Helena Morrissey
11 September 2024 12:00pm

In my first week as a graduate trainee at a large City firm, the head of HR addressed the new intake of 21 and 22-year-olds: “You should aim to be a director by the age of 32,” he stated.

It seemed like an implausibly precise target. However, I soon learned that there were three rungs on the ladder to directorship, each with defined timescales for when we would be eligible to reach each milestone. If we achieved all three on schedule, we would indeed be 32 by the time we reached our goal.

Expectations regarding what young people should achieve in life – and by when – were clearly defined for my generation (I’m 58). If we performed well in school, we would get into a good university, where we would also likely meet our future spouse.

Graduating served as a passport to a decent job, which would provide enough income for us to rent and save for a deposit on our own home within a few years. We anticipated having children by our 30s, and expected to advance in our chosen careers if we worked hard and stayed the course.

Zigzagging career paths
A chronological career trajectory had its pros and cons; we could easily gauge our progress, but it left little room for life events or a change of heart regarding our chosen profession.

The “director by 32” edict echoed painfully in my ears when I stumbled at the first hurdle, missing out on a promotion after maternity leave.

Meanwhile, a fellow graduate chose to retrain as a barrister after a couple of years in finance, which set him back from the pack.

However, careers are marathons, not sprints, and ultimately, it made little difference for either of us. I may not have become a director by 32, but I was a CEO at 35, and my former colleague is now an eminent King’s Counsel.

Nevertheless, the feeling of having fallen behind was undeniably stressful.

These days, career paths are less regimented. There are both pros and cons to this shift, too. A good degree no longer guarantees a decent job – and certainly not one that covers living expenses. Work itself has become much more fluid, often involving a combination of employment and side hustles, remote work and office work, resembling a zigzag rather than a straight line.

Independence tends to come later in life, as high housing costs force many young adults to live with their parents when they start their first job; we currently have two living with us.

Compare and despair
Yet the pressure to achieve success at a young age is stronger than ever, with turning 30 now marking a threshold where anxiety often begins to set in.

We could attribute this to Forbes’ “30 under 30” lists (actually a total of 600 extraordinarily high achievers across the world – the top 30 in 20 categories) and youthful internet billionaires, which can make others feel inadequate.

However, there has always been someone who seems better, who achieves more, earns more, finds their ideal partner sooner, is more attractive, fitter or serves as a role model – perhaps all of the above.

Comparing ourselves unfavourably to others will never help us realise our own potential, regardless of age.

However, that’s easier said than done. I know several individuals who have just turned 30 and are concerned that they have left it too late. Some have spent their 20s in an extended phase of teenage experimentation, exploring various jobs, lifestyles and relationships. Others worry that they are not where they should be at this stage in their lives.

Clichés about the tortoise winning the race are not particularly helpful – who wants to be compared to a tortoise, anyway?

I try to reassure them that, in the grand scheme of things, they are just getting started. In some countries, this is literally true: my German daughter-in-law finished school at 20 (they start at six or seven), and some of her peers were 21, with a minimum of three years of university ahead of them. If they pursued a PhD, they could be well into their 30s by the time they began their careers.

Freedom to explore
On one level, as my 60th birthday approaches, I find that the anxieties of those just half my age resonate with me. Every significant birthday prompts reflection on our achievements, our disappointments and what lies ahead.

At 60, it is a reality that more of life is behind us than ahead. However, as my husband Richard, 61, has demonstrated, the key to embracing this next stage and contributing in every possible way is to maintain a forward-looking perspective. We should view the remaining decades – hopefully two or three – as new opportunities rather than limitations.

So yes, life is short, but today’s 30-year-olds potentially have another 50 years ahead of them to make a significant impact in their careers. If they have already discovered something they enjoy, my only advice is to give it their all. Even if they have had a slow start, they will become increasingly skilled, receive promotions, enjoy their roles even more, and surpass those who are less committed.

For those who have not yet discovered their true calling, the focus now should be on identifying what that is – not in a panicky way, as that would be counterproductive.

If this resonates with you, set a deadline for yourself – perhaps another two years – to continue exploring your options. If you can afford it, grant yourself the freedom to do just that.

However, do not wait for the perfect job to appear. I am not suggesting that you settle for something less than fulfilling, but many careers begin as only vaguely interesting and become more enjoyable as you gain experience and knowledge.

This certainly applies to my own journey. I have yet to meet anyone who dreamt of becoming a bond fund manager as a child – I certainly did not. However, after almost accidentally entering the field, I found that managing money became increasingly fascinating the more I learned and improved, which ultimately led to promotions.

Earlier this year, I met a remarkable woman named Holly Moore, who describes herself as proof that if you excel at something and remain dedicated, you can reach the top. Holly began her career as a receptionist before founding and leading her own innovative events company, Make Events. She also overcame debilitating OCD, which inspired her empowering mantra, “anything is possible”.

I had the privilege of speaking at her conference in Manchester this year, where the theme of the day was “you’re right on time”.

We are often told that we are too young or too old, too early or too late, which creates barriers that do not truly exist.

So, whether we are 30, 60, somewhere in between or younger or older, let us approach new opportunities with a fresh mindset, embracing the idea that we are right on time.

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