NO PAIN, NO GAIN
Those who want success to come their way must work hard to earn it
AFEW friends and I recently met up to catch up on old times, as all of us had been quite busy lately with our respective work and family lives. We discussed and exchanged views about many different issues, but there was one subject matter in particular that gave me a lot of food for thought.
One of my friends happens to be in the human resource sector and he is in a position that enables him to hire prospective employees for the company he works for. He has been rather displeased with a significant majority of the new generation of young adults whom he claims to be quite difficult to handle.
Apparently, some of them are quite fond of demanding a high salary with next to zero work experience. Some are extremely inflexible with their work hours and refuse to sacrifice anything more than necessary.
I could understand his predicament, as I personally know of a number of young adults who graduate from college and expect to be paid thousands of ringgit each month, all whilst possessing hardly any work experience.
There are also many who refuse to do more than what is stated in their contracts. They come in to the office and work for exactly the hours they are supposed to put in (sometimes even lesser than expected!) and nothing more. Whether the work gets done according to schedule is a different matter altogether.
Things weren’t quite like this back then. I may not have been around to see it, but I have spoken to a number of older people to know for sure that this wasn’t the culture back in the day. This generation, popularly dubbed the “snowflake generation”, seems to want many things without really working hard to earn them.
To this new generation of young adults, this isn’t how it’s supposed to work.
I understand that you’ve put in a lot of effort to complete your studies. However, you need to comprehend the fact that the straight As and high distinctions on your transcript do not automatically translate to work skills. You will need to go through some tough times and years of learning the ropes and amassing valuable hands-on work experience. Only then you may earn the right to demand a higher wage. Does it seem fair to be expecting the same salary as one who has had years of work experience?
It is common knowledge that the first few years of your work life, usually when you’re in your twenties, come with a lot of sacrifices.
You might need to stay back at work for a couple of hours longer, in order to complete the project that your superior handed to you. You might need to go out of your way every now and then, to make sure that everyone in the team is working together to meet that dreaded deadline. You cannot expect to go in and out of the office on the dot each day, without caring about whether you’re on schedule to complete that project.
The first few years of entering the working world will perhaps be your most painful teacher.
This will not last long, I can assure you.
Like I’ve mentioned before, they may not be the years that would look back on with fond memories.
You will most probably go through a lot of hardship.
You will likely shed a lot of tears.
You will possibly feel like throwing in the towel.
But give up you certainly must not.
Things will get better. It will get easier to manage, and after a while you’d be able to do it with your eyes closed.
You only need to remember to persevere no matter how challenging the situation gets. It will only aid in making you a stronger person in the future, which in turn will make you a better, happier employee.
Have realistic expectations and work on improving yourself in all possible aspects. Take criticism positively and aim to reach your goal someday.
Don’t quit before you even give yourself a chance to try.
Have realistic expectations and work on improving yourself in all possible aspects. Take criticism positively and aim to reach your goal someday.
The writer, a lecturer at Sunway College, is a Malaysian-born Eurasian with Scottish/Japanese/Indian lineage. She believes in a tomorrow where there is no racism and hatred