How Generational Differences Have Created Job Opportunities

For recent graduates or seniors in college like myself, a big worry on individual's minds is the age-old question: how do I get my first job?

Those graduating now have a little bit of an advantage that not many senior employees can say is that there is a job niche that wants young employees and will potentially be done better by them. Social media job opportunities, especially in journalism, are targeted towards recent graduates.

This new opportunity also emphasizes the need for a professional education in the fundamentals of social media and analytics: making sure to utilize the click and engage with as many people who fall into your audience as possible.

The positive side to it is that Generation Z as a whole grew up on social media and saw its development throughout our childhood. We were already extremely affluent with the basics of social media by the time we reached high school.

The large overarching downside though is the negative effects that social media has on one's mental health. The constant need for more, the debilitating feeling that no matter how many people view your post, it's never as much as this other person and just that crushing feeling begins to take a large toll over a long stretch of time.

Creating a professional surrounding is stressful by proxy because it's the added stress of needing maximum engagement or else you will be fired. So there is definitely a double-edged sword related to the social media field.

Anthony Adornato, in his book, "Mobile and Social Media Journalism" spoke on this idea of New and Old journalism and I really enjoyed the concept. I think it's important and even vital to pursue a career that is a combination of both. Too much of one may be overwhelming and especially in new journalism with the ever-changing rules and expectations it becomes dizzying how many things there are to learn and keep up with.

While a lot of our generation has a leg up in the "new" journalism world, it's important to find a healthy balance between your online self and your authentic self. Your online self will never include every facet of your personality and most of the time in reality will just focus on achievements or, for professional pages, hone in on their latest stories. Spending too much time in the online world allows for one to lose authenticity in only look to emulate someone else.

There's a healthy balance between the two just as there is with almost every factor of life but Adornato mentions social media as if it is an automatic preset to every position from now on. It's helpful to have a strong online presence, especially when applying to different positions, but it is in no way crucial. While there are a lot of new entry-level positions geared towards social media that shouldn't pigeon-hole someone into thinking that's their only career path right out of college.

It's important to note that the opportunity is there for those interested but claiming that it is crucial is frankly overdramatic and heavily overestimates the importance of good writing and a basic understanding of grammer.