Imagine being 23 years old and worth more than a billion dollars. Pretty sweet, right?
Well, it’s sweet, but it’s anything but average.
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook (better known as the website you go to at least 10 times a day while at work), has followed in the footsteps of Bill Gates as a Harvard-dropout-cum-tech-mogul. He’s the 785th richest person in the world and about to be the subject of a film written by Aaron Sorkin. Also…he’s not you.
While Mark should absolutely be commended for his achievements, it’s important to remember that not every 23 year old college dropout is the head of a huge company. Unfortunately, those of us in the “millennial” generation were raised by parents who told us we could do anything–and when we’re not already internet moguls by our twenties, we feel like colossal failures. The Mark Zuckerberg Phenomenon has us all thinking the only two possible career options are internet mogul or desolate middle manager who always gets passed over for a raise. We’re embarrassed to be assistants, ashamed to have to work up through the ranks of a company the old-fashioned way. We get angry at bosses who ask us to make copies or run errands because we’re thinking hey, I was the editor in chief of my college newspaper, so why am I not already running a major magazine by myself?
Here’s the thing about what work is like for the 99.9% of us out there who didn’t happen to start hugely popular websites: you just have to do it. No two people have the same exact career path, and rather than being bummed out that you’re still not a billionaire, be excited because you finally got your first byline or made your first huge sale. When you get promoted, allow yourself to be genuinely happy about your promotion for a sec before you move on to moping the fact that you’re not running the whole firm.
Plenty of successful people don’t get their big break until they’re 30. Or 50. So don’t kill yourself over the fact that you’re not Mark Zuckerberg yet. Feel free to look up to him as a role model, but keep some perspective. Your career’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon.
I just looked at a website about the top 50 entrepreneurs under 30 (or 40, I can’t remember specifically). Anyways, as soon as I read it, I felt instantly depressed because I’m 23 and not a bazillionaire yet. I am an entrepreneur with my own company and my goal is to build an empire. The path is so hard, things are frustrating, there are major debates between the team members, and cash is always short.
But through all of this, I LOVE what I do. I’m taking a huge risk early in my life because I have a true passion for what I am doing. My team is like my second family, and if we fail, I will start another company with them.
After graduating from UCLA, I worked as a consultant at an international consulting firm. The pay was good, the perks were great, but I just felt trapped and not utilized. I could not stand sitting in my cubicle at all!!! I had started companies as an undergrad, and that’s when I knew that I was an entrepreneur at heart.
Thank you for the great post. It reminds me that not everyone is a huge risk taker and stability is greatly appreciated by most. This post is a good eye opener for me. Thanks!
- Jun