Job-related canards of the young

Films, television serials and general talks portray young boys and girls in their twenties as purposeless and directionless ramblers who see this important phase of life as a continuation of their teenage years. The truth is just the opposite; if you are young, you should not be under the impression that all moments are meant to be enjoyed and that you can take your own sweet time to figure out what you aspire to be. Your twenties are actually crucial life phases because your future depends on how niftily you make use of the period.

There are a number of canards in the minds of people about what to do or what not to do in their early twenties. These myths are:

· Your 20s are of no consequence: There is no denying that recession hit the youth intensely, but that does not mean that they can be dormant forever. The 20s are not holidays, but are times to get into a dynamic mode. You cannot postpone to a later date any plans to take off in your life; you should make the most of the period to establish yourself for good times ten years hence. You can build assets that help in your identification – small experiences that can be amalgamated into something very concrete. You need not wait endlessly for your dream job; on the contrary, you could take up any job and experience of which, will help getting into a better one.

· Doing anything in life is possible:  You need to harbour a realistic outlook about your qualifications and skill-sets; and the extent to which they will stand you in good stead. This implies being aware of not only your shortcomings, but also your strongpoints which you generally forget. Such a discernment will help you from getting grounded. Therefore, you need to formulate a couple of definite plans that you could put into action. You need to make constant efforts to improve your skills and performance; and that means beyond any doubt, hard slog today and nothing else.

· Getting a job in later years is also easy: It is when milk is split that you start crying. That is precisely what happen when people in their thirties regret not having made any efforts to explore various professional alternatives. The fact is that when you are young, any employer can undertake risks to take you on his rolls; but as your age advances, you tend to become rigid and employers thus are not inclined in your favour. Therefore, you need to be serious from the very beginning. You should not harbour wrong notions that you can leave a job at will; before taking any such decision, you need to introspect about what exactly is making you upset with your current job, whether you are still deriving any benefits, various positive aspects of it and what motivated you to join the organisation. There are also pecuniary issues like your savings; if they are not adequate, you must work hard to make yourself comfortable,

· Bad bosses should not be endured: In case your boss is painful, what do you do? Here again, the situation calls for reasoning because despite all behavioural shortcomings, he would still be willing to help you grow. It is essential that when you quit a job, if at all you do so, you must leave on a cordial note for one day the boss that you have found unendurable today can become your boss again. 

· Job hopping should be indulged in: This is recommended under exceptional circumstances and not a rule. The bottom line is that you have to be focussed and well-organized. And of course, far too many job hops will speak negatively in your resume. An odd one could always be explained in terms of your endeavours, both previous and subsequent.   

· All actions of 20-somethings are condonable: Your inexperience or ignorance is no excuse for any erring. You need to adjust yourself to the work culture and ensure that you do not falter. Your conduct will spotlight your character and aptitude; and hence there ought to be no alternatives to hard work, sincerity and discipline.

Remember that it your focused and hard work alone that will pay you dividends; in fact it is the real key to success. You need to set objectives, keep your eyes on them and just keep taking the next step towards attaining them. And if you are not certain which way to do something, do it both ways and see which works better. That is what hard work is all about; you will learn the value of it only in subsequent years. And that calls for working hard today and shedding all canards that you may be subscribing to.