Here's how 6 Gen Zers discovered what they want to do with their career — and how you can get started

Welcome to a special edition of Keeping the Balance, a newsletter for Gen Z. Subscribe to receive upcoming editions. This week, LinkedIn News' Josh M. Carney and I spoke with Top Voices about how to determine what you want out of a career at the beginning of your professional journey.

Gen Z is redefining the normal constraints of a career. The latest generation of professionals want it all at work, from the growth opportunities and benefits that have defined large firms to the disruptive cultures of emerging companies, all while maintaining the independence to pursue side hustles. But it's hard to know exactly where you want to take your career when you’re preparing to enter the workforce full-time. 

How do you discover what you want out of your career, navigate first jobs and define a path for growth? We spoke with Top Voices at the outset of their professional journeys about how to develop a dynamic career in today’s world of work.

Here are their takeaways — and share your own in the comments below or in a post using #getstarted.

Not sure what you want to do? Exposure is key

There are a variety of ways to build a dynamic career in today’s world of work, but perhaps the most overwhelming question is figuring out what you want. Exposure — to a variety of industries and roles — is the best way to get to the root of that. 

Even if you have your mind set on a particular industry, it's important to “try as many things as you can and be as open-minded as possible,” says Morgan Young, who thought a variety of internships would confirm her interest in computer science and intended path to a future career in the industry. Yet her exposure to various experiences across the field introduced her to an area she had not considered: product management. Despite initially having "a one-track mind," Young says it's important for early career professionals to be willing to explore new opportunities. "Be open to pivoting because you might find that what you pick isn't what you like and that's totally okay." 

Leveraging what makes your skills and perspective unique is how Natalie Neptune, a college senior, secured a post-grad internship at a venture capital firm. After starting on the pre-med track, Neptune’s two internships in venture capital exposed her to a world of opportunities that pushed her to pivot. By gaining both on- and off-campus experience in several fields, Neptune developed transferable skills that allowed her to position her non-traditional background as an advantage. Neptune’s advice for young professionals looking to follow their passion is strategizing ‘how can I provide value?” This reflection led Neptune to found The Group Chat Queen, a database with "different group chats in the entrepreneurship, VC, startup space," which became a valuable networking platform for other Gen Z founders. 

Both Young and Neptune's journeys demonstrate the value in gaining real-world experience to explore different career paths and ultimately decide what you want to go after. "When you're older it can be a lot harder mentally to pivot into something completely different," Young says.

👉 Check out more of Morgan Young’s and Natalie Neptune’s insights on how to discover what you want out of your career.

How to get the most out of your first job — whether you’re a startup founder or a corporate employee 

Part of getting exposure is figuring out how you want to make an impact. That can be especially difficult in environments where so much pressure is placed on young professionals to be on track for immediate success.

Travis Chen wrestled with the imposter syndrome that comes along with relentless competition and was inspired by his own mental health journey to found a startup helping others use music therapy to support their own recovery. Even though he describes himself as “a very risk-averse person,” going out on his own as a young founder has helped him to “think big, to fail fast and to pivot when necessary.”

But Chen has also faced layered challenges as a Gen Z founder. “Ageism really continues to be a barrier when you’re trying to earn trust with customers who are typically decision makers in their thirties, forties and fifties who are used to speaking with people their age,” he says. He notes that taking ownership over your ideas and being forced to overcome barriers as a young founder helps build perspective. It's also important to “surround yourself with experienced founders in the space who know the struggles you go through,” Chen notes.

Mentorship from professionals with varied experience is one of many reasons that drove Stephanie Nuesi to pursue a job at a leading technology firm when she was starting her career. “One of the biggest advantages is building connections,” she says of working for a large firm, including “learning how to work with other people properly.” The chance to gain foundational soft skills — ranging from interpersonal communication to prioritization — by collaborating with teams across different lines of business is the type of experience she credits with giving her the confidence to found her own professional coaching startup.

While Chen and Nuesi started their careers on different paths, both their journeys underscore the role of meaningful professional relationships in setting you up for a resilient career. And for a generation in which millions of people entered a workforce in the midst of the upheaval brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Chen says that Gen Z “is well-equipped to face those constant pivots and change as necessary.” 

👉 Check out more of Stephanie Nuesi’s and Travis Chen’s insights on how to navigate your first job as a young professional.

Why a ‘portfolio career’ is a great way to hone your skills and expertise

Today's career starters don't need to be defined by a single professional identity. Instead, they can build a portfolio of pursuits aligned with their career goals — from facilitating a networking group to building a side hustle — to make the most of their current role while building skills and connections that can propel their future growth. 

"One of the biggest benefits of building a portfolio career is the ways that you amplify your network," says Meagan Loyst, who developed professional connections across the venture capital space early in her career. "I was one year out of college and didn't have a vast network, so I had to get creative,” she says — which is why she took a proactive approach by founding Gen Z VCs, a global collective of young entrepreneurs and investors, while working full-time at a VC firm.

The experiences and opportunities Loyst had at her firm helped her build a strong foundation of skills and relationships before leaving her full-time role and pursuing a multi-faceted career as a founder, solo investor and content creator. "I needed to experience the corporate world first in order to see what was possible for me all while having a salary and steady job that I really enjoyed," Loyst says. "I realized my strengths and found my voice."

Corporate Natalie, known for her humorous work-life videos across social media, agrees that getting her start in a corporate environment was "the perfect pipeline" for her current career in the creator economy. For more than two years, she balanced a full-time job with being a creator on the side, and her corporate experience not only became fodder for content but also helped her develop transferable skills that prepared her to become a full-time content creator. "I learned how to time block, build my own schedule and work from home," she says. "Being in a corporate job also helped me sell myself [as a creator] and give my elevator pitch.”

By leaning on the skills she honed in her corporate job, Corporate Natalie has been able to take on a portfolio of opportunities that align her passion and expertise. She co-founded a virtual assistant business to support aspiring creators, where she uses her experience as a former consultant to advise other creators on how to negotiate brand deals and build their business as a creator. For those who want to develop a side hustle as a content creator to compliment their career, she recommends finding the medium that best suits you and take advantage of the exploratory stage at the beginning of your career: “Try as much as you can.”

Note: Corporate Natalie asked to only use her first name for privacy reasons.

👉 Check out more of Meagan Loyst’s and Corporate Natalie’s insights on how to build a portfolio career and pursue side hustles.

About this article

This article features experts from LinkedIn's Top Voices program sharing their advice for young professionals on how to discover what they want out of a career. Top Voices is an invitation-only program featuring a global group of experts on LinkedIn covering a range of topics across the professional world, helping members uncover valuable knowledge relevant to them. You can learn more here.

Who is eligible to be a Top Voice

LinkedIn members who meet high trust standards, are consistently active on the platform and share valuable expertise are eligible to be a Top Voice, with the exception of LinkedIn and Microsoft employees, members who have violated LinkedIn’s User Agreement — including our Professional Community Policies — or individuals currently running in a political election for an executive, legislative or judicial position.

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