The Pressure of a Career in Your 20s: Failures, Success, and Perspective

Buried is the American Dream

We were trained to crave an American dream that no longer exists. From career fairs to the pressure of choosing colleges, and the fear of failure if you choose not to go to college, placed on you by your mom who is convinced you won't be successful unless you go to a university or at least a trade school. A career can be a fulfilling and deeply satisfying part of our lives, but we put too much pressure on making the right decision that most of us make all the wrong ones. And most of the time, those mistakes come with debt looming over our heads, at least when it comes to education. We consume heaps of content to ignore the hustle culture we're forced to live in, and others idolize the culture leading to burnout. Believing grinding your teeth at an unbearable routine and letting your body take all the pins and needles as a result will give you the success that makes your frown fade. And, even if the hustle and grind lifestyle pays off, at what cost? In the end, the numbness and toll it took on your mental health was irreparable, and now you look up and realize you never actually got yourself out of that hole because even with external validation to last lifetimes, you're unfulfilled. You'll only ever crave more for yourself until your left unsatisfied by everything and everyone. Because you only ever did what the world told you to, following their perceptions of success rather than your own. Rookie mistake.

Discontentment and the Beauty in Failure

Sometimes, truth be told, you need to fail in order to see what was right. You could have yourself convinced that something was meant for you, but no matter how hard you try, you cannot force what isn't meant to be. It's a tried and true notion that learning from failures means that you did succeed. And your 20s are a bumpy ride with heavy wind and rain; endless mistakes will be made, but when you learn from them, it was never a failure; it was simply a lesson. Some people failed out of nursing school to discover their passion, and others persevered through the storm they knew wasn't meant for them to get a degree they are dissatisfied with. Just because business seems like the easy route and you enjoy management doesn't mean your optimism towards biology and curiosity towards lab work will go away. What's right for you is always looming in the corner as we continue to walk past it and continue to ignore it. Why? Because business seemed educationally safe and financially sound. Fast forward 10 years when you have seniority at that business analytics office job. You're banging your head against the wall because you look at a computer screen all day rather than lab plates. Majority of society would say she's successful because she has a "successful" career with benefits, a paycheck, and job security, completely ignoring the discontentment and emotional baggage she faces with choosing a career where she endures a work environment that leaves a bad taste in her mouth daily. There are multiple layers, and just like everything else, success is multifaceted. So, why do we place so much fear in something up for interpretation? After all, you can never fail if you write your own version of what success is. Who are they to tell you you're wrong when it's all up for interpretation?

Your Success Story is Up For Interpretation

Considering the state of the world, you should strive to be realistic but not at the expense of losing a career you value and that brings you endless fulfillment. Of course, always know your financial limits and the type of work environments you are willing to accept into your lifestyle long-term. And, in the end, if being a teacher makes your world spin 10 times over and you're willing to make sacrifices for the gaping hole in your pockets, by all means, hustle. But if you know working multiple jobs at a time isn't for you, it would be wise to reconsider your decision. An unfulfilling career that is unfitting for your character affects morale. So don't let other people's definitions of success define your success. Your career is only a glimpse into the whole story of you, and if you don't want to become something society deems as "useful" like healthcare but rather want to become a chef, by all means, go for it. You should only ever strive to be your own success story.