I have a confession to make: I am a Millennial. I grew up in the '90s watching "Rugrats" and "Hey Arnold!" while drinking gallons of Surge, and I have no regrets. If you are a Millennial like myself then that sentence may have brought back a "surge" of nostalgia. Man, those were the days.
But now we've "grown up," in the technical sense anyways. In the more philosophical sense of the term, many of us haven't, and it is making the older folks a bit scared.
Those older folks, many of whom belong to the "Baby Boomer Generation," which is our parents' generation if you weren't aware, are saying a lot of things. They say that we got too many trophies that we didn't deserve, or that we we were never given any challenges growing up, or that we are too close with our parents to the point where we still rely on them for everything. The message is clear: we've reached the age where we should be "grown up," but many of us are still children (and not in the good way). If you've read my other post, then I'll use the reference that we are still analog kids, and they think we should be digital men.
It's Not All Our Fault
First off, it is just a tad ironic that they should say those things about us, since they are the ones that made us this way! They blame us for getting too many trophies as kids. Who gave us those trophies? They did! Who did everything for us so that we wouldn't have any challenges? They did! Who cared for us to the point where we didn't rebel and instead sought close connections with our parents? They did!
They had the best intentions, but unfortunately the results were marginal at best. This article by Business Insider sums up many of the struggles for companies that are now having to deal with Millennials in the workplace, and it's worth reading for both Millennials and people who may have to work with Millennials.
I am not only a Millennial but also an only child, a veritable "double whammy" of helicopter parenting. While I have at one time or another, and probably in ways that I'm not aware of, been guilty of the things in that article, I really like to believe that I am not quite the textbook Millennial.
Sure, I was on a bunch of pee-wee soccer teams as a kid, and sure, we all got trophies at the end of the year (I distinctly remember my father saying at one of the pizza parties how he thought it was "great that we all got trophies, because we all tried really hard") but there was some point in my life where I stopped wanting things to be easy. Maybe it was because at age 11 I read the Hatchet series by Gary Paulson, which were books about a young boy who didn't really "fit in" with the other kids at school, and got stranded in the Canadian wilderness due to a plane crash. The first book follows his struggle to survive with nothing but a Hatchet, and the other three are spin offs of that theme. I loved these books and other stories of survival in general, because I was a kid that didn't really "fit in" so it was perfect!
So maybe it was my fascination with human survival or something else, but whatever the cause I made an effort to learn as much as I could and not get too absorbed with myself. It could have also been that I wasn't very good at sports as a kid, and I knew that, so when I got a trophy just for being on the team a part of me was well aware that I didn't really deserve that trophy.
According to the older generations, the "everyone gets a trophy" mentality has led to an abundance of narcissism in Millennials. While I'm probably no exception (I mean, I made a website that showcases all the cool things I do), I think much of the perceived narcissism of Millennials is more or less a result of the various means of communication that we have available to us. I mean, if older generations had all kinds of social media to tell the world how awesome they were, would they choose not to use it because they aren't narcissists? Would they? Would they really?
While I believe the high praise Millennials seem to "need" is a valid argument, it pales in comparison to the more prominent problem of today: Boomerang Kids. The term refers to young adults who went off to college, got a degree, and then moved back home because they couldn't find a job. It's a reality, unfortunately. I know a few people who had the fate befall them. The fact of the matter is that it's a tough job market out there, and at the current time the Baby Boomers are at the ripe age to hold many of the higher ranking positions in companies, and are not as eager to retire as past generations, so it is creating something of a job shortage.
But, why would it be hard for a Millennial to find a starting position in a company? Well, for starters, a college education has become the norm for Millennials, with grad school being an increasing reality for many. Gone are the days when simply having a college degree, any degree, is enough to land you a typical day job doing something or other. You have to join the club of millions of other kids exactly like you. So, if you aren't better than them, then you don't get a job. No trophy for trying.
This could easily be a result of the constant "you can do anything if you set your mind to it" or "follow your dreams" mantra that we Millennials have been told our entire lives. We grew up thinking that we were the best, that we could accomplish great things, that we shouldn't settle for a job that we hated. And now, years later, many of us want nothing more than to settle for a job we hate, so long as it pays the bills.
This is somewhat the opposite of what the Baby Boomers experienced. They grew up in a time of counter-culture, and didn't want to be tied down with boring day jobs working for "the man" in favor of a more hippie lifestyle. But, money talks, and many of the idealistic young Baby Boomers eventually "sold out" and got those boring day jobs. The song "Boys of Summer" by Don Henley perfectly captures this theme. So, they were the generation that didn't want the day job and ended up getting it, we are the generation that wanted to make a billion dollar internet startup, and now long for the day job.
Not So Fast, Millennials
So, I've given a few rationalizations for the nature of Millennials, now for the "tough love" part. I think it's important to figure out why Millennials act the way they do and why they are currently in the predicament that they are. You can't implement a solution until you fully understand a problem. What you don't want to do, however, is use the reasoning as an excuse.
It's often said that "losers get in the habit of making excuses." Millennials are no exception. Right now, we are losing in the game of life, but let's not let the extenuating circumstances of our predicament lead us to rationalize. If a referee in the game makes a bad call, can you blame your entire loss on him? Many people would say "maybe," but I say no. That was just one call in the whole game. It may have been an important call, but if that was all it took for you to lose, then you were exactly doing great in that game, now were you? Great people overcome adversity and win anyway, and that is what we have to do now.
Think of our grandparents' generation, the "Greatest Generation." They had to deal with the worst depression in American history, and then the worst war in world history, and they came out of it and produced one of the most prosperous times in America. They had all kinds of excuses to make, but they didn't let that stop them. You can either let the adversity defeat you, or you can let it make you stronger. Bad economies happen. Bad luck happens. If you try hard enough, then you can not only survive the storm, but you can be better afterwards.
The job market may be tough, the competition may be fierce, but you can't let that stop you.
Tips to Improve
As a Millennial, I feel I can give other Millennials advice for self improvement without seeming too preachy (a Baby Boomer might come across this way). What authority do I have? Well, I'm not exactly the poster child of an ideal man, but I, unlike many Millennials, do have a job that pays pretty well and has great opportunities for future growth. I also don't mind doing it, which is nice. Even better, my job is directly related to what I studied in college.
1. Stop Treating College Like a Big Party
Sure, you've seen it on TV, in movies, and you've heard crazy stories from your older siblings or cousins or even parents. College is supposed to be the best 4 (or 5 or 6) years of your life, right? Well, I sincerely hope not. Ever notice that the people who use that phrase probably use it because, yes, they did have a lot of fun in college, but also because the rest of their life has been a long downhill after those few great years. If college was the best 4 years of your life, then I feel sorry for you, because you just peaked in your early 20s and have the better part of 5-6 decades of mediocre living in front of you.
Maybe I sound a bit jaded because I did not have much fun in college. Frankly, I worked my ass off. I spent my time either going to class, doing homework, studying, or relaxing. Sure, I had some fun, but it was certainly not a big party. I have much more fun now, though. You see, since I worked my ass off in college and got good grades, I was able to get a good job that pays me well enough to do lots of fun things when I'm not working. To me, that is better for the long run.
So, if you are in college or soon to be, then start treating it like the big deal that it is. Sure, it has gotten marginalized by the sheer availability of college educations, but it is also more expensive than ever, so get your money's worth and don't waste it partying all the time! Small sacrifices now will lead to big returns later.
2. Don't Think That You Know Everything
Millennials always think that they know it all. To some degree, we are the most educated generation. We grew up playing with computers and are thus more comfortable at using the internet and its vast array of resources for knowledge gain. The fact of the matter is, we are still young and naive. All young people think they know everything because they haven't lived long enough to be proven wrong. It happens time and time again.
This is especially true for Millennials who are starting their careers. You will more than likely be working with a lot of Baby Boomers. Try not to have too much of a chip on your shoulder. Instead, try to learn from them. They've been around longer than you, and they've probably made mistakes that you can learn from. So ask them questions, go into work as a blank slate ready to be populated with knowledge.
3. Follow Your Passion, but Know When to Make Changes
When I was young, my dad told me something that I'll never forget. He used to have a job as the personal pilot for a guy who designed golf courses. This was the more or less "dream job" for him, as his two favorite things in the world were flying and golf. Several years after he left the job, he told me, "son, I used to have a job that I thought was the perfect job for me, and I ended up hating it, so any job you get, you'll probably end up hating too." As an idealistic young Millennial who was always told to follow their dreams, this bit of wisdom was a tough pill to swallow.
It ended up being some great advice though. Years later when I was looking at colleges and ultimately trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, I made the decision based on what I was good at, not what I loved. I didn't want to do what I loved for a living because I always wanted to love it, and didn't want it to get dragged down in the daily grind. What if you really love the thing that you are also really good at? Not so fast. First, make sure that there is a viable job market in that area. If there is, then go for it, if not, try to assess alternatives. I love juggling, but it is not a great career choice. Even the world's best jugglers don't rack in piles of cash, so the chances of me making any money in the field are slim.
4. There is Great Hope for Millennials, We Just Have to Be Patient
In grad school, I once had a chat with a professor of mine about jobs. He told me about a friend of his who started at a company right out of college and found that he was pretty much the only young person there. He treated this of a grand opportunity, as he knew that those older people were going to retire soon and the upper management would look to people like him to fill the gaps. This guy apparently ended up achieving a pretty high position at that company, all because he was patient.
This was great for me to hear as a grad student looking for jobs. In the past, I wouldn't have wanted a job where I was the only young person with a bunch of old farts who did nothing but talk about their kids and their various home improvement projects. I wanted to be with young hip people who I could go out with after work and have a good ole time! Sure enough, I now work at a company where I am pretty much the only young person and many of the people I work with could easily be my parents. I still think of what my professor told me, and it makes me feel much better. Hell, I even prefer working with older people because they don't have the shallowness and vanity that people of our generation seem to have. Plus, I like classic rock, so I can talk to them about it.
You see, once the Baby Boomers retire, it will create a massive amount of openings at some high ranking positions. Who will have to fill those openings? At first, probably Gen-Xers or the "silent generation" that are too old for Millennials but too young for Gen-X, but one day Millennials will have their shot! Hey, if you get good enough at your job now, then you may be able to leap-frog some of the older people down the road! In the meantime, try to learn as much as you can from older people, so they feel better about retiring and leaving the company in your hands.
I hope you've learned something from this, however old you are. Yes, there are problems facing Millennials, but with some dedicated effort they can be overcome. It will be a team effort though, as older generations will have to be patient with young Millennials and try to understand them. Millennials will have to do some work to overcome their upbringing of "everyone gets an A for effort," but I think it will happen.
So keep on fighting the good fight, Millennials. The future is what you make it, so make it a good one.
Photo (c) 2007 TheeErin and shared under Creative Commons Attribution NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License
