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Young professional

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A young businesswoman giving a presentation.

The term young professional generally refers to young people between 20 and 49 who are employed in a profession or white-collar occupation. The meaning may be ambiguous[1] and has evolved from its original narrow meaning of a young person in a professional field.[2] Although derivative of the term 'yuppie', it has grown into its own set of meanings.

Traits

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The term was originally, and is still used to some degree, to narrowly refer to recent graduates of professional schools serving in professional careers.[2][3] The term typically refers to people between the ages of 20 and 40.

Stereotypically, they can also be viewed as having an "obsession with success" and "plagued with loneliness".[4] Alternatively, young professionals can be seen as highly spiritual and "seeking a spiritual outlet to balance their hectic working lives".[5]

Impact and connections with larger entities

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Young professionals can provide a welcome increase in a local area's tax base and can also create a snowball effect of attracting and infusing young energy and talent into an area.[6] Young professionals can also organize themselves and bring energy to shape communities and alter local or ethnic politics.[7]

Young professionals are courted by larger social and occupational organizations or employers in some contexts,[8][9] but not in other.[10]

Young professionals are also heavily targeted by purveyors of career and financial advice.[11][12]

In the workplace, young professionals can be viewed as talented and energetic individuals who present special management challenges[13] or as "cannon fodder" to be cast aside once they are no longer profitable to a business.[3]

As euphemism for "single"

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The stigma that developed in the 1970s around singles functions and singles groups led some organizations to switch the name of their singles events to "young professionals events".[14][15][16] However, other organizations specifically for young professionals insist that they are not "singles groups".[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "I am not sure what "young professionals" means..." After the storm: American society a decade after the Vietnam War : proceedings of the International Conference on "The U.S.A.: A Decade After the Vietnam War", 1987, p. 33
  2. ^ a b Arun Arora and Andrew Francis, The rule of lawyers in Modernising Britain, Fabian Discussion Papers, iss. 42, 1998, p. 4
  3. ^ a b John Taylor, 'Down With M.B.A.'s' , New York magazine, November 2, 1987, p. 36
  4. ^ Max Luca. do, The applause of heaven, 1996, p. 120
  5. ^ Engaging Generation Aleph: A Resource for Young Adults in the Synagogue, Union of American Hebrew Congregations, ed., 1997, p. 3
  6. ^ Neighborhood organizing: nurturing strong, unified voices, charles Stewart Mott Foundation, ed., 2007, p. 8
  7. ^ Glenn Omatsu, "Four Prisons" and the Movements of Liberation, in Asian American studies: a reader, Jean Yu-wen Shen Wu and Min Song, eds., 2000, p. 178
  8. ^ Aart J. M. Van De Laar, The World Bank and the poor, in Series on the Development of Societies, Institute of Social Studies, ed., vol. 6, p. 101
  9. ^ Government Executive, vol. 26, 1994, pp. 16, 18
  10. ^ Ryan Kohnen, Young Professional's Guide to Success, 2009, pp. 1, 103
  11. ^ Lisa C. Jones, Money Management for Young Professionals, Ebony, October 1992, p. 128
  12. ^ Tanner Strasky, Find Your Inner Ugly Betty: 25 Career Lessons for Young Professionals Inspired by TV Shows, 2008
  13. ^ Roger B. Winston, Don G. Creamer, and Theodore K. Miller, The professional student affairs administrator: educator, leader, and manager, 2001, p. 394
  14. ^ Berk, Bernard (1976). "Face-Saving at the Singles Dance". Social Problems. 24 (5): 530–544 [p. 532]. doi:10.2307/800123. JSTOR 800123.
  15. ^ Fried, Stephen (2002). The new rabbi: a congregation searches for its leader. Bantam Books. p. 57.
  16. ^ Engaging Generation Aleph: A Resource for Young Adults in the Synagogue. Union of American Hebrew Congregations. 1997. p. 81. ISBN 9780807406410.
  17. ^ Engaging Generation Aleph: A Resource for Young Adults in the Synagogue. Union of American Hebrew Congregations. 1997. p. 96. ISBN 9780807406410.