The YOLO Job Market meets the Great Midlife Crisis

We're at a career convergence with tectonic shifts. Career analysts, economists, and forecasters say the Great Resignation ISN'T over. It's still upon us, and the numbers may not be what you expect.

• Why are people leaving their jobs?

• And why should you care?

Two recent articles caught my eye that leave me with a potent conclusion.

FIRST: [April 11, 2022] Time published, When the Future of Work Means Always Looking For Your Next Job. They call out the YOLO Job Market, which goes something like this:

Employees don't just want, they require empowerment and personal growth from their work. If they don't find it, they'll start looking for their next job.

"For a host of reasons—some for a higher salary, others for improved benefits, and many in search of better company culture—America’s workforce is constantly looking for its next gig. A whopping 65% of workers nationwide say they are seeking new employment, according to PricewaterhouseCooper’s US Pulse Survey."

SECOND: [April 30, 2022] Vox published, The Great Resignation is becoming a "great midlife crisis."

The key stat they cite is, "Between the first quarter of 2021 and 2022, the greatest growth in resignations was among people aged 40 to 60 and those with a tenure of more than 10 years."

The Bottom Line

There isn't one reason people are quitting and seeking new jobs, but over half of workers are on the hunt or actively applying. While it's higher in the 40-60 year range, all ages are seeing an increase of turnover.

That's an important point.

Employees have more power than employers in maybe the first time ever.

Even Apple is watching their workers walk away after enforcing new back to work policies that aren't flexible enough.

Privilege, better money, better mental health, more flexibility, following a passion, more purpose, better culture, more challenge, more personal growth, clearer mission, seeing your friend do it and copying them, better work/life balance...are all reasons I've seen listed.

However, what's most interesting to me in all these articles is this: The ages.

Why Age Matters

No matter what age or stage you're at, understanding your professional identity is a big part of the equation to shaping your career.

Whether you're in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50, 60s, 70s, or beyond, the theme of "find yourself, be yourself, follow your path, stand up for yourself, do your own thing on your terms in your career" is somewhere in each of these resignation and YOLO articles.

The truth in today's workforce is:

• There is no set "prime" in our career because our career span is increasing

• There is no typical "midlife" because our lifespan is increasing

• There is no "perfect age" to start over, startup, or transition to a new field because the career ladder is dead and old rules no longer apply

Career harbingers have SHIFTED.

Norms are no longer THE NORM.

Job titles don't hold as much STATUS.

Whatever age you are, whatever career crisis you might be facing, no matter how many times you've resigned, you only need to know who YOU think you are in your career. Decide who you want to be. Believe in it, stay true to it. Define your professional identity and your career on your terms, or quit and move on, again and again. THIS is normal.

All of this echoes LinkedIn's latest campaign and hashtag #IAmProfessional.

Even LinkedIn has taken a stance and wants you to rethink, reframe, and redefine what it means to be professional.

I'm digging it (maybe I can collaborate with them someday )

The end of this 30-second spot says "It's ours to define." Now, that's my kind of takeaway.