15 Pieces of Advice for Young Professionals

Whether you're fresh out of college or transitioning into a new industry, the journey as a young professional is both exhilarating and daunting. To help you navigate this exciting phase of life, here are 15 pieces of advice meant to sharpen your insight as you thrive personally and professionally.

1. Where you live matters, not just what you do.

Work isn’t the only part of life. If your work takes you to a place that doesn’t feel like you, you’ll likely grow unhappy even if you enjoy your job. Put in the effort to make a place feel like home, but sometimes you just know where you want to live and should look in that radius. Early in your career, it’s good to take the job that helps you grow the most vs. the one that boasts all the ideal extras. However, if you have options or the experience necessary, make where you live part of the choice. 

2. Aim for work-life balance. 

There’s work, and then there’s life. Work is one part of life, but it’s not all of life. You may feel the need to overachieve early in your career, and that’s okay. Grow professionally but make time for well-rounded and enriching life experiences. Seeing new places, taking appropriate rest, spending time with family and friends, getting involved in your community – these types of activities alongside work make for a more enriching, less stressful life.

3. Find a mentor in your organization and outside your organization. 

Ask someone in your current organization to mentor you. It’s helpful to talk to someone who knows the landscape of the organization and can advise on internal education and growth. Don’t get stuck in believing that the way things are done in your organization is the only way to do things, though. Find a mentor in your field who works outside of your organization. Of course, don’t disclose anything proprietary, but do share and ask for advice. Sometimes hearing things from a different perspective will ground you and allow you to bring fresh ideas to your field and team.

4. Be open to new opportunities but set boundaries. 

Young professionals are often told to say yes to opportunities. I wouldn’t leave that advice as is. Be open to new opportunities, yes. You never know where a path will take you, what you’ll learn about yourself, who you’ll meet, etc. Entertain many new opportunities as a young professional and do stretch yourself as you learn what you want to do more specifically in your career. However, set boundaries. Don’t let expressed eagerness be a quality others take advantage of. Set boundaries around time off. And, if you learn that you don’t enjoy an aspect of a job, don’t feel the pressure to continue doing it. For example, if you’re in marketing and learn that you don’t like video editing but do enjoy graphic design, express that to managers and try to move toward finessing the skills you do enjoy versus feeling stuck in areas you’ve learned you don’t want to continue in. 

5. Support others. 

Supporting others is much more fulfilling than looking at people as competition. Are you giving credit where credit is due on collaborative projects? Also, you never know how organizational changes and growth opportunities will lead to placement of employees. It’s better to treat everyone with respect. Where people are at today in the organization is likely not how things will look in a couple of years. 

6. Set goals without age constraints. 

Think about what you want to do and who you want to be in life. Make goals with that perspective in mind. Sometimes when we put age restrictions on things, we tend to land in a bad headspace. We might get anxious, discouraged, or vindictive of others if we don’t meet an age-constrained goal. If you do have a goal like, “become a manager by 26”, be sure to maintain the right perspective. If you achieve the goal early, don’t become conceited and change your character. If you achieve the goal later, don’t lose focus. 

Make more goals that align with where you want to see yourself overall and in certain seasons of life. I find this still motivates without unnecessarily looping age into the equation. 

7. Keep your resume and LinkedIn up-to-date. 

Simple, practical tip. You never know when you might be in a situation where you need to quickly pivot and find another job. Every six months, scan your resume and LinkedIn to make sure it’s up-to-date. Throughout the year, make LinkedIn posts and form connections with people through the platform. Keep virtually networking, even when you feel satisfied at your current job. 

8. Ask questions.

Don’t feel intimidated if you don’t know the answer to something. For questions that are more easily self-taught, find training and resources to teach yourself. Ask colleagues if they have trusted materials to recommend. For topics that are best learned through others, identify people who are willing teachers and ask. Be sure to show your support for the effort they put into your training. 

9. See a gap in your team. Learn that skill if it makes sense. 

One of the quickest ways to accelerate growth in an organization is to see a need and fill it. If there’s an area on your team with an apparent need but no one with the skills to fill it, learn the skills yourself and fill the need. Be sure to document the extra work, research jobs with that type of skill description, and advocate for yourself during mid-year and annual reviews. 

10. Boost your presentation skills.

No matter your field, the ability to present well will lend opportunities your way, grow name recognition in your organization, and simply boost connection with colleagues. Ask for feedback on your presentations and say yes to opportunities to practice presentation skills. It’s a fully transferable skill to almost any organization and job. 

11. Be flexible. 

Common but valid advice. Your interest can change. Your friendships and family relationships can change. The organization you work for and team dynamics can change. Be flexible with learning new things about yourself and how your goals fit in the surroundings you’re in. 

There’s definitely a balance between going for exactly what you want with laser focus and being comfortable with change and adapting to that change. This goes back to setting good boundaries. Talk through these decisions and boundaries with trusted mentors. 

12. Prioritize health.

As part of your work-life balance goals, include goals around healthy habits such as exercise, sleep, nutrition, and maintaining appointments with health professionals. When you prioritize health, all areas of your life benefit. 

13. Invest early if possible. 

If you are able, take advantage of any 401k or Roth IRA opportunities. Investing early in your career yields the best results financially. Look at long term financial stability over present-day wants. Sometimes this isn’t possible, and that’s okay. But, if you have the ability, choose to invest as soon as possible in your career.

14. Once you settle on what you know you want, go for it. 

Don’t rush the discovery phase of learning different career paths and what you enjoy. With that said, once you know the career path for you, chase it. You are your best advocate. Be vocal about your career desires with leadership and mentors. Ask what you need to do to achieve the next step in that path and humbly yet confidently pursue the next step toward your career goals. 

15. The grass isn’t always greener. Research new companies and teams before changing jobs. 

Every position, team, and organization has quirks and perks. The grass isn’t always greener. Make pro/con lists and look at opportunities as holistically as possible when deciding whether or not to change jobs or organizations. 

When you’re interviewing outside your organization, use online research methods to learn about the organization. However, the team you’re on matters as well. Pepper the hiring manager and peers with questions to get a good sense of what that team is like.