10 Career Moves Millennial Women Should Consider in 2024

Angela Mae
sturti / Getty Images
sturti / Getty Images

It’s the start of a new year again, the time when people tend to sit down and reflect on everything that’s happened in the past year and what’s to come. It’s also the time to think about any New Year’s resolutions and ways to improve yourself in the coming months.

If you’re a millennial (someone born between 1981 and 1996), now’s also a good time to consider your current career and start making some smart moves to improve your prospects — and finances — going forward.

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Whether you’re a millennial woman or otherwise, here are some smart career moves to consider in 2024.

Improve Your Skills Through Workforce Development Programs

“In 2024, it may be time to skill up to give yourself flexibility,” said Jay Zigmont, PhD, CFP®, founder of Childfree Wealth. “Many people overlook their state and local workforce development programs as a source of training. Workforce development programs are designed to address a priority need in your community and usually include free training and job placement assistance.”

Zigmont gave an example of a program in Mississippi that offered a free coding bootcamp to adults last year. This program was geared toward helping individuals find remote work with a higher earning potential than what they could have found locally.

“Start by Googling your state’s workforce development program, and also be sure to check the local unemployment office,” added Zigmont. “You do not need to be unemployed to take advantage of many of these programs.”

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Look Into the STEM Field

If you’re thinking about making a strategic career move, consider getting into the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) field. It’s constantly changing and growing, and it can be both challenging and lucrative.

“This is a male-dominated field, and we need more women to pursue STEM roles,” said Mary Krull (SHRM-SCP, PRC), lead talent attraction partner at Southern New Hampshire University. “There is a growing need for diverse talent, with so many possible career paths. I would love to see more millennial women learning about careers in STEM, and how they can thrive and provide their diverse talent and thought.”

Career options in STEM include data science, software development and AI roles.

Consider Joining a Startup or New Venture

Joining a startup or launching your own business might seem risky, but it can also be highly rewarding. This is especially the case when something that began as a simple idea metamorphosizes into something meaningful and impactful to those around you.

“I would love to see more women starting businesses and using their creativity and strategic minds,” said Krull. “Consider joining industries that have room for innovation, like healthcare and e-commerce. You can also unleash your entrepreneurial spirit through joining a team for a new company and make that significant impact.”

Start Advocating and Negotiating More for Yourself

Learning to advocate for yourself and negotiate is vital to improving your finances and building a career you can be proud of — regardless of the field. And now that the previous generation is starting to retire, that leaves a lot of room for new opportunities and career advancement.

“As the baby boomer generation retires, and Gen X is smaller compared to both the boomers and millennials, millennial women are in a unique position to capitalize on a boom of higher-level jobs opening over the next decade,” said Scott Lieberman, founder of Touchdown Money.

Look into positions that align with your skills and challenge you in new ways, while giving you an overall income boost.

“Advocating for fair pay, benefits and work conditions is crucial,” added Lieberman. “Millennial women should not shy away from negotiating salaries…or seeking roles that align with their career values.”

Prioritize Your Health

Your health and overall well-being is important, both in your personal and professional life. That’s why now’s a good time to start prioritizing it — if you haven’t already.

“As millennial women enter their 40s, they could be becoming part of the ‘sandwich generation,’ if they aren’t already, taking care of both their kids and their parents. As such, it is crucial millennial women focus on taking care of their own health and mental well-being so they can be productive and remain in the workforce as much as possible,” said Lieberman.

As 2024 progresses, start looking into companies or positions that offer a good work-life balance and other benefits like paid time off, paid sick leave, maternity leave and so on.

Branch Out Into Financial or Investment Advising

Educating yourself about money and investing is a key part of improving your future financial stability and achieving short- and long-term financial goals. But if you want to take this one step further, consider pivoting to a career as a financial or investment advisor.

“Pursuing a career in finance as an advisor can be lucrative and will help many people,” said Krull.

And if you’re already in a similar field, this might be the natural next step for you.

Set and Pursue Goals That Align With Your Values

Whether you’re making official New Year’s resolutions or not, now’s the time to set some career goals that match your core values.

“Millennials have a long runway to build a highly rewarding career for themselves. They should start by intentionally defining their long-term success (five years) which becomes their internal compass — it sets the direction they will follow and influences all their choices,” said Shelmina Abji, author of “Show Your Worth: 8 Intentional Strategies for Women to Emerge as Leaders at Work.”

If you haven’t taken the time to truly identify your core values, do so now. That way, any career shifts you make going forward will be both fruitful and meaningful to you.

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Consider Getting Into the AI and Cybersecurity Sectors

For millennial women thinking about a career shift, the AI and cybersecurity sectors could be worth pursuing.

“Cybersecurity is a lucrative and growing industry with online scammers and hackers,” said Britta Ferguson, CFP®, CEPA, VP, financial advisor at Wealth Enhancement Group. “Data privacy protection analysis is critical and offers many career opportunities.”

As for artificial intelligence, Ferguson noted that there’s significant growth in the research and development side of this industry — and therefore a lot of potential.

Look Into Renewable Energy Career Options

Another potentially lucrative career option to consider is the renewable energy industry.

“There is a significant demand for renewable energy across all industries,” said Ferguson. “Solar and wind are two of the fastest-growing divisions and will offer all types of opportunities from corporate, remote and in-field jobs.”

Be Tenacious and Keep Moving Forward

Whether you’ve been working for five or 10 years, never stop pushing yourself to new heights. You never know what you can achieve until you go for it and see it happen.

“Tenacity matters. Keep pushing ahead,” said Heather Tenuto, CEO of The Muse. “Even though millennials are making big decisions about starting or expanding families and perhaps supporting parents, women are better served by continuing to push forward in their careers because more senior roles give you more control over your own time.”

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 10 Career Moves Millennial Women Should Consider in 2024

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