by Đỗ Phương Linh

After the country got out of the war and started its economic recovery and development, employment became one of the top concerns, and stability was the best quality of any job.

At that time, our grandparents and parents found it easy to be happy with a peaceful life and a simple and stable job, such as working for a State-owned enterprise, or working a traditional craft of the family. They could spend their life with the assurance that the fewer changes, the better jobs. That was why a stable job used to be an essential criterion for many of the older generations.

Thanks to them, the country gradually recovered its energy and grew.

After several decades, young generations are now the beneficiary of those previous efforts. They have a better foundation in terms of education, and a wider range of job opportunities. Changes in the economy, the property market, and the availability of opportunities have gradually changed their mindset, which is now at odds with that of the older generations.

“I don’t think that I can settle with just one job for my entire life like my parents did," Nguyễn Ngọc Hương, a marketing specialist, said.

“Before they could do a single task for a particular organization or agency throughout their whole life, but now we, the young generation, can change jobs and companies in about 10 years of youth. It is very normal,” Hương added.

Hương’s opinion is somewhat related to an issue recently mentioned by Hạ Chi, a hot social media celebrity, who wrote: “Quit your job now, don’t be scared,” suggesting that people are better off leaving a job that they don’t like, rather than perpetually worrying about unemployment or losing the fruits of their efforts.

 “If the cake is not tasty any longer, please put it down. I respect my taste and my stomach. If a relationship does not work, please leave. I respect my feelings and the time of both sides. I don’t do what I don’t like. I don’t take what I don’t want. If someone can do it, he or she will do it better than me. I will give the chance to him or her.” (from Hạ Chi’s Facebook wall).

From comments such as Hạ Chi’s, we can see that for the younger generations, “stability” is no longer an essential component of a job. Instead, they are self-motivated to follow their own values, support individualism, and be ready for the changing pace of society.

That is why the young generations now feel more self-confident and find it easier to take on new jobs, and change careers. They have more conditions to experience different jobs and enjoy life, and this is something totally new to the older generations. 

“Of course, big companies have more chances to make profit," Trần Hoài Nam, an electrician, said. "Despite this, please remember that now, or in a year, many companies may have shut down. It brings about both opportunities and risks. We can find jobs easily and we can lose them easily as well.”

“However, we should understand that leaving a job should be decided after due consideration,” He added.

Just like Nam, Hạ Chi also emphasized: “Ending a relationship, leaving a job or even stopping dating someone might cause losses for both sides. The company will lose a human resource, and the amount of investment they have made on the personnel. The workers will lose a job, salary, and some relationships. So deciding whether to leave or stay in a job should be a matter of concern.”

However, the core motivator for the decision on continuing working must never be stability above all else.

“We work eight hours a day, sleep eight hours a day, and the remaining eight hours are for other activities. If we just need to survive, we will have a big loss because we trade one-third of our life for immeasurable safety in the other one-third of our time. Thus, to maximize the value of time, I have to feel “alive” in the eight working hours of a day. So, I have to choose a job that I feel good about.” Hạ Chi said.

With open-mindedness, a sense of freedom, and self-confidence, Hương and Nam and other people don’t forget to emphasize that they, as young people, need to determine what their career is instead of clinging on a certain job and having no idea about the future. For them, improving themselves day by day and developing a solid foundation in terms of knowledge and skills to follow their dream is much more significant than worrying about leaving or staying in a job.

“People who do not know about their capacity, strengths, and independence are often scared. So learning about yourself and believing in yourself is an optimal task. It helps you with building the courage to leave a safe yet exhaustingly boring job for another better one. Please keep going and don’t fear for changes.” Hương concluded. VNS