Professionalsickgirl

I wrote this two years ago (25 seems like a long time ago) but never posted it. Oops.

I hate that word. Technically, aged 25, I am a millennial. Glossing over the fact that this term throws together millions of young people- at a time in your life where a couple of years, for instance, can make the difference between a near affordable degree and one that will land you with a debt worthy of a small country- does it actually help anyone? Consider that the baby boomer generation is often considered to be from 1946-1964. That groups together roughly 70 million people. If that isn’t reductionist, I don’t know what is. Still, sociologists get a kick out of it so we’ll go along with it for now.

I do identify with some of the challenges of the millennial gen and also recognise some of the criticism of our generation I’ve read in many, many an article.

Yes, we were promised it and yes we do want it better than our parents. It’s a natural thing to assume that each generation will build on the last and there’s no shame in it; that’s progress! Not to mention, a consequence of 30 years of pure, unrestricted good ‘ol capitalism. From birth we have been taught to ask for more, more, more. Still, we also need to adapt and be proactive when times change, right? You’ve got to pay your dues no matter what generation club you’re in.

I  worked hard at uni and I enjoyed my degree in International Relations, but graduating in the heart of the recession with a ‘vanilla’ humanities degree and no concrete idea of how to get my dream job -or even what it was- I wasn’t under any illusions. I made myself readily available and put in hours as a bank teller, marketing assistant, recruitment consultant, etc.

In the last year, armed with those skills and a much better understanding of what I like and don’t like, I’ve searched for the kind of career that I think I’d be good at and that I value.

Here’s the thing. I want to work hard, but I also want to work well. And that’s a sentiment shared by many of my peers. If we’re going to dedicate increasing decades of our lives to businesses, in many cases with long hours and no real ‘off switch’, we want it to matter; to be worthwhile. And I sure as hell don’t want to be clocking extra hours at my desk just because it looks good to do so, when I’m actually too tired to work. Just think what else I could be doing with that time (probably sleeping, no judging).

That’s where my CF comes in. A lot of people with CF are simply too ill to work. Many don’t have the luxury of pursuing a career and have to make choices that healthy people never think about. But I’m not. I am able and I wanted my career to be a priority. Obviously I don’t want that to be at the expense of my health, but it will have an impact. That’s just common sense, workplace stress as a cause of illness is an epidemic already; and it doesn’t discriminate, it affects us all.

I am not a religious person, but I do believe there is a lesson to be found in our challenges. I think a lot about where that lesson might be in my CF. The way I see it, If I’m able to have a career, then I better make it count.

It’s not about trying to get on X Factor or being plucked from obscurity to become an internet celebrity because of that funny thing you can do with your ears, but I think everyone has an achievable dream in life.
What other people choose to do and how they make their living is irrelevant. All that really matters is, that you believe what you’re doing and the time you spend doing it, is worth it.

Oh and if you’re not at the point you want to be yet (like 99.9% of millennials) don’t worry, there’s always wine and cats to make you feel better until then.