Essential Questions Gen Z Should Ask Themselves Before Starting Off Their Careers

If you think that the pandemic is all to blame for extreme changes in the corporate world, you’re slightly mistaken. Thanks to technological advancements, the job market has changed drastically in the last few years. Remote work and side hustles are commonplace now. But, what remains constant is the anxiety and stress you experience when entering the workforce.

For Gen Z’s, getting job advice from 30-something-year-olds might not be the most fascinating thing but, learning from the experiences and mistakes of other people is a great way to grow. And who better than people who have seen the weathered booms and busts of the labor market, changed multiple companies and industries, and finally established themselves in a successful career path, to rely on?

Pexels |  It takes plenty of trial and error, compromise, and dead-ends to reach your professional goal

To avoid the hassles of job search, here are the questions millennials wished they’d asked themselves from the start.

Should I get a job or make my own?

This is a pretty big question – do you fancy the traditional employee route or do you wish to be your own boss? It’s a well-known fact that Gen Z’s are quite financially independent. A Girls With Impact survey in 2020 also discovered that 53% of Gen Z’s aim to start their own businesses. While the idea may sound excellent, going the traditional route also has a ton of benefits such as the employer-matched 401(k), health insurance, and sometimes even disability insurance. An alternative route could be starting off as an employee and maintaining your own side venture.

Pexels | If/when your business grows to provide a sufficient livelihood, you could switch to running your business full-time!

Should I prioritize a job I can stay in for a while?

The elder generation might encourage you to stick with a job that offers longevity but here’s the thing: company loyalty is a thing of the past. You no longer know how or when the job market might change – just look at what happened during the pandemic. More than longevity, the stability a job provides is what matters. Does it pay enough? Does it teach valuable skills with broad applications? If yes, definitely go for it.

How do I decide if the job offer is right?

Multiple considerations play a part in deciding whether a job offer is worthwhile for you. When it comes to younger workers, job-hopping is quite common for the first couple of years which makes pension a dispensible problem. But other monetary considerations like employer match on a 401(k) and vesting time, access to company stock or shares, provision of health, life, or disability insurance, paid vacations, and so on, should be taken into account.