It's a new year, a new decade, and a new state (for me). I'm in Chicago, pursuing a master's degree in Journalism, after a six year hiatus from school. I am seriously the oldest person in my class. (I'm assuming this as I'm too afraid to find out.)
So why did I go back to school? Because for the past few years, I was floating from job to job, dabbling in things that I thought were fun, then quickly moving on to something else when I realized that it wasn't 100% love. Sound crazy? Actually, it turns out there is a name for this behavior, and a generation of people (just like me) who epitomize it-- we are the "Millenials."
I heard this phrase on a recent episode of 60 Minutes, which described the 80 million young adults born between 1980-1995, who are entering the workplace for the first time. We are the ones who were raised by "doting parents who told [us we] were special, played little league with no losers or winners, and were laden with trophies just for participating," says 60 Minutes host, Morley Safer. In other words, we were showered with praise and affection for doing basically nothing.
According to experts, this new generation may be the most technologically advanced: able to make a twitter update, write a Facebook wall post, upload a torrent, download an mp3 and edit a Youtube clip on Final Cut Pro all at the same time, yet we are also the most entitled. We are apparently narcissists who "only take yes for an answer" and consider "me" our top priorities.
This philosophy doesn't mesh well with the traditional workplace, where we grew up watching our parents break their backs working overtime and on weekends, just so they could afford a middle class lifestyle. How many times have we heard our parents say, "I'm working hard so you don't have to?" Did their loving sacrifice inadvertently spoil us and prevent us from appreciating hard work?
In the segment, Wall Street Journal writer Jeffrey Zaslow also blames Mr. Rogers for telling kids that they were special, "but for doing what?" I remember watching Mr. Rogers and being enthralled by his vast cardigan collection. It's true; he did make me feel one of a kind. And if we are as special as he said, then why should we have to work so hard for anything, right?
Thinking of myself as special has lead me to ten different jobs over two years, because I have been and still am searching for that dream job—the one that pays me what I want and lets me do what I want—the one that makes me feel really special.
But there is bad news. Safer tells us that "you can be anything you want" is a fantasy. There is no perfect job. There is no perfect anything. In fact, you are not really all that special. Sorry.
But we Millenials refuse to accept that reality, which is why corporations like Disney and Merrill Lynch have taken to hiring consultants to entice the new generation of workers to stay motivated and happy at work. 60 Minutes showed clips of life at Zappos, where smiling employees enjoy office costume parades and frequent happy hours for a job well done. In other words, the Millenials, who were once coddled in childhood, must now be coddled again in adulthood with rewards, perks, and free food (because a regular paycheck no longer cuts it) to perform well. Otherwise we walk.
The repercussions of this mindset vary. In business, the baby boomers (our bosses) must learn to treat their youthful workers with cajolery and gentle guidance. They become therapists instead of authorities. Young workers, on the other hand, continue prolonging their adolescence, wearing flip flops to work and taking naps in the nap room during breaks.
According to Monster.com, 60% of college graduates move back home. People of all ethnicities are also waiting longer to get married. USA Today reports that the median age of marriage for both women and men are the highest ever, 26 and 28, respectively. For the Millenials, "friends and fun" are top priorities; adult responsibilities can wait.
I'm scratching my head now, wondering what exactly is going to happen. Here I am just starting a new school, thinking that I'm going to discover the meaning of my life, a vital step to finding that dream job, only to be greeted by this rude awakening. I have to wonder, did I just make a very special $60,000 mistake?
CBS 60 Minutes Clip
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