MILLENNIAL CAREER COACH MAKES EYE-OPENING POINT ABOUT HER GENERATION
- Melissa Fleur Afshar
- Mar 11
- 3 min read
Newsweek Exclusive Feature
The millennial career coach hopes that her video exposes why "doing everything right" no longer guarantees success.
A career coach's take on why millennials are struggling at work has resonated with viewers online.
Janel Abrahami, a New York-based coach, took to TikTok on September 30, 2024 to break down what she calls the "millennial career crisis." Her video highlighting the disconnect between traditional career advice the harsh realities of modern employment has sparked discussion in the comments.
"We grew up hearing either follow a passion or just go to a good school to get a good job, and you'll be set," Abrahami said in her post.
"Even if we had the privilege to do either of those things, we are still out here, like 10ish years later, with the very bleak reality that neither a traditionally good 9-to-5 job nor following a passion is enough to be set."
A Gallup survey found that millennials are the largest segment in the workplace, and are expected to dominate 75 percent of the global workforce this year. The study also revealed that those born between 1981 and 1996 are the "least engaged" generation in the workforce.
Abrahami, 32, has built her career on helping professionals navigate these challenging feelings. As the founder of Pivot with Purpose, a digital course designed to help people clarify their goals and land job offers, she hopes to bring a unique perspective to the struggles of her peers.
"All the things we did 'right' to set ourselves up for success either are not enough anymore or have been rendered obsolete," Abrahami told Newsweek. "So the question is, 'Now what?'"
That question has resonated with her growing audience since she began sharing career advice on social media in 2021. Drawing on her experience in corporate HR and career coaching, Abrahami said she noticed a recurring theme among her friends and followers in their 30s.
"They did not want their bosses' jobs, they realized the career path they had been following was not right for them, and they had no clue what other kind of career they could have," she said.
She advises cultivating a "portfolio career," a model that has gained traction among millennials seeking financial and personal sustainability. A portfolio career, as Abrahami explains it, involves diversifying income streams and skill sets, rather than relying on one traditional role.
"Millennials—and everyone, for that matter—need to look out for themselves and get creative with how they earn money and from whom," she said.
In her TikTok video, Abrahami also addressed the broader implications of today's job market, including the intense competition and the toll of entrepreneurship.
"Being good at your job does not guarantee security anymore," she said. "If you are trying to land a new job, the market is so competitive and so slow, that you feel like you can't be picky at all.
"Entrepreneurship and freelancing come with their own version of hustle and grinding that can be detrimental to our mental health."
Her reflections offer a sobering take on the intersection of ambition and economic uncertainty, but she believes in the resilience and resourcefulness of her generation.
"It turned out so many more folks who watched the video were turning 30, had been in the same job since graduating college, and were grappling with the realization that the path they were on was not leading them where they wanted to go," she said.
The question, Abrahami says, is no longer, about how to follow the "rules," but how to ignore what you were once taught by society and formulate your own ones.
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