It’s also important to take a job that could lead to better ones by showcasing your unique experience not just formal qualifications. We can gain that through exposure to new opportunities and experiences. Additionally, people are interested in more personal qualities such as speech ability and problem-solving skills. Of course, conventional things like degrees and jobs have their place in identity capital. Which would you choose? If you chose the comic-book translator job, then that’s great because it demonstrates your identity capital – your collection of personal assets – which matters to prospective employers.

Imagine you’re faced with the choice of working in a coffee shop or taking a more unusual job, like translating comic books. Big Idea #1: The jobs we have in our twentysomething years help us to earn personal assets and individual resources.Įven if you’ve been working for a long time, it’s unlikely that you’ll have the job of your dreams by the time you’re in your 20s. Finally, you will learn why putting off having children until your 30s often leads to trouble. Additionally, it explains that twentysomethings should be happy with their limited options because there’s more opportunity later in life. You’ll also learn how taking on an unusual job when you’re young can influence your entire career. In this book, you will discover why living together is not a good test for marriage and can increase the chances of divorce. She argues that these years should not be considered inconsequential but rather a defining decade of your life where you can make positive changes for your future success and happiness. Meg Jay says that the twenties are actually crucial to our success and happiness in life. It all feels like a rehearsal for adulthood.īut then, as they approach 30, many people start worrying about their future.

This lack of expectations allows people in their twenties to drift through the decade without commitment. People are not expected to have already decided on their career or partner and they’re certainly not expected to have children yet. Today, in many ways, the twenties can feel like a continuation of adolescence. 1-Page Summary of The Defining Decade Overview

The defining decade