DC Ranks 3rd: Smile! You’re a Young Professional in the City
From Cara Scharf. Email her at cara[AT]borderstan.com.
DC young professional ranked 3rd as the happiest in the country . (Luis Gomez Photos)
No one will dispute that DC is full of young professionals, and many might say DC’s young professionals are overworked and over committed. A recent ranking from CareerBliss.com paints our city’s young professionals in a different light: as the third happiest in the country.
CareerBliss.com compiled the list with information from the past 12 months. They define young professionals as people who have been working full-time for less than 10 years, and factors surveyed include work-life balance, boss and co-worker relationships, compensation, growth opportunities, and company culture. Rounding out the top three cities are San Francisco in the second spot and San Jose in the first spot.
Before you start doubting the math, I’d like to share some reasons why I agree that DC is bringing good tidings of comfort and joy to us young professionals.
Myriad of Networking Opportunities
DC’s young professionals are driven, and while that’s sometimes an annoyance, it also means that you can take advantage of every encounter as a networking opportunity. I’ve found that DC is a hotbed of professional development and networking groups.
As a young arts professional, I’m engaged with Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of DC and Emerging Arts Leaders of DC, both of which host happy hours, workshops, and conferences.
Social Activities
Kickball. Bocce. Running. Trivia. Even a competitive karaoke league and a drunken spelling bee. DC’s young professionals play as hard as they work, so no matter what your interest, you can find a group that is combining your activity of choice with drinks and social interaction.
You’re in the “Center” of the Country
DC is an important city, which makes it an exciting place to be. In just one week, I volunteered inside the World Bank and attended a congressional briefing in the Capital Building. Where else in the country can you go to so many important places, places that people all over the world are reading about and may never be able to visit?
And as bothersome as a motorcade might be, how many other young professionals get to say that they were “this close” to the President?
Young professional readers: does your experience validate or go against the rankings?
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