11 career tips for YOUTH in their 20s

Many kids in their 20s are serious about their career. Sadly many, many more are not. The reasons for this are not far to seek. Many of them have been told that it is all right to keep wondering what to do in your 20s. Not true at all.

I know of one boy who at 30 is still NOT capable of making a decent CV for himself -- he has been all over and there is nothing concrete to write in the CV.

However, I also know of a few kids who in their 20s have made an INTERNATIONAL impact in areas as manly (read boring and old!) as accounting! So there seems to be no great pattern to the behaviour of this generation (as always!) too. So here are some tips...

1. Take life seriously: Yes work hard, play hard. I am yet to meet somebody says 'she does a good job even though she is only 25'. Age and gender have ceased to be criteria when it comes to the corporate world. So do not think somebody out there is there to protect you.

You are on your own, and you are being judged every day. Every minute is more like it.

2. Take play seriously: It should not happen that you take your life so seriously that you have no serious aggressive hobby. Tennis, mountain climbing, cycling, sprinting,... whatever take an aggressive sport and work on that. It sure helps.

3. Pause too! 'Take a deep breath' is fantastic advice for everybody. Do it every hour, maybe use an alarm to remind you. Sit straight, drink a lot of water... simple tips which worked 100 years ago still work. Life is all about a balance -- academics, job, hobby, diet and health. Old fashioned working tip.

4. Learn about personal finance. Even if you are an MBA in finance or a CA the academic curriculum does not teach you ANYTHING about personal finance.

5. Some stress is useful for you, but in your 20s you could get stressed by trivia. Learn to differentiate between the two for a healthy life.

6. Most of you are screen slaves -- TV, laptop, iPad, iPod, phone -- challenge yourself to spend one hour a day without any external 'screen' stimuli. It improves concentration. Sounds funny? try it.

7. Learn to develop relationships, and far more importantly learn to let go: You know what this means, right? Letting go, forgiving, forgetting are all relaxing and strengthening, do it.

8. You have tremendous control over your career, but sadly your business school has brought you up on fables of 9 per cent growth for the next 20 years kinda stories. MBA schools have lied. It is a hard grind out there -- and there are too many things beyond your control.

9. Remember your parents' lives look boring, but hey they paid all the bills, so it is repayment time.

10. Boys and girls who say 'I do not care about my career' and work in low end jobs will not look great three years from now. Repeating point no. 1, take life, career, etc. seriously. Enjoy your weekends.

11. Relationships matter: Make sure that you are under no pressure to be in a relationship! However it is time that you did look around and found a compatiable life partner. The sooner you do, the better. As a parent there is no greater joy than seeing the kids choosing the life partners, but do remember it is also stressful for all concerned. Obviously, be responsible, as always.