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If you’re a young person aged between 16 and 24, or a parent worried about your son’s or daughter’s future, there is something important you need to understand:
The problem may not be your lack of effort.
For years, young people have been told that if they work hard at school, get qualifications, and apply themselves, opportunities will follow. While hard work and education are important, today’s reality is much more complicated.
Current estimates suggest that there are over 1 million young people aged 16–24 who are not in employment, education, or training (NEET). At the same time, there are around 700,000 vacancies across the UK.
At first glance, that might sound encouraging. However, many of those vacancies require skills, qualifications, experience, or specialist training that many young people simply haven’t had the opportunity to develop yet.
This creates a frustrating situation.
Young people need experience to get a job.
But they often need a job to get experience.
Parents Are Worried – And Understandably So https://mynewfuture.org/youngdragon/
Many parents remember leaving school and walking into a job within days or weeks. In many industries, employers were willing to train young people and help them develop practical skills.
Today, competition is often much tougher.
A young person applying for an entry-level position may find themselves competing against:
- Older candidates with years of experience
- People returning to work
- University graduates
- Candidates with specialist qualifications
- Applicants willing to relocate
This can leave young people feeling discouraged, frustrated, and wondering whether they are somehow failing.
In many cases, they are not.
They are simply entering a job market that has changed dramatically.
Waiting For Opportunity Is No Longer Enough
One of the biggest mistakes young people can make is waiting for somebody else to create an opportunity for them.
The most successful people often create opportunities for themselves.
That doesn’t mean starting the next Amazon or becoming a millionaire overnight.
It means taking practical steps to gain experience, build confidence, and learn skills that employers value.
Why A Side Hustle Could Change Everything
A side hustle is simply a small business or income-generating activity that can be started alongside education, training, or part-time work.
Examples include:
- Dog walking
- Gardening services
- Car washing
- Social media management
- Online selling
- Mobile phone photography
- Window cleaning
- Tutoring
- Pet sitting
- Graphic design
- AI-assisted content creation
- YouTube channels
- Local services for elderly people
Even if a side hustle only earns a small amount of money, it teaches valuable life skills such as:
- Reliability
- Communication
- Customer service
- Problem solving
- Marketing
- Money management
- Confidence
- Time management
These are exactly the skills employers look for.
Small Businesses Create Big Opportunities
Many successful business owners started with almost nothing.
Some began from a bedroom, a garden shed, or a laptop on the kitchen table.
The goal isn’t necessarily to become self-employed forever.
The goal is to gain experience, develop confidence, and learn skills that make you more employable and more capable.
Every successful entrepreneur started as a beginner.
Free Resources To Help You Get Started
To help young people take positive action, we’ve created the Young Dragons Entrepreneur Programme.
The programme includes:
🎧 FREE Young Dragons Audio Book
📖 FREE Business Ideas Download
💡 Practical advice on starting a side hustle
🚀 Guidance on developing business skills
📈 Tips for building confidence and real-world experience
The resources are designed to help young people start thinking differently about their future and discover opportunities they may never have considered.
A Message To Young People
If you’re struggling to find work, feeling left behind, or wondering what comes next, don’t automatically assume the problem is you.
The world has changed.
The job market has changed.
Competition has increased.
But there are still opportunities for people willing to learn, adapt, and take action.
Every skill you develop, every customer you help, every project you complete, and every challenge you overcome builds your experience and confidence.
A Message To Parents
Your son or daughter may not be lazy.
They may not lack ambition.
They may simply be facing challenges that previous generations never had to face.
Encourage them to explore opportunities, gain practical experience, and think creatively about their future.
Sometimes a small side hustle can provide more valuable experience than months of waiting for the perfect job to appear.
Download Your Free Resources Today
The Young Dragons Entrepreneur Programme has been created to help young people develop confidence, practical skills, and real-world experience.
🎧 Download the FREE Young Dragons Audio Book
📖 Get the FREE Business Ideas Guide
🚀 Discover practical ways to gain experience, build confidence, and create opportunities for yourself.
Because when there are more than 1 million young people looking for direction and only around 700,000 vacancies available, the answer may not be waiting for opportunity.
The answer may be learning how to create your own.
Visit MyNewFuture.org and discover the Young Dragons Entrepreneur Programme today.
My New Future CIC – Helping People Build A Better Future, One Step At A Time.
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