Why I wrote “The Gen Z Pocketbook for Teenage Girls”
In 2020, I was a 34 year-old Executive Director at a global investment bank wondering what I wanted my future to look like. I had lots of pieces of information, but on the whole, I was puzzled about how to bring it all together into a coherent strategy. I did what the typical Millenial would do: I quit my job to make room for time to think. During that sabbatical, I went back to school to study an Executive Masters in technology trends and innovation. I embarked on a truly enriching season of career coaching that give me the clarity to create the portfolio career I now have and love.
My sabbatical also gave me time to unearth all the things I had wanted to do but previously had no time or mental bandwidth for. It dawned on me that I had always wanted to mentor students so that they could start their careers with the confidence of having chosen their right path.
Personally, I failed forward through a lot of rough patches. There is a lot to be said for resilience, grit and “hustle”. However, help is necessary. For Gen Zs born into an age where Google has always existed, help for them is not access to information. It is instead access to wisdom to translate that wealth of information into contextualised actionable insights.
In 2020, I could once again relate to the challenge that so many 16-25 year olds are faced with: how do I pick the right career given my particular circumstances and interests? This time, I was ready and able to share my experience so that future students would have a roadmap for how to tackle this big topic holistically.
Writing “The Gen Z Pocketbook for Teenage Girls” was born from this period of serious introspection about the many mental models that are important to grasp as a teenager for well-rounded success in adulthood. I share my mentor’s perspective to encourage students to appreciate that these formative years are adventure, training, self-discovery and fun. However, correct intention underpins quality choices in all these domains for beneficial outcomes.
In 146 pages of colourfully designed content, I break down my message into 4 sections:
- Your inner world - preparing one’s mindset for positivity.
- Relating to others - having healthy interactions or relationships online and in the real world.
- Self-actualisation - the realisation or fulfilment of one's talents & potentialities, whilst assessing the key issues that can get in the way.
- Next steps - planning a successful career by getting relevant skills.
If I had to sum up the most important themes that I’d want each student to remember, I’d say they are:
- Be your own person. Own it and be proud of who you are. Parents guide but you lead your life.
- Fundamental self-love: confidence is rooted in true liking and acceptance of self, such that you operate authentically. You can co-exist with others without losing your voice, breaching your boundaries or pretence.
- Build your character thoughtfully, act with integrity and don’t compromise your peace.
- Think critically and leverage positive thinking. Take time to reflect regularly.
- Nurture your talents, interests and opportunities. Be curious, always.
- Embrace authentic leadership, starting with how you lead yourself.
- Magnify your strengths. Manage your weaknesses such that they do not overshadow your strengths.
- Your decisions compound. Make sure they compound positively.
- Mistakes happen. Failure is not final. Pick yourself up and do the next right thing.
- Career strategy is continuous, requires inter-disciplinary thinking, and involves the art of identifying problems worth solving. So be open to lifelong unlearning, re-learning and learning anew.
Our character, values, talents, attitude and ability to articulate our needs go on to shape so much of our professional experience. I believe it is crucial to start the career conversation at these foundational levels, and to start young.
If you are in a position to share this book with any teenage girls in your life as a parent, mentor, educator, sponsor or alumnus, I hope you will take this chance to provide a valuable resource that will positively challenge our young girls to create a life they are excited about and proud of.
By Rumbi Munyaradzi
Buy your hard copy of “The Gen Z Pocketbook for Teenage Girls” here: https://paystack.com/buy/the-gen-z-pocketbook-for-teenage-girls-oddecr
If you prefer to get it on Amazon Kindle, visit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09777L2WP
Rumbi is contactable via
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rumbimunyaradzi/
Mobile: +27 79 709 4728
Email:
