The
age of the Millennial is slowly taking over, and yet we are still struggling to
find where we fit in this suffocating jungle. Truth is the world is still
predominantly run by Generation X and the antiquated traditions of the Baby
Boomers. Most people think that the problems Millennials face are exaggerated,
overstated, or simply non-existent. Many of these people are called something
like Carol, and they are most commonly seen asking to see a twenty-something’s
manager because they won’t accept her expired voucher. We all know a Carol.
My ex-boss once told me that the struggle of young people was a mere product of entitlement. I sat there biting my tongue as he expounded his belief that the reason Millennials are struggling with depression is because they were spoilt as children – told that they could achieve anything. He concluded by diminishing the crisis among young people to a ‘strop’ they’re throwing because there isn’t anyone giving them a gold star for doing the bare minimum.
“A product of entitlement.”
But we aren’t the ones who benefited from the economic boom, the cheap houses, or lived in a time where a degree was actually worth something and landed you a well-paid job. Nowadays, recent graduates are expected to work entry level positions that barely cover the cost of living. Why? Because going to university is no longer seen as an achievement – it’s seen as an excuse, a deviation, and a symptom of laziness. This is coming from the generation who stepped out of high school at aged 14 straight into a great job and retired at 55 before the economy crumbled.
We are constantly criticised for spending too much time on the electronic devices we are deemed unsuitable to manage in a business environment; and your Gen X boss may look down on you for spending 3+ years in gruelling education and being electronically proficient, but why does Keith then come running to you when he can’t get the printer to work? *Sigh*
We are constantly caught in a paradoxical cycle we can never win. “Go to university! You don’t want a job at McDonalds!” Say Ian and Bev, who own several property investments and like to spend their time getting pink in Spain somewhere. Later that day: “Millennials are so lazy! You won’t even take a job at McDonalds!”
The struggle of young people is very real, and very detrimental. Our generation has had to face challenges unlike any generation before us. I’m not here to whine about how hard it is, but rather to give some clarity to those who trivialise ‘Millennial Problems’ as a symptom of entitlement.
Did you know that Millennials are the largest generation the world has ever seen?
Not only that, but we’re also the most educated generation in history. Sounds good, right? Go us? Let me burst that bubble by showing how a surplus number of educated workers survive in a world with no demand for them: with mental health problems and a big fat overdraft.
From 2007 to 2013, the number of jobs held by Gen X and Baby Boomers grew by 9% - that’s roughly 1.9 million jobs. For Millennials, on the other hand, job growth was virtually non-existent at 0.3%. It’s no surprise, then, that suicide rates and depression among young people have increased by more than half a million since 2004.
With the cost of living increasing and rate of employment plummeting, it is becoming an unbearable reality for many Millennials; and this widespread depression can’t be contributed to sheer ‘laziness,’ but is rather conditioned by a system that is failing its young people.
Did you know that Millennials have higher levels of student debt, poverty, and unemployment, and lower levels of wealth and personal income than any other generation at the same stage of life?
It’s true. After tuition fees were tripled, and are about to increase even more, students will soon be expected to pay £9,250 per year at university. That’s £27,750 for a standard 3 year course. To put this into perspective, the average cost of a house in the 1960s was £2,530. That’s almost half the amount university students have to pay to rent a flat for a year.
Is this stone cold fact also a result of Millennials being lazy, or spending too much time on their phones? Or is it a result of previous generations starting 3 wars and running the economy into the ground? Every generation uses the generation before them as a step ladder to reach success from. For us, it feels like we’re trying to jump from nothing as the step ladder beneath us burns to ashes.
It’s a dog-eat-dog world out here, and just because we were given certificates for effort rather than success when we were in high school doesn’t mean that all Millennials are products of entitlement. We – boomers, Gen X, Y and Z – must stop minimising the struggle, crush the stigma, and start helping each other to rebuild that step ladder.
My ex-boss once told me that the struggle of young people was a mere product of entitlement. I sat there biting my tongue as he expounded his belief that the reason Millennials are struggling with depression is because they were spoilt as children – told that they could achieve anything. He concluded by diminishing the crisis among young people to a ‘strop’ they’re throwing because there isn’t anyone giving them a gold star for doing the bare minimum.
“A product of entitlement.”
But we aren’t the ones who benefited from the economic boom, the cheap houses, or lived in a time where a degree was actually worth something and landed you a well-paid job. Nowadays, recent graduates are expected to work entry level positions that barely cover the cost of living. Why? Because going to university is no longer seen as an achievement – it’s seen as an excuse, a deviation, and a symptom of laziness. This is coming from the generation who stepped out of high school at aged 14 straight into a great job and retired at 55 before the economy crumbled.
We are constantly criticised for spending too much time on the electronic devices we are deemed unsuitable to manage in a business environment; and your Gen X boss may look down on you for spending 3+ years in gruelling education and being electronically proficient, but why does Keith then come running to you when he can’t get the printer to work? *Sigh*
We are constantly caught in a paradoxical cycle we can never win. “Go to university! You don’t want a job at McDonalds!” Say Ian and Bev, who own several property investments and like to spend their time getting pink in Spain somewhere. Later that day: “Millennials are so lazy! You won’t even take a job at McDonalds!”
The struggle of young people is very real, and very detrimental. Our generation has had to face challenges unlike any generation before us. I’m not here to whine about how hard it is, but rather to give some clarity to those who trivialise ‘Millennial Problems’ as a symptom of entitlement.
Did you know that Millennials are the largest generation the world has ever seen?
Not only that, but we’re also the most educated generation in history. Sounds good, right? Go us? Let me burst that bubble by showing how a surplus number of educated workers survive in a world with no demand for them: with mental health problems and a big fat overdraft.
From 2007 to 2013, the number of jobs held by Gen X and Baby Boomers grew by 9% - that’s roughly 1.9 million jobs. For Millennials, on the other hand, job growth was virtually non-existent at 0.3%. It’s no surprise, then, that suicide rates and depression among young people have increased by more than half a million since 2004.
With the cost of living increasing and rate of employment plummeting, it is becoming an unbearable reality for many Millennials; and this widespread depression can’t be contributed to sheer ‘laziness,’ but is rather conditioned by a system that is failing its young people.
Did you know that Millennials have higher levels of student debt, poverty, and unemployment, and lower levels of wealth and personal income than any other generation at the same stage of life?
It’s true. After tuition fees were tripled, and are about to increase even more, students will soon be expected to pay £9,250 per year at university. That’s £27,750 for a standard 3 year course. To put this into perspective, the average cost of a house in the 1960s was £2,530. That’s almost half the amount university students have to pay to rent a flat for a year.
Is this stone cold fact also a result of Millennials being lazy, or spending too much time on their phones? Or is it a result of previous generations starting 3 wars and running the economy into the ground? Every generation uses the generation before them as a step ladder to reach success from. For us, it feels like we’re trying to jump from nothing as the step ladder beneath us burns to ashes.
It’s a dog-eat-dog world out here, and just because we were given certificates for effort rather than success when we were in high school doesn’t mean that all Millennials are products of entitlement. We – boomers, Gen X, Y and Z – must stop minimising the struggle, crush the stigma, and start helping each other to rebuild that step ladder.
It is thus important for employers to adopt a more holistic approach towards managing their workforce. Instead of judging an employee’s abilities based on their tenure or age, employers should be focussing more on skills and competencies such as learning potential and leadership qualities. Having robust learning and development programmes can also help build a highly-skilled workforce, which in turn will increase an employer’s attractiveness in the market. Read more: attracting and retaining millennial employees in 2020.
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