When I tell people my age, I often hear responses like “really? I thought you were older!” or “I guess I can see it but good for you since a lot of young people…” You can attribute it to my height (a staggering 5’11) or perhaps to my reserved demeanor or perhaps to my own ambition of doing something meaningful that people respond the way they do. The simple matter though is that there are more people, young people out there striving to make a difference.
By many reports, more and more young professionals are entering and graduating college. This is even more true for female grads. However, this stigma still stands and in a way rightly so. While there are more millennials graduating college there is still a huge number that isn’t. Whether these people drop out, become incarcerated or just decide to enter the workforce; being a young professional in your early twenties can still be perceived as something of a phenomenon.
No matter the perception, there is a change that’s happening and one that should be acknowledged for the valuable assets it could provide. For instance, as a 24- year old teacher with a master’s degree serving students in an impoverished urban environment, I can be seen every day as a model of what is possible. I grew up as a middle-class citizen and had to work significantly to earn scholarships and opportunities to prepare for where I am and where I hope to go. Plus, on a side note, it does help in engaging students when you’re as up to date with current pop culture as they are.
Therefore regardless of your field, whether it be education or business or media or whatever, young professionals are growing in visibility and should be utilized as such. We have that much more time to affect change so why not start now?