Planning/building/sustaining your career...

I recently met a new "friend" on the GO train. We started talking almost a week ago when he first started at RBC, he asked me direction and I told him "I work there, I will walk you". So anyways, he is about 50 years old, migrated from Iran 7 years ago, a Chemical Engineer who ended up in the IT field. He has a son and a daughter. The daughter is 23, the son is 25. Both in their second year of university. He was telling me that he keep asking his son to "Finish up school and find a job". I remember a conversation with someone else not long ago, it was along the line of the same thing. It slowly occurs to me that the 18-25 group are extremely laid back. Being oblivious and naive seems to be the latest greatest trend. The idea of self enhancement, knowledge or reading a damn book seems so foreign to them. Half of these people, have a dream, a dream of being someone, being rich, but they don't do anything that will help them achieve this dream

I have a friend - Marvin, who is somewhat similar. Marvin lived a good life, rich and capable parents. Never have to worry about anything. If he has no money, he goes home and ask for more. He is 24, has a job. A job that pays fairly well, but definitely not a job you want to keep for life. There are opportunities to move up in his field, but he never did anything about it. He complain a lot about his job. He also have big dream, and unrealistic expectation. Why unrealistic.. well just say, he keep looking for opportunities that he does not qualify for.

Heck, Marvin doesn't even know if he want his career or not. Every time any of his friend talk about getting some kind of professional certification (not in his field), he will always say "Yeah maybe I should do that too". "Maybe"? How about MAYBE you should concentrate at what you are doing and be good at it and climb up? You didn't even finish college, be happy that you are in an engineering firm doing entry level work.

But the sad truth is that, he is not the only person that exhibit this behavior. MANY people of that age group shows this. I was talking to a couple of fresh graduate engineers when I was working in the high tech sector. 90% of them didn't want to be an engineer, 100% of them didn't know what they were getting in to or if they are want to do engineering work. It was "Whatever accept me and sound cool in university". This thought is especially dangerous in the Engineering and Medical field. Imagine an engineer designing an elevator who said "Whatever works the easiest" or a surgeon telling you that "I don't know, but whatever is the easiest way to do your bypass".

Looking back 5 years ago - When I was 25, the people my age group and around me did NOT think this way. Everyone had an established career and know what they want in life, 80% of us try to go back to school to enrich ourselves.

Notes to married couple, if you are going to bring your kid up to be a parasite to the society, stop... we have plenty of these people now, and its absolutely disgusting....