Remember when you cared about your job? I mean, really cared about your job? Don’t beat yourself up too much over no longer having the same profession passion you once had, especially if you have other things in your life — spouse, children, friends, ailing parent — in your life that you deem more important. In fact, throughout your career, it’s possible to find yourself committed to your job with various degrees of enthusiasm.

Career adviser Myron Harmon believes there are distinctly different generational motivations and needs.

“For young people new to their careers, they are willing to take greater risks and are less inclined to follow standard career paths,” Harmon says. “As employees, they may be more difficult to hold onto, particularly for very traditional or bureaucratic organizations.”

Although these needs and motivations can differ from people who are in the middle of their careers, they often have some things in common with those employees who are nearing the end of their working lives.

“Those midway through their careers are more careful, often because of their family responsibilities,” Harmon says. “They still have driving ambition, but use greater forethought in their career decisions. As for those coming toward the end of their careers, they may well be more willing to take risks. They’ve weathered the storms, personally and professionally, and aren’t intimidated. They are more secure both personally and

financially.”