I guess a lot of twentysomethings have taken some part-time job: dish-washer or shopkeeper or similar things, to earn some quick money. I have done this and preened myself on the several dollars I earned.
But now I realized it isn't worth my while. This kind of low-skilled and labour-intensive jobs are far below my capabilities. I was actually underemployed. According to a research, underemployment hurts more than unemployment. Except the meagre wage, you gained nothing constructive. Or in Kant's words, no capital in identity investment. Worse, it reduces your mental well-being since you didn't really take pleasure in mundane things. And this becomes a concern all the more when you considered that twentysomethings are the most precious time in your life. Therefore, stop doing it.
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The evil of comparison & the tyranny of should
Whenever you tap into FB or Wechat, you hate it but can't resist it: past acquaintances or classmates are showing off their fabulous journeys, while you end up nothing. Most of us have the deepest fear: others are riding on the crest of a wave while them are down at the bottom. How to dispel this kind of fear?
The answer is to distinguish what's ideal from what's real for you. Let me explain. You are a youth who takes pleasure in reading novels and travelling. The ideal thing is to get an offer in big law, sweep away the gold medals across competitions, or socre the highest in every exam. The real thing is to start from internship, dabble in some counselling skills or strike a balance between good and bad. The ideal represent all the good things that are desirable, but not related to your urges or callings. While the real is in line with what you want and who you are. And to draw the line, it leads to the next question: who you are and what you want, which many twentysomethings had no answer either.
When you ask, they would counter: I don't know what I am interested in, I have no direction. I have to remind you: twenty years of living on earth must have left marks on you, and there must be patterns and strokes indicating preferences. Think about it and find it. It's your responsibility.
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