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Ryan Healy is a recent college graduate. He is a founder of 
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New here? Employee Evolution is a blog written by Ryan Healy. Ryan is a Co-Founder of Brazen Careerist, the webs #1 social network for young professionals. Ryan speaks with organizations on best practices for recruiting and retaining Generation Y and how to effectively use social media to reach your target market. To contact Ryan, please visit our contact page.
Last weekend at the bar, my friend and I went to the upper room and got some drinks. We spoke with a couple of girls who told us it was a private party, but nobody else was there.
“It doesn’t seem like much of a party to me,” I joked.
One of the girls replied: “Well you can leave if you want. We didn’t invite you.”
…I deserved that response.
I apologized, and bought her a drink. She wanted nothing to do with me after my snide remark, but then she asked what I did for a living. I told her about our plan to start Brazen Careerist.
The next thing I knew, she was telling me her life story. She even tried to sell me on why she would make a perfect accountant for our new business.
I’m constantly amazed at the range of reactions I get when I explain my next career move. Then again, there are always a few familiar responses.
Are you hiring?
Hands down this is the most common response I get and it almost always comes from other Gen-Yers. I am amazed at how many people seriously ask me this question.
The conclusion I have drawn from this is that millennials all want to try something fun and interesting, but most of us either don’t know where to begin or are too scared to risk everything on a startup. This should say a lot to employers.
First off, small startups should have no problem recruiting young people. If you have a somewhat established small business that can pay employees without giving up equity, the market is incredible. Secondly, if you are a large corporation, figure out how to operate more like a startup. See Google for instructions.
You need to do it while you’re young.
The most common response I get from Gen-Xers is, “Go for it. You have to do it while you’re young or you never will.”
I love this response because it completely reaffirms my thoughts that the time to get ahead is in your twenties – before a spouse, before kids and before a mortgage. Most folks who tell me this are completely happy with their lives, but they seem to admire that I’m giving it a shot. I often repeat this response to myself when I’m lying in bed wondering, “What the hell am I doing with my life?”
What on earth could make you move to Wisconsin?
This is a tough one. I have always lived on the coast. I was born in the Bay Area, went to grammar school in Seattle, High School in Connecticut, College in Pennsylvania and spent the past year in Washington D.C.
There are two things that could make me want to move to Wisconsin. One would be the girl of my dreams (of course, I would try to convince her to move to my area first). The second would be a chance to finally start a company. Who knows if I will like Madison or not, but I’m not making the decision based on the city, I’m making the decision based on my career.
If this explanation isn’t sufficient, I usually tell people about my trip cross country when I moved from Seattle to Connecticut. I was 12 years old. Of all the places we stopped on the 11-day journey, I liked Madison the best. I told my mom that I wanted to move there one day. Maybe it’s fate. Then again, I was 12.
Finally, if it’s a guy, and they still aren’t satisfied, I just tell them Madison has tons of beautiful college girls. They wish me the best of luck!
How can you afford to support yourself?
This is a great question, and one that I often ask myself. Truthfully, I’m not totally sure. We have raised some angel money, so I can draw a salary, and I do have some savings. But beyond that, there are no guarantees.
In a strange way, this excites me. I have never experienced life without a steady, guaranteed stream of income.
The health insurance thing is my biggest worry. Even with a small salary, I don’t think it’s realistic to draw enough for full coverage. I’ll get a catastrophic plan at some point. But I guess there will be no more visits to the doctor for my annual sinus infection. I’m definitely rolling the dice, but it’s worth the risk.
Leave your thoughts here. (13 responses)
- 1 Pingback on Sep 24th, 2007 at 7:55 am
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Re: Are you hiring?
Dead on with this one. Gen Y’ers do seem up for anything, especially if the majority of the risk is being absorbed by someone else.
Not that its a bad strategy… I’ve met (and worked with) Boomers and Gen X’ers that made millions (or close to millions) in the late 90’s not by starting companies, but by getting hired on at a startup.
Nice post, Ryan. I’m excited for all of you, and anxious to start hearing about how it’s going.
I had to chuckle when I read your last section, though. Not having a steady stream of income (or insurance) is something I’m pretty familiar with, given my career in politics. And it may seem exciting, but really, it’s terrifying.
I’m not saying it’s a bad idea. After all, I just left a decent paycheck and excellent benefits package myself. But after the first few hundred dollars leave the account and you have very little prospect of putting it back in the near future, my guess is you’ll have the same mini anxiety attack I, and many of my friends, have had.
Regardless, the whole thing will be very exciting, and an experience I’m sure you’ll never regret. Best of luck!
Jacqui - I have a feeling you are totally right. Not knowing where my next paycheck will come from will probably give me more than a little anxiety. I’m still excited about the whole thing though. I’ll deal with the anxiety when it comes!
I don’t know if I could move away from the coast, or more specifically my family. Sometimes I wonder if that’s limiting my career options, and then other times I know that I wouldn’t be happy in a career that takes me away from them because they’re such an important part of my life.
Hey, if you ever need part-time, telecommuted help (research, editing, writing, etc.) you know how to find me!
Good luck with the move. I will continue to read your blog.
Also, I would suggest looking into a Health Savings Account (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_savings_account). If you have a catastrophic insurance plan you can get a HSA. They are great for young healthy people who are self-employed.
Good luck with the next big step in your life. Entrepreneurship is always a scary and risky business. But you won’t be a success unless you are willing to take big risks. Go for it!
Ok..maybe I am the odd one out….but I just dont understand why people are hyping about entrepreneurship so much…I feel the same thing that you are hoping to achieve by going out all alone in an entrepreneual firm can be achieved in any of the big firms too. Both however require you to think out of the box. A corporate job can be just as exciting and enticing, as an entreprenual job, without so much of personal risk at stake. A corporate firm will no doubt be full of beauracracy and red tape, which will prevent you from functioning independently, however that is specifically where thinking out of the box comes into play. You have to find out how to manipulate the elements to your favour, and not let them disable your dreams and ambitions.
@dubyadeep: yeah but when you are the boss you don’t have one.
Danielle,
I completely agree with you. I was just discussing with a friend yesterday that after my last serious relationship ended, I felt like I had so many different career options that I otherwise wouldn’t have considered. At the same time, I can’t imagine moving away from my family right now.
It feels limiting, but I also know it would be hard for me to be happy anywhere else, when I couldn’t just take a weekend trip to hang out at Mom and Dad’s.
And now for something completely different:
When’s the move?