Are You In The Working Stage?
Life Stage 4: Working
The Working Stage begins when you are ready to start working or you run out of time and money. For most students, this happens in the early 20s when you start your first full time or adult job.
As you undertake the adult responsibilities of supporting yourself and your family -- you work out the realities of who you are in a world where bills need to be paid, bosses set deadlines and people call in sick.
Road Testing Reality
Values and ideals, discussed and explored in school, are now road tested and either embraced, revised or abandoned. Dreams and ambitions are matched against reality and the prevailing culture establishes a strong pull for the spending of your income and time.
The skills and knowledge you have gained are now put into practice and new real life skills and life experiences are gained. A major challenge of this phase is keeping your passion alive and your sense of self strong -- while many around you settle for fitting in and keeping in step with the culture, their peers, and the expectations of others.
This phase of learning your craft on-the-job starts with learning the ropes at your first job. It may last an entire lifetime if your major emphasis becomes increasing the size of your paycheck, benefits and responsibility. Transitioning to the next phase requires a major shift of emphasis.
