something, think first about whether you can financially handle such a leap. And second, examine why you dont like your job. Figure out why you wanted that job originally, what you do like about it, what could change to make it better for you, and only after answering those questions should you think about where else you should look.7. Run from all schwimmbad bossesBad bosses can be toxic and make your work life unbearable. But they can also be an extremely valuable learning experience. If this is a really good position for you, consider sticking it out. Get what you can from your current job, and mine it for everything you can to use in your next job, with your next employer.8. Job hopping is badMore and more, the stigma around job hopping has disappeared. This is the time in your life when it is okay to try new things and new positions and new fields. Just remember to try to keep some coherent factors similar across the different jobs you take. And always keep in mind how you will answer the question, How have you spent the last five years? Keep a close hold on your narrative arc, and youll be fine.9. Twentysomethings are entitledYoure not necessarily narcissistic or entitled, youre just inexp erienced. As long as you keep moving forward, trying to develop yourself and your career, you can just ignore these voicesin your head or in the mediaand go after the life and work you want.

There Will be 1.8M Tech Jobs to Fill By 2024 Heres Why Women Arent Taking Them

There Will be 1.8M Tech Jobs to Fill By 2024 Heres Why Women Arent Taking Them U.S. unemployment has reached historically low levels. The latest job figures showed that there are more than 7.14 million job openings, alfruchtwein one million more openings than the total unemployed. In short America needs workers.For the tech industry, the numbers are stark as well.We need to distribution policy workers in 1.8 million tech jobs through 2024.Much like the rest of the economy, we know that we are not producing enough skilled tech workers to meet the growing demand.Think about it every company is now a technology company. Too often, we only think of tech jobs in Silicon Valley. Yet only 5% of tech jobs are actually in Silicon Valley. There are tech career opportunities across every geography, every vertical market and at companies of every size. We see nearly 6 million Americans still sitting on the sidelines of this booming economy for a lot of reasons. However, one of the most critical is that a large swath of Americans do not have the confidence to take on a job that is categorized as technology. CompTIA research found that 70 percent of Americans aged 18-34 cite confidence as a factor that keeps them from taking the first step towards a career in technology.Further, the stereotype of the introverted male math genius has taken hold.Only 38 percent of women said they were encouraged to pursue a career in tech, and only 33 percent of women believe that tech workers look like them. About 12 million people work in technology in the US with half of those working in roles not traditionally associated with tech. There are those who find their way in through interests in computers, gaming, design or other fields where they use tech every day. The average person needs a little more assurance, encouragement, and role models to overcome the stereotypical image of working in tech.Digging out of our employment hole and breaking down the barriers to a tech career can only be accomplished by demonstrating that any American, regardless of education, location, or skill level can succeed in a tech job.We cant let a man-made hurdle like theConfidence Gapmake us stumble.As a society, we must tackle these issues head-on by working with educators to introduce students especially girls and parents to technology careers at a young age, partner with industry groups to recruit tech workers of all ages and provide the research that demonstrates why public-private partnerships that beistand apprenticeships and other entry points into technology are worthwhile investments. Our economy depends on it.--David Hyman is the president of The Center for Technology Workforce Solutions and can be reached at dhymancomptia.org.