I see this everyday where I work. almost 99% of the people who fall into this generation are just as described.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPI...ials.jobs/index.html

San Diego (CNN) -- I hate to say it, but Americans might just need to "reboot" the millennial generation. This is the cohort of 50 million people now between 18 and 30, the children of baby boomers or older members of generation X. And as researchers and other experts have trained their attention on them, a profile has emerged: Speaking broadly, millennials are tech-savvy, highly educated and have incredibly high self-esteem even if they haven't done much to deserve it. (To be sure, not every millennial is college educated and exhibits all these traits; we're speaking broadly.)

In a way, those millennials who fit the profile have set themselves up to be casualties of the job downturn. In a competitive global economy, which is not interested in catering to anyone's sense of self-worth, these young people may learn the hard way that their needs and expectations don't match reality and that jobs are hard to come by.

My favorite expert on millennials has the advantage of being one herself. Born in 1971, Jean Twenge is a psychology professor at San Diego State University. She has spent more than a dozen years examining differences among generations. Her research includes comparing studies on the self-esteem of more than 60,000 college students across the country from 1968 to 1994. In 2006, she wrote a book, "Generation Me," based on her study of thousands of people in this age group, including hundreds of her own students.

As Twenge points out, millennials didn't get this way by accident. They were raised in a world where grownups did everything possible to shield them from adversity and disappointment. Everyone got a trophy just for showing up; even red marker pens were banned from some schools because the color was considered too harsh and judgmental.

The catch: Having been told their whole lives that they were "special" and destined for greatness, she says, millennials are unequipped for setbacks. They feel entitled to the best of everything. And they want it now, since they were raised in a fast-food, drive-thru, high-speed Internet culture that believes waiting is for suckers.


Polls show their politics are fluid and unpredictable. They worry about the national debt, and they think government should cut spending rather than stick them with the bill. But they also care about the environment and human rights, and they are generally more accepting of gay marriage and multiculturalism than older Americans. They often don't vote, and when they do, if they back the wrong candidate, they are easily disillusioned and unforgiving.

They can be hard to reach. They are free with their opinions, and don't take orders, criticism or direction well. When a college professor gives them a "C" on a paper, they might just shrug it off and say: "Well, that's your opinion."

Meanwhile, they tend to worship fame more than fortune, and put family and friends before work and career. They don't have much employment experience, in fact, but they do a lot of volunteer work.

Perhaps because they don't get much practice working for bosses, millennials can often be no picnic to manage on the job. Their unemployment rate is about 14%, compared with the national rate of 9.2%. Another 23% of young people are not even looking for a job, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.


Many millennials have been known to hold out for the perfect job at the perfect company with the perfect salary and a clear path to the vice presidency, even if it means crashing with mom and dad well into their 20s. The Pew Research Center found that in 2008, when the recession began, the percentage of the population that lived in households where at least two generations were present inched upward to 16%. In better economic times, that figure might be as low as 12%.

Millennials are in no rush to start the rat race, because they work to live and not the other way around. They saw their parents get laid off or trudge to jobs they hated. They're determined to be different.

Oh, and when they do land their dream job, they have some pretty tough requirements in terms of what they want from the experience, such as career advancement. With millennials, you didn't do them any favors by offering them a job; they think they did you a favor by taking it.

Some of these findings made their way into a series of recent articles on CNN.com, which reported, in part, that millennials want their jobs to be fun and flexible, and that many companies are obliging in order to attract younger workers.

This is exactly the wrong response. The last thing that millennials need is more accommodation, more people bending rules to make them happy. That's how they were raised, with everyone catering to their every whim, starting with their parents.

Most of what I know about millennials, I learned from my readers. Whenever I write about this topic, I'm flooded with stories that back up the research. There was the chef who reported that young workers in his kitchen give him strange looks when he asks them "to do something like wash both the inside and outside of a pot or pan or to merely complete a job the best they can." They're more apt to say: "That's not my job!"

Or the contractor, a former Marine Corps fighter pilot, who said he had tried "sometimes desperately, to hire only native-born young men," and to pay them well -- $12 an hour for workers with limited or no skills and as much as $35 an hour for those with more skills. However, he said, native-born workers tended to demand top wages even when they lacked skills, complained about the pace of jobs and missed work.

The problem isn't that we've been too hard on millennials all these years, but rather too easy. Even with high unemployment, there are still employers who need workers. And many of the more physically demanding jobs -- construction, landscaping, farm work -- tend to need younger workers. The trouble is that millennials, with other interests and priorities, are just not that interested. So it shouldn't be surprising if, in the years to come, many employers aren't interested in them.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ruben Navarrette.

As I am 33 years of age I narrowly avoided this, also my parents taught me to suck it up and get things done. The Millenials I work with are lucky to do anything in a work day. Bottom line is I am also tech savy, highly educated, and have a high self esteem. The big diffrence is I belive in working to get what I want and not ripping off my employer.

[This message has been edited by Curlrup (edited 08-05-2011).]

Yeah, that's a pretty broad generalization. I suppose that I and the vast majority of people I associate with fall into that 1% you're talking about.

Edit:

Come to think of it, when it comes to the workplace, I've have the opposite experience. The two older guys (50+) in my office (I'm in the auto industry) don't carry their weight. They seem to have the attitude that they've been in the workforce longer and have already paid their dues, so they're just going to do the bare minimum until they can retire. It's the 20's-30's here that carry the majority of the workload. I sometimes think it's because us younger guys are naive enough to think that hard work alone will get us somewhere.)

Again, though, that's just my experience. Your mileage may vary.

[This message has been edited by 8-P (edited 08-05-2011).]

Yeah it is pretty broad. I agree. I think that I am bitter because I work my arse off and they watch Youtube videos all day, then whine when all of the cool projects go to me to work on. Gee I wonder why? My workplace has it's share of people who don't pull their weight of all ages. I think all work places do. The majority though fall into this generation. Like I said I'm bitter. I admitt it. I see a lot of the I'm doing you a favor by being here because I am so darn awesome attitude, with no skills or experience to back it up. I thin kmaybe I am getting crotchety in my old age.

[This message has been edited by Curlrup (edited 08-05-2011).]

Good Lord-I hope none of those here at PFF that fit that slot read this. They'll be up in arms and even leave because someone had the unmitigated gall to state the obvious.

It's one thing for an educator to try to instill some confidence in a student, but when they start blowin smoke up their young asses and the student buys it hook line and sinker, IMO, the teacher has done them a dis-service. I could post some links to PFF threads to exemplify all that was said in the above article, but really, no one needed a study to see what has happened.

quote Originally posted by Curlrup: Yeah it is pretty broad. I agree. I think that I am bitter because I work my arse off and they watch Youtube videos all day, then whine when all of the cool projects go to me to work on. Gee I wonder why? My workplace has it's share of people who don't pull their weight of all ages. I think all work places do. The majority though fall into this generation. Like I said I'm bitter. I admitt it. I see a lot of the I'm doing you a favor by being here because I am so darn awesome attitude, with no skills or experience to back it up. I thin kmaybe I am getting crotchety in my old age.

We must work at the same place! Its uncanny how well you're described it.

I've spent way too many late afternoons at work trying to get 10 things finished, while "so-and-so" has taken Friday off to go see some concert three states away, or has stayed home on Monday because they were just "recovering" from a busy weekend.

I am always amused by this.
we go and make the world "easy", and then complain when "the kids" have it easy.......

but, I do see alot of what is described above. one of the ugly parts is the mid 20 suicides. when "the world" actually DOES smack them in the face. and, there is also the other side of it: the "give no shits". ever since diapers destined to be losers. this used to be mostly just a "black thing", but there is a HUGE flock "youngins" who have absolutely no direction/goals. they are resigned to exist "as-is", and f%$# you if you dont like it. basicly much like the above described folk - except add some violence/aggression

quote Originally posted by css9450: We must work at the same place! Its uncanny how well you're described it. I've spent way too many late afternoons at work trying to get 10 things finished, while "so-and-so" has taken Friday off to go see some concert three states away, or has stayed home on Monday because they were just "recovering" from a busy weekend.

When I hear this I usually wonder who granted the paid time off? Was it requested time off? Maybe some policies need to be adjusted. A job either is a "you stay til the work is done and get overtime" (unless salary) or "you can request time off". Some lpaces the boss will book too much work for his crew and then blame the crew.
But either way you come out looking good since you stay late, you most likley get the raise/promotion I'd guess.

quote Originally posted by 2.5: When I hear this I usually wonder who granted the paid time off? Was it requested time off? Maybe some policies need to be adjusted.

At our place, its usually a voice mail left at 6:30 AM, with a groggy "hey man I won't be in today...." There's definately some policy abuse going on.

quote Originally posted by Curlrup: This is the cohort of 50 million people now between 18 and 30, the children of baby boomers or older members of generation X.

+

quote Originally posted by Curlrup: My favorite expert on millennials has the advantage of being one herself. Born in 1971, Jean Twenge is a psychology professor at San Diego State University.

Unless I am bad at math, that makes her 41...

I agree though, so many of my school mates are utter failures at life. I do have high self-esteem and confidence. I am 27 and fall right into the age range. I am tech savvy, but I have had to work. I would say my job positions in the past and even my current show that I am a valuable asset. I have a friend who has never made more than $10/hr. His parents had more money than mine and even paid for college for him. He always pisses and moans about how I catch all the breaks and he gets crapped on. Truth be told I fired him as an employee when we were about 20 years old. He sucks! We are friends, but business is business. Regarding fame? Keep it. Given the option of the 2 I want to count money rolls until my thumbs get paper cuts. Having said that, I want to enjoy life so I don't go into work-a-holic mode. I make enough and live within my means. Best of both worlds.

quote Originally posted by 8-P: I sometimes think it's because us younger guys are naive enough to think that hard work alone will get us somewhere.)

I guess this accidentally worked for me?

quote Originally posted by maryjane: Good Lord-I hope none of those here at PFF that fit that slot read this. They'll be up in arms and even leave because someone had the unmitigated gall to state the obvious. It's one thing for an educator to try to instill some confidence in a student, but when they start blowin smoke up their young asses and the student buys it hook line and sinker, IMO, the teacher has done them a dis-service. I could post some links to PFF threads to exemplify all that was said in the above article, but really, no one needed a study to see what has happened.

I am pretty sure we have a couple of them. I am sure they wouldn't agree and would say life has given them a raw deal.

------------------
Before I sputter out.

[This message has been edited by ls3mach (edited 08-05-2011).]

quote Originally posted by ls3mach: I guess this accidentally worked for me?

Yeah I saw that math or grammar error as well. Also no accident hard work will get you everywhere. However, it also makes you susceptible to having people ride your coat tails or momentum.

I am seeing a lot of this super high expectation attitude going on.

I have also seen the 'old guy' that was in coast mode that knew very little about the current products that we worked on and just stayed doing the work that he wanted to do. I did not mind, he did work and someone needed to do that work.

I can't say whether my generation is worse because I wasn't around when your generation was still young, but I can say that I work my ass off and make my own way, and I know plenty of people my age who do the same. I also know plenty of people in the older generation that are perfectly happy to do nothing and let us carry their weight. Pricks with a bloated sense of entitlement don't care how old you are or they are, they are pricks either way.

quote Originally posted by Curlrup: Speaking broadly, millennials are tech-savvy, highly educated and have incredibly high self-esteem even if they haven't done much to deserve it. ... their needs and expectations don't match reality ... They can be hard to reach. They are free with their opinions, and don't take orders, criticism or direction well. When a college professor gives them a "C" on a paper, they might just shrug it off and say: "Well, that's your opinion." ... Meanwhile, they tend to worship fame more than fortune, and put family and friends before work and career. They don't have much employment experience, in fact, but they do a lot of volunteer work. ... With millennials, you didn't do them any favors by offering them a job; they think they did you a favor by taking it.

No wonder Obama got elected. That sounds exactly like him. They must look at him as their destined leader - a kindred spirit.

^^^^^^^^Dude this was marked not political^^^^^^^^^^ Lets keep it that way please. Danke.

quote Originally posted by Curlrup: If by High Expectation attitude you mean getting to work on time, leaving when your employer has determined the end of the day is, and doing the job you were hired to do instead of showing up late with a lame excuse, leaving early, doing 1 hours worth of work and dinking around all day. Then yes I guess my expectations are high.

Why aren't these losers fired?

quote Originally posted by Curlrup: ^^^^^^^^Dude this was marked not political^^^^^^^^^^ Lets keep it that way please. Danke.

Really? I don't have any filters selected right now. Can you show me where your post says it's not political?
Fair enough, though. It's your thread. I will respect your wishes. Just keep in mind that the forum doesn't list what type of topic you selected - it only uses that for filtering out what you uncheck.

The thing about Millennials not being prepared for reality is, reality WILL educate them. It might be a much harsher education than they might have otherwise gotten had they learned to live with setbacks and failure, learn from them and overcome, but they'll eventually figure it out the hard way. Or a lucky few will find a niche that lets them be uncompromising in their desire for everything now and feed their self esteem. I don't think the majority will be that lucky.

I'm not a parent, so I'm sure some will say I have no right to an opinion, but I've always felt that a parent's job is NOT to protect your child FROM the world - it's to PREPARE them to survive IN it.

quote Originally posted by Formula88: Really? I don't have any filters selected right now. Can you show me where your post says it's not political? Fair enough, though. It's your thread. I will respect your wishes. Just keep in mind that the forum doesn't list what type of topic you selected - it only uses that for filtering out what you uncheck. The thing about Millennials not being prepared for reality is, reality WILL educate them. It might be a much harsher education than they might have otherwise gotten had they learned to live with setbacks and failure, learn from them and overcome, but they'll eventually figure it out the hard way. Or a lucky few will find a niche that lets them be uncompromising in their desire for everything now and feed their self esteem. I don't think the majority will be that lucky. I'm not a parent, so I'm sure some will say I have no right to an opinion, but I've always felt that a parent's job is NOT to protect your child FROM the world - it's to PREPARE them to survive IN it.

You are right there is no way to tell. Didn't mean to be well...mean. Thanks for understanding though.
Also you are correct the parent's job is not to protect your child from the world it is to prepare them to survive in it. the few co-workers I have that fall into this generation that do not act like this have had parents that did not coddle them when they were growing up. I know this because I know their parents. Like you am also not a parent but I do beleive in honesty and if my kid came home with a C on a paper I would tell them it was not good enough. C is average, and average doesn't cut it anymore.

There is only one job opening for every four job seekers right now in this country. Only 58.1% of American adults are employed.

Seems to me that with that ratio of seekers to openings, no matter how hard folks look for a job three quarters of them aren't gonna get one, regardless of what "generation" they might be.

I'm a gen-xer... I do not feel superior to any other generations (indeed there are some younger folks out there that are working hard and doing amazing things..) .. after all, Kurt Cobain was supposedly "our voice", and then he blew his head off. It really is indicative of what to expect from us. We're grouchy, cynical and non-conforming. We don't care about Pokemon, and mostly we don't care about twitter. For the most part, we don't care about much. But what we DO care about is making sure we take care of our business. We dot our I's and cross our T's for ourselves, because nobody else will. We knew getting out of school we would not be inhereting the jobs the boomers are STILL holding on to like gold. We have to make our own way, no one gave us **** .

But I tell you, I dont whine because I dont get a "work-life balance" what kind of crap is that? Millenia's PARENTS are who are to blame, many making sure their children feel "Special, and unique" and get allowances, and "sure honey, have my old car, I just got a new caddy. .. and never work a day in their life until after college was wrapped up with a bow and handed to them.

I paid for my college, I have been working for 21 years. When the boss says "do it", you do it. You dont whine about how hard it is. Thats what a job is, doing something someone else wants done, for pay. Is it invconvenient? Absolutely. And necessary if you weren't born with a silver spoon in your mouth.

Now, I have met many Millenials that do not fall into this category... mostly because their parents ARENT baby boomers or well-to-do. . And as a result, they fight harder to earn their place in life, not just expecting a good job and praise to be handed to them for nothing. My Dad was a working man, I am a working man.. and if I ever have children (and I wont) they would learn a work ethic at an early age and would never get the idea that all money came from ATMs.

I blame the boomers for coddling their children and not making them go out and get jobs early in their teen years because of their 100k salaries could keep them under mom's apron until 26 years of age.

Rant off.. prove me wrong, millenials. Thats all any of us want, work hard and dont expect anything except what you earn.

[This message has been edited by tbone42 (edited 08-05-2011).]

It started with Dr. Spock...

quote Originally posted by tbone42: I'm a gen-xer... I do not feel superior to any other generations (indeed there are some younger folks out there that are working hard and doing amazing things..) .. after all, Kurt Cobain was supposedly "our voice", and then he blew his head off. It really is indicative of what to expect from us. We're grouchy, cynical and non-conforming. We don't care about Pokemon, and mostly we don't care about twitter. For the most part, we don't care about much. But what we DO care about is making sure we take care of our business. We dot our I's and cross our T's for ourselves, because nobody else will. We knew getting out of school we would not be inhereting the jobs the boomers are STILL holding on to like gold. We have to make our own way, no one gave us **** . But I tell you, I dont whine because I dont get a "work-life balance" what kind of crap is that? Millenia's PARENTS are who are to blame, many making sure their children feel "Special, and unique" and get allowances, and "sure honey, have my old car, I just got a new caddy. .. and never work a day in their life until after college was wrapped up with a bow and handed to them. I paid for my college, I have been working for 21 years. When the boss says "do it", you do it. You dont whine about how hard it is. Thats what a job is, doing something someone else wants done, for pay. Is it invconvenient? Absolutely. And necessary if you weren't born with a silver spoon in your mouth. Now, I have met many Millenials that do not fall into this category... mostly because their parents ARENT baby boomers or well-to-do. . And as a result, they fight harder to earn their place in life, not just expecting a good job and praise to be handed to them for nothing. My Dad was a working man, I am a working man.. and if I ever have children (and I wont) they would learn a work ethic at an early age and would never get the idea that all money came from ATMs. I blame the boomers for coddling their children and not making them go out and get jobs early in their teen years because of their 100k salaries could keep them under mom's apron until 26 years of age. Rant off.. prove me wrong, millenials. Thats all any of us want, work hard and dont expect anything except what you earn.

The lengthy reply I had went "poof" for some reason, but your post once again shows that the present generation is EXACTLY like all those before them. Everyone, blames their parents and that previous generation for the ills in their own young lives, and this has been true since the dawn of mankind. Something i HAVE noticed tho, is a prevailing bel;ief in the 18-25 yr group, that every single thing that happens in their life----getting a job-trouble with the law--cars--girls--doing a job--neighbors--room mates--losing a job--(you get the picture) is ALWAYS someone else's fault, tho even the most casual reader can quickly see it's their own fault, often in spite of being given sage advice by those who have already BTDT. But, perhaps that too is indicative of the fact that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Baby Boomers of course, span 1946-1964 and the youngest (born in 46) are just reaching retirement age this year (2011) so it's no mystery why they are "STILL holding on to their jobs like gold".

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 08-05-2011).]

quote Originally posted by Formula88: I'm not a parent, so I'm sure some will say I have no right to an opinion, but I've always felt that a parent's job is NOT to protect your child FROM the world - it's to PREPARE them to survive IN it.

Sounds to me like you have it figured out.

The odd thing missing in these couple of threads about "the lazy/disrespectful/bad/worthless youth of today" threads is OUR kids.
So ALL OF OUR kids are the exception to the rule?

Who's having all the bad ones, then?

P.S. I don't have kids so i'm clear.

[This message has been edited by Boondawg (edited 08-05-2011).]

quote Originally posted by Boondawg: The odd thing missing in these couple of threads about "the lazy/disrespectful/bad/worthless youth of today" threads is OUR kids. So ALL OF OUR kids are the exception to the rule? Who's having all the bad ones, then? P.S. I don't have kids so i'm clear.

I think the ones with the shitty kids aren't the ones reading these posts, or these articles.

quote Originally posted by JazzMan: There is only one job opening for every four job seekers right now in this country. Only 58.1% of American adults are employed. Seems to me that with that ratio of seekers to openings, no matter how hard folks look for a job three quarters of them aren't gonna get one, regardless of what "generation" they might be.

And what about those that have 2 or more jobs?

quote Originally posted by Gokart Mozart: And what about those that have 2 or more jobs?

Totally random here, but do you find that you end up getting screwed when you file your taxes?

I had a full-time job which made up the vast majority of my pay. Then I had an "on the side" contracting job that earned maybe another 10% of my salary. Then I had a third job, which was as an NFL photographer with a whole separate W2 (or W4?), like with my programming job, and this photograph job only netted about $2,400 in salary after taxes.

So in total, I had 3 jobs...

I claimed 0 exemptions on all of them, but I think that because the contracting and photography jobs didn't have any one specific paycheck over a certain amount, no money was actually taken out in taxes. I think that's why I ended up owing more. I say owing more, but I really mean getting less back. I'm not as responsible as I'd like to be so I still claim 0 exemptions on all my W4s (or W2s?) so that I get a nice chunk of change back at the end of the year.

Just curious if you found that to be a similar issue for you...