Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The generation entering the work force about 7-8 years ago arrived there with really bad timing, so if they're focusing on their career, as the OP pointed out, they may be trying to make up for lost time when they were unemployed/underemployed.
I don't think everyone will shoot for the C suite. I think people work till they hit the level of comfort that they are willing to live with. They settle. The majority of people are happy when they have a nice home, nice cars, can take a vacation here and there. Eventually you hit the point that you want to be at and you stop. Maybe family becomes more important. We want our time and are ok to let others have the headaches of an ever increasing responsibilities.
For the most part though, more responsibility and money ends up your way when you are willing to manage more money. That is why the idea of a $15 minimum wage is so ridiculous. A kid taking orders for a hamburger is not worth $15 an hour. In fact I would say that no one is worth any amount of money until they have proven their worth. When I worked for a small business the rule of thumb was a minimum or three dollars of value = one dollar of pay and benefits. Minimum wage should also include a factor of minimum productivity or value to the business. You want $15 an hour? Then show me a minimum of $45 in value and truthfully more like $60 in value because those fighting for $15 have not figured that the real cost to employ them is more than the amount they are getting paid.
For those in the business community, in a corporate setting, in tech, or some other field where they are trying to grow, for the most part production, innovation, and bringing value to the company can increase the chances of moving up within an organization. I am not going to be naive and say it is a clear path to success but it can help put you on the map. Sure it helps to know people and here at my own organization that used to be one of the fastest ways to move up. Not so much anymore though. Things change and they have changed here where I work. Sometimes you just need to get a good read on your own organization and see what will move you in the right direction toward where you want to be. Realize that not everyone wants to move up. That is a good thing because the amount of positions are limited. Interestingly many positions go unfilled because few spend the time to prepare to take over those positions. So while it is not crowded at the top, their is room to move into a select position.
Regarding the last lines in your third paragraph, I think companies used to be much more proactive in identifying talent and preparing employees to take on more responsibility. That has changed. One of the few places it still happens is in the military. Not so much in the private sector. You are truly on your own. Focals are fly-by affairs, and you are incredibly fortunate if your boss takes an interest in helping you achieve your career goals if s/he even knows what they are!
It seems everyone wants to move up the ladder, get a raise, a bonus, all that. You ask young people these days what they're doing in life and many say "I'm focusing on my career" -- whatever that means. But if you think about it, don't we need the majority of people to be worker beers? It's not possible to have an economy where everyone gets paid 6 figures to attend meetings and blast off emails. There are thousands and thousands of MBA grads every year and if they're all going to shuffle papers, then who's going to actually do productive work?
You travel in a different circle from me. I know no one who aspires to a 6 figure income.
People mean different things when they say they want to get ahead. It is possible for everyone to get ahead, if what they mean is to make progress in being financially secure in their lives.
Focusing on a career, I guess, means sacrificing for the sake of working, during that period of their lives. A person can't get ahead past a certain point. You have to strike while the iron is hot (when you're at the beginning and middle stages of work life). Later on, you can still work hard, but slack off a bit and focus on other things.
It's sort of insulting to say that workers are just shuffling papers. Everything's digital now, for one thing. But there is info on those papers, work product. They mean something, they do something. You don't get your paycheck without someone "shuffling papers" to make that happen. They ARE being productive.
I think one of the great joys of life is to find something you're good at doing, then do it for as long as you want, and get paid well for it. There are other joys in life, too. But finding something you're good at, and getting paid for it, is gratifying and adds to one's self-fulfillment. That's not a popular view these days, but that's what I think.
You travel in a different circle from me. I know no one who aspires to a 6 figure income.
I wish we didn't need 6 figures. As it is I am barely there. I know people that aspire to a 7 figure income. When you figure that you will need at least $2 million to retire why not aspire for more. My wife and I have a goal of building a $5 million or more net worth just so we can call it a day.
Not everyone does and even if they do, their definition of getting ahead maybe different than others.
Just look at the social work or education field. If your motivation is money to begin with, there are far more lucrative careers. I know PhDs who don't even break $50k a year.
I wish we didn't need 6 figures. As it is I am barely there. I know people that aspire to a 7 figure income. When you figure that you will need at least $2 million to retire why not aspire for more. My wife and I have a goal of building a $5 million or more net worth just so we can call it a day.
Totally agree. I don't know anyone who doesn't want at least 6 figures. You can barely own a house in this state without 6 figures, unless you live in a really bad neighborhood or way out in the middle of nowhere.
To the OP's point- many people say they are aspiring for the top but few actually work hard enough to achieve it. There are so few who do the work that nearly all who actually truly work for it end up getting it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
