Lost in the new career map: why your 20s feel so disorienting (you're not alone)
This post became a save haven for more than 6000 youths on X, including me. The author hosted a space, and we gathered from all over the world to vent and receive advice on our current predicament.
Some gave helpful tips, others got on to brag, but no one really acknowledged this:
Many of us who feel like weāre falling behind are just at the receiving end of a sudden, drastic transition in career demands.
Acknowledging this first is the start to truly navigating these strange waters and forging new, successful, and fulfilling professions for ourselves.
Itās not your fault that you feel displaced
If you graduated before 2023, you probably walked the traditional path where professions didnāt rely on skill alone or branding. Success was often about picking a stable career and climbing a ladder.
And if you're Nigerian, a stable career would be medicine, nursing, pharmacology, engineering, law, banking, journalismā¦ and a very few others.
If you brought up writing or art as a career of choice, youād have been the family clown of the season.
So you can imagine my life when I CHOSE to study biochemistry. My dear, mockery was my breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
- āAhn, why didnāt you choose a pRoFeSsIoNaL course?! Youāre not sharp o.ā
- āOh! You want to be a lecturer? Thatās nice.ā
And this is me putting it nicely.
Today sha, many Nigerian doctors and engineers are unemployed, earning about $150/month for starters, or switching to full-time remote jobs or side gigs to make a living. Virtual assistants even make more than entry-level medical staff.
There are now jobs like prompt engineering and AI testing, crypto lords are the new billionaires, and teenage TikTokers are āretiringā.
Creating a plan-b in your 20s is tough
Finding a path today is literally the trenches. It means pivoting into unfamiliar territories without formal training or "permission."
Which is scary, considering many of us donāt have the privileges of being formally trained to fit into this highly competitive, individualistic environment.
On top of it, it feels like weāre working on borrowed time. Inflation is through the roof. Our parents are getting older. Most of us want to settle down and have familiesā¦
What a wonderful time to be alive and in your 20s, right? RIGHT?!
But the only way out is through
Some of us have this major problem; weāre too afraid of looking stupid and itās holding us back.
Nobody wants to waste their time chasing a dead-end path, or risk trying too many things and looking misguided. To be fair, itās not the best look. But itās the best if not only way to discovering a profession today that not only pays but fulfills; one that truly aligns with our skill sets.
You canāt escape the cringe phase of looking helpless, sending cold emails, tacky writing, bad designs, awkward intros, and being lost.
So, itās better to get dirty and done, and transition to the new phase.
The bright side is that you donāt need to study a thousand subjects for years or stockpile degrees to find a career path. But you may need to try many paths to find yours.
For instance, I only found technical writing after I tried scriptwriting, creative writing, and copywriting. I wouldnāt have known this if I were too scared of looking stupid or failing, which I did to be honest. I made a fool of myself several times.
One thing is guaranteed though: you will learn every day, find your people, and you will catch the attention of the right network for you. Yes, skills matter, but they matter most when you get out of your shell, try new things, and connect with the right crowd.
Iām out here hoping I meet my tribe. And I hope you meet yours, too. If youāre reading this and it resonates, Iād love to connect with you. š«š«¶
