Survey: Most Say Peak Of Success At Work In The Future, But Happiest Age In The Past
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – It seems success in the workplace is always just around the corner.
If you believe the results of a new survey from LinkedIn and Citi, that is.
According to the poll of more than 1,000 working professionals, the age at which respondents expect to achieve peak success on the job is a "moving target," changing with each generation.
While Millennials expect to hit their peak at age 43, Baby Boomers feel they'll be at the top at 62.
Meanwhile, women think they'll be at the apex of their career at 53 – slightly earlier than men, who believe they'll be at their peak at 55.
And surprisingly, though many feel they'll reach the pinnacle of their success at work in the (near) future, most identify a past age as their happiest time. For workers under 35, the magic number is 28, while older professionals (45-54) say they were most satisfied at 42.
"While the age at which professionals believe they will peak varies by generation, most expect the high point of their career to occur within the next several years. Yet at the same time, they believe that the happiest moment of their careers was several years in the past, suggesting that peak satisfaction does not necessarily mean the height of career success," says Linda Descano, CFA®, President and CEO of Women & Co.
Other interesting findings from the survey include differences in the way men and women define happiness in their career. For men, a "good salary" was paired with happiness on the job, while women equated "doing what I love" and "being challenged" with satisfaction. Women were also more likely to want to do something good for the world and help people in their occupation than men were.
To read more about the survey, click here.
