3 Reasons You Don’t Need to Wait for the Real World

Many generations are looking down on Millennials. Saying things like, “Just wait until they get hit with the real world; then all their entitlement will fall to shreds.”

I realize Millennials do have a somewhat entitled outlook on life. That needs to go. But the whole notion of the “real world” doesn’t really apply to many Millennials. I don’t think it even has to apply to any generation.

We’re seeing a shift in what the “real world” actually looks like. Here are a few reasons the world is changing and you can change with it.

1. The best jobs don’t exist in the “real world”.

If there’s a college major or vocational program for a job, I’d call that a “real world” job. That means organizations have put their stamp of approval on a career and turned it into a formula: If you do this and learn this, you’ll get the job.

But some of the coolest jobs out there don’t have college majors for them. They require relationships and innovative thinking to get them. There’s nothing wrong with getting a job that’s a result of a college major, but at the same time it doesn’t have to be the only path. The traditional rules are getting thrown out the window.

2. There’s no prescribed timeline for life.

Who says you have to go from high school straight to college? Or who says you need to get married at age 24? Or that you need to have kids immediately? Or that you have to own a house or even rent an apartment?

I have friends in their late-twenties who live with their parents. But it’s not because they aren’t successful in their career. It’s because they travel so much that they’re only “home” a few days out of the year. There’s no prescription for how life is supposed to play out.

3. You don’t have to get trapped in a bubble.

Finally, thanks to our world’s incredible connectivity, you don’t have to get stuck in a bubble if you do finally reach the “real world”. Even if you have the traditional career, white picket fence, and 2.5 children, you can live an uncommon life by connecting with people outside of your own demographic. You can have influence on different cultures just by hopping on a computer. You aren’t just relegated to the PTA, other soccer moms, and your church group.

I get excited when I see the world, because the norms are changing. There will always be need for doctors and lawyers and janitors and salesmen. People will always get married. Will always have kids. There will always be a “real world”, but it doesn’t have to look anything like it did in the past. Each person can have their own innovative life.