Lifestyle

Why The Gen-Y Workforce Will Never Be Able To Work From Nine To Five

by Lydia Teffera

Monday morning. You hit your alarm and cringe at the clock because it says 8:50 and you have to be at work by 9. You angrily get out of bed, go over your mental list of coworkers, whom you pray will call out sick. You rush to work, swearing at everything and everyone in your way, blaming them for your tardiness.

When you finally get to your desk, you put your head down and imagine yourself doing something you actually enjoy. You dream about lunch and the end of the day, when you will be free from what seems like your indentured servitude.

Does this sound familiar? If you find that you’re thinking more about quitting, running away and cursing out your boss rather than your to-do list for the day, then your nine-to-five job may not be for you... which is perfectly okay.

Our generation has been supplied with a false representation of the trajectory that ensues when a person chases ambitions and professional dreams. As children, we watch our parents trudge off to work every morning, and consequently, we learn that this schedule — this routine — leads to security and success. This is what we saw as kids, what we learned in school and what we decided our life goals would be. However, this doesn't have to be every person’s dream and its time for more of us to realize this.

Everything — from tech startups to local restaurants — starts with designers, managers and innovators who probably hated the nine-to-five grind. They didn’t want to be confined to a specific schedule or project; they saw the potential of multiple solutions and created their ideal work environments. Because they didn’t just comply with the jobs that made them feel complacent in life, they were able to create something amazing. Everything — from our favorite apps to our favorite bars — began with entrepreneurs who wanted to live and work outside of the box of normalcy.

What our generation needs to realize is that we don’t need to live by the frustrating formality of the nine-to-five job. We have an opportunity to reach for more, so we should; infinite possibilities exist at our fingertips. We are in an era where we can make things happen instantaneously thanks to technological advancements. We can build customizations from other creations and  keep advancements growing faster than any generation before. We are given tools to create our own businesses and institutions, and because of this, if the nine-to-five makes you miserable, you are 100 percent not forced to endure it.

Just know that if you decide a traditional job isn’t for you, it will be more difficult and more strenuous to achieve the security. However, while it may be difficult, it’s not impossible. It takes initiative and determination to be a renegade who lives outside the walls of complacency. So, why waste your time working somewhere that makes you miserable.

You only have one life and living it in a way that makes you detest each day is ridiculous. Figure out what you want and how your skills apply, then scale from there. Anything is possible if you have the will and determination to see it through.

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