Tag You're It, Gen Y

GL Hoffman

“Not Everyone Gets a Trophy.” That's the title of Bruce Tulgan’s new book and I think it summarizes perfectly a point I would like to make to younger job seekers today.

[See the best careers for 2010.]

We, your parents, have done you wrong. Because of our never-ending support and helicoptering, we have nudged you toward the conclusion that most authority figures will be the same. You know: flexible, willing to listen to your reasons, er, excuses, and happy to provide you with the tools you need to be passionate at work.

Of course, nothing is further from the truth. Now, the brutal reality of the workplace has hit even us. Where we once thought we were “safe,” we have learned that's no longer true. Our 401(k)’s have dropped in value so much they ought to be called 201's, and we are fearful. We have precious few years to recover, but recover we must. Many fear that you have been trained to be so selfish and in pursuit of instant gratification, that you won’t be there to help out.

[See how to love the job you're with.]

As you search for that one passionate job, please remember that you can learn a lot from jobs you dislike. That is OK. You learn something from each one, get better, and move on. The worst thing you can do is sit around, and be on that perpetual search.

We are too busy now to help you much. Tag, you're it.

G. L. Hoffman is a serial entrepreneuer and venture investor/operator/incubator/mentor. Two of his companies have traveled the entire success path from the garage to IPO. Currently, he is chairman of JobDig, which operates LinkUp, one of the fastest-growing job search engines. His blog can be found at WhatWouldDadSay.com.