At present, an average American is changing jobs around 8-12 times in his/her lifetime, and 3-4 career changes to say the least. I foresee a more volatile and fluid career path for the generation millennial. If a whole set of millennials are undergoing such massive changes in their career, coaching is a must for them to find the right career direction.
What is to be noted for this generation is one with an easy going attitude, most of them would not think about having a “5 year plan” or an answer to the question “what do you want to do 5 years from now?”
So the possibility is huge that the generation millennial workforce would be in and out of work and / or taking up further college education with some work experience and / or would be the ones taking longer breaks from work.
We have recent evidence that career coaching is a requirement for the generation millennial at work, in a recent interview in March telecast of Spotlight 25 where Willow Bay interviewed many 25 yr old women on what they thought about their career and life in the 21st century and had an interesting point to make:
She says: So many have told me that there’s no road map for where they’re going and that a little guidance would go a long way.
The millennials would be looking for those mentors – career coaches who provide them the means to discover themselves, they do not want to be told what to do. This is huge advantage coaching has over counseling.
Mentoring and Guidance – The Stepping Stones to Success
This generation (also known as Generation Next or Nexters) has been the most multi faceted in terms of having more exposure to the educational, extra-curricular and cultural activities their entire student lives; they realize the importance of a focused learning approach. They have had mentors and teachers all along their activities and once they realize the importance of career coaching, it would be indispensable for this generation.
No matter how smart and confident this new generation is they need personal guidance, they have been the ones who have seen their parents work in high tech industry and also with all tech tools under their arms, they have the capabilities of making it great in their careers but the first step, the direction is lacking. That is where the career coaches come in and have to be sensitive in understanding their different needs and ways to be coached.