Fat fingered title, typo. Should read Millennials
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Kids these days!
A father wrote several angry letters to his daughter about his son (her brother):
My son had a stable job
He could make a steady income playing traditional music
He could make side income teaching students
He lived in nice lodging
He could “marry up” to a girl from a prosperous local family
Unfortunately my son:
Quit his job and moved to the big city
Lived in a flop house
Married the flop house landlord’s daughter without my blessing
Had financial troubles
Spent a lot of time playing with the latest tech toys
Didn’t take any of my advice
Partied a lot/drank heavily
Signed: Leopold Mozart
Pretty much spot-onI am a millennial and do not think like they do. I work for what I have and will become, don't look for handouts, and know I get what I put into it. I plan to repay my debts because it's no one else fault that I decided to make those decisions, all $140k.
With that said, a reason for "millennial" generation is the way they are is because our parents allowed it to happen. They didn't beat the hell of their children when they deserved to get their a** whipped like my parents did to myself. They allowed entitlement and rewards for participation without work or dedication. They blamed others instead of looking at themselves. Teachers were the problem, not their children (witnessed first hand with my brother, now my parents recognize it).
Are our parents entirely to blame? Absolutely not. We must take responsibility for our actions and decisions.
Millennial stupidity is multifactorial.
You don't need to "beat" anything to make it responsible. That are many, many, many other alternatives that are just as likely (or more) to be effective and also without the other crap that is generated from physical abuse. Sorry to read that you feel that way.
Blame the teachers too huh...yikes. Sure, some are bad (just like in any profession) but generalizing there is quite comical too. Sounds like you want to go live in the "old west"....
Appreciate your response. There is a big difference between a spank and #$$ whoopin IMO. I do understand your frustration tho with being blanket labeled. FWIW I can't stand most baby boomers but I do recognize it's not fair to paint with a broad brush...there are good and bad-just like with Millennials..
GBR
Actually, it didn't work very well and that is the point. While the music was some of the greatest ever, Mozart's life was a mess and he died at age 34. It doesn't matter (IMHO) whether someone is a genius or a Baby Boomer or a Millennial, etc. Some people make good choices and some don't.Yep...works pretty well for 1 in a million.
Nailed it. We have very little love & respect for the way the boomers have run things during their time in charge. Know why you guys respected the Greatests? They actually did a good job! The country flourished under their watch!Yeah i'm gen x and this is my feelings. if you get millenials in the right situation they blow baby boomer work ethic out of the water. i can't count the number of baby boomers that i've known that scream work ethic and do drugs on the side. when you force square peg in round hole then you get attitudes like the song above. the biggest issue with millenials is they're the first generation of kids that had their parents genuinely try and allow them to be themselves.
and i really do mean the first. most generations before them squashed that impulse -- usually with prejudice and extremely harshly.
when you take steps back and look at things from that lens, they're not so bad -- you just need to talk to and treat them like individuals and not cogs in your machine.
the catch is... a large amount of them don't have the talent to be anything but cogs in a machine and don't have the self-awareness to recognize it. they think they're special. well... then the song above is pretty accurate. however, they don't need to realize that when they're 20. even when they're 30... so what? life's too short to sit there and "be realistic" when realism is being bent over by your parents (and that's what's happened, don't kid yourself).
it's an interesting generation when all is said and done -- and the funny thing is that in 40 years they'll be saying the same things about their grandkids.
one other note: i touched on it a little, but anywho... i don't think the baby boomers have any room to talk when they've saddled these kids with obscene debt (and i'm not only talking national debt) and driven up costs of virtually everything through leverage and debt to the point that things are more difficult than when the boomers were kids by huge factors. when you make any comparison of costs (college, house, etc) it's all wildly blown out of proportion by the government. Then boomers come out and bitch that the kids are lazy when most of them are just disillusioned and cynical.
it's honestly a little hilarious being in the middle. the baby boomers call millennials entitled, and the millenials come back with "entitlements... guess who's the kings and queens of them". the truth somewhere in the middle? not really IMO... it's the parents' responsibility in the end.
Beav - I generally enjoy your posts and as I recall, usually agree with your points of view. I wager if we ever met we would have a nice time chatting. That is why it pains me so much to see that you have fallen for the whole "us against them" mindset that modern media loves to stoke because it divides our society and gives them more juicy stuff to write about.Nailed it. We have very little love & respect for the way the boomers have run things during their time in charge. Know why you guys respected the Greatests? They actually did a good job! The country flourished under their watch!
Actually just was at a conference where the lunchtime presentation was about Millennials. I've done some reading on them lately so that I can pass it along to the owners and managers I work with.
They're not that different if you can get over the need to be treated like you're hot shit as a boss. They don't like formality, they don't like antiquated workplace setups that are no longer justified for reasons other than "well we always did it that way" and they're aggressive. It's funny how people want to be treated like you should bend the knee in their presence and stroke their ego because they're a mid-to-upper manager and if you look at them funny, YOU'RE the entitled one.
We come along and point out that it's stupid to treat people below you like crap just because you got treated that way and you all are just beside yourselves.
A lot of the reason millennials don't respect the old ways is they watched their parents do the whole "pay your dues" thing and be loyal, and guess what? The company is not loyal to YOU any more. Their parents got laid off while they were in college, then they graduated and there were no jobs. You're damn right they live with their parents, the family needs 3-4 incomes to keep the house after mom & dad got downsized and had to settle for being underemployed just to keep SOME money coming in!
Pick a lane FFS. The same people who will tell somebody they're poor because they don't save their money and they're living beyond their means want to crack the "parents' basement" jokes. You want them to go get an apartment they can't afford and get evicted? Would that suit you better?
You think that kid is gonna roll in and kiss the bosses' asses in hope of getting that gold watch in 40 years? Forget it. We know better than to believe it works like that any more. We don't want anything different from what anyone else wants, we just have the stones to walk in and ask for it instead of spending decades slowly dying inside.
I haven't found it to be a generational trait to be on time and have good communication skills. You're describing well-documented patterns of verbal and non-verbal communication that really aren't generation-specific.Beav - I generally enjoy your posts and as I recall, usually agree with your points of view. I wager if we ever met we would have a nice time chatting. That is why it pains me so much to see that you have fallen for the whole "us against them" mindset that modern media loves to stoke because it divides our society and gives them more juicy stuff to write about.
I am a 35-year career, very senior person in a position of authority who is a "late Boomer." I spend between one and two hours every day mentoring "Millennials." I don't treat them like crap because I was coming up (I wasn't) or because I am full of myself. I am pretty nice mostly. I truly want to see my young employees grow up in the business world and succeed. That is why I expect them to be on time. I expect them to dress appropriately for the situation be it formal or casual. I expect them to push back when they are passionate about a point of view, but mostly do what I suggest without pushing back just to push back. I expect them to have eye-contact, sit up straight, pay attention, and not mumble when they talk. I expect them to learn to make points succinctly and not babble. If they make a mistake I explain why. If they make the same mistakes repeatedly, I say unkind things. If it is obvious I am not getting good effort, I say unkind things. When they shine I cheer, fist-bump and high-five them. Maybe my company won't be here 10 years from now. Maybe my company will stab them in the back 10 years from now. That is no excuse in my opinion to not give maximum effort now because they "might" get screwed later.
I am feared a little I suppose, but mostly well liked. They know I am there for them. I believe (and I could be wrong) most people want to value their work. They want to feel valued. They want to be shown the way. They don't mind (and I believe "want") a slap in the fannie when they need it.
If what I ask is the "old ways" and done just because it has always been done that way, I am guilty as charged. But until the business world changes to not expect good work done by punctual, friendly, respectful, competent, professional acting and looking people, I have no choice but to teach them as I do and be a bit of a hardass when required.
Thanks for clarifying, I wasn't sure what old fashioned concepts (timeliness, eye contact, etc.) you had a problem with, but I see where you are coming from now. Please reread this sentence several times, it is so much like what people who want to stereotype "Millennials" use for ammunition. It is the person who writes the paychecks who gets to be concerned with the results of the work and how it is attained. If you take risks, and bust hump for 20 years to have your own business, you can let people work when and how you want them to. Until then, you work for the man and his rules. Always been like that, always will. What you need to do is not maintain seething anger at the rules, but embrace them and use them to your advantage.We're much more concerned with the end result of our work and less concerned about how it's attained.
Another example of fodder for the Millennial bashers ("I'm special"). This could also be perceived as patronizing, though you probably didn't mean it that way. I built logic circuits by exposing the design to photosensitive material, then transferring to 5-inch wafers using a step-and-repeat camera in the late 70s. I was also involved with the changeover from 10-inch, 45 Meg reel tapes to optical platters. So even though I am an "old guy", the concept of binary devices is not totally unfamiliar. I grew up with them too. I wish I had you around today to help a young guy (who also grew up with computers) print some stuff out for me. Making the color printer do anything but grey-scale was kicking his ass. Getting it to print for him double-sided was out of the question. I helped him.You can thank technology for that. We grew up with computers, and we're very used to having them accessible at all times.
Full disclosure, my company is awesome. I worked remote yesterday and was reviewing financials in my back yard. I have great bosses and this is the first place where if I get the "where do you see yourself in 5 years" I'm happy to say I'd still be here if there's room for me to grow. I have certainly worked other places where that was not the case and the employees all had a mindset of "Yeah, it's awful here but I won't find better 401(k) and insurance than this anywhere else." The topic is of great interest to me because I see it mentioned very frequently, and I see it written about with these sweeping generalizations. I can't help but feel like the way it's covered is making it a bigger monster than it really should be.Thanks for clarifying, I wasn't sure what old fashioned concepts (timeliness, eye contact, etc.) you had a problem with, but I see where you are coming from now. Please reread this sentence several times, it is so much like what people who want to stereotype "Millennials" use for ammunition. It is the person who writes the paychecks who gets to be concerned with the results of the work and how it is attained. If you take risks, and bust hump for 20 years to have your own business, you can let people work when and how you want them to. Until then, you work for the man and his rules. Always been like that, always will. What you need to do is not maintain seething anger at the rules, but embrace them and use them to your advantage.
Another example of fodder for the Millennial bashers ("I'm special"). This could also be perceived as patronizing, though you probably didn't mean it that way. I built logic circuits by exposing the design to photosensitive material, then transferring to 5-inch wafers using a step-and-repeat camera in the late 70s. I was also involved with the changeover from 10-inch, 45 Meg reel tapes to optical platters. So even though I am an "old guy", the concept of binary devices is not totally unfamiliar. I grew up with them too. I wish I had you around today to help a young guy (who also grew up with computers) print some stuff out for me. Making the color printer do anything but grey-scale was kicking his ass. Getting it to print for him double-sided was out of the question. I helped him.
As far as the rest, sounds like you are stuck in a bad company. I visit lots of companies (STEM employees) and the young folks at most of them seem fairly happy and motivated. But maybe they really aren't and are just putting on a happy face for the old guy.
Agree with everything you said except for the armed services part. You saw a big jump in sign-ups after 9/11 and you'd REALLY see it if a sovereign nation overtly attacked on U.S. soil like Japan did at Peal Harbor.I don't think anyone is against getting their work done (on time, professionally, etc.). Millennials react worse to micro-managers is the biggest difference that i've seen. Boomers will keep their head down and shrug it off. Millennials take it personally.
Neither one is really wrong -- and both reactions have weaknesses. The boomer reaction basically kills off any help that the boss might have gotten. the Millennial's reaction creates at least the appearance of dissent, even if the only thing that is really being asked is "why?".
if you're in an environment where the boss isn't always right, the millennial way works better (the constant ever-growing ideal where dialogue matters). if you're in an environment where that isn't the case, well... suddenly you might think you've got a know-it-all problem. the "old school" mentality that i've heard quoted so often is more often about "do what you're told and shut up" than most millennials are comfortable with.
honestly i think that's the biggest reason there's been a downturn in armed services enlistment. the millennials don't like being in an environment where their voice doesn't mean anything.
that doesn't make either side wrong -- it just so happens (like was just said above) that the people who have worked for 20 years and busted their butt own the company so you do what they say. And there's nothing wrong with one side saying that, and the other side bitching about it -- it's not like any other generation has EVER done that before (extreme sarcasm should have come through with that).
the difference between now and previous generations? millennials will just get up and leave if they're not happy. and the bosses that realize that and are willing to structure their company in a way that sympathizes are keeping their people -- and the ones that don't, won't.
I am so out of the loop, what generation am I in? Born in 71 raised in the 80's and college in the 90's.
Nice post. Like I said, should we ever meet, I think we would have a nice chat - definitely a lot of common ground.Full disclosure, my company is awesome. I worked remote yesterday and was reviewing financials in my back yard. I have great bosses and this is the first place where if I get the "where do you see yourself in 5 years" I'm happy to say I'd still be here if there's room for me to grow. I have certainly worked other places where that was not the case and the employees all had a mindset of "Yeah, it's awful here but I won't find better 401(k) and insurance than this anywhere else." The topic is of great interest to me because I see it mentioned very frequently, and I see it written about with these sweeping generalizations. I can't help but feel like the way it's covered is making it a bigger monster than it really should be.
As I'm sure you know, certain perks and relaxations in the workplace are a good investment because they can help you recruit and retain talent. Sounds like you've been much more closely involved with computing than the average person who was in the work force by the 70s and 80s, but you get my point about remote work being a relatively new concept.
At some jobs, it makes sense for things to be pretty regimented. For example, my members are funeral directors. They have good reason for needing to wear a suit to work, be at the firm at a certain time, be clean-shaven, etc. If the realities of your clientele demand that of your team, then by all means, the person cutting the checks has to demand that.
But if their lone justification is 'because dammit that's the way I want it and I write the checks' then it may cost them good people. No matter what line of work you're in, you gotta empathize with your external customers and your "internal customers" who help you get the job done. It's not always an asset to build a homogeneous team of people who think and work the same way.
Agree with everything you said except for the armed services part. You saw a big jump in sign-ups after 9/11 and you'd REALLY see it if a sovereign nation overtly attacked on U.S. soil like Japan did at Peal Harbor.
Two Gen Xers discussing investing: "Do you save your cash in your mattress or buried in the back yard?"Since we are making broad sweeping generalizations, I will step up for the Gen X crowd.
We don't like the Boomers that much. They pretty screwed up a good thing by being all me, me, me. We admired the generation that came before them. They worked there butts off and believed in loyalty, etc. We are ok with Millennials, but they tend to take credit for things that we accomplished before them.
When I came across the song, I thought it was a clever parody of Ob la di Ob la da.
I am a millennial and do not think like they do. I work for what I have and will become, don't look for handouts, and know I get what I put into it. I plan to repay my debts because it's no one else fault that I decided to make those decisions, all $140k.
With that said, a reason for "millennial" generation is the way they are is because our parents allowed it to happen. They didn't beat the hell of their children when they deserved to get their a** whipped like my parents did to myself. They allowed entitlement and rewards for participation without work or dedication. They blamed others instead of looking at themselves. Teachers were the problem, not their children (witnessed first hand with my brother, now my parents recognize it).
Are our parents entirely to blame? Absolutely not. We must take responsibility for our actions and decisions.
Millennial stupidity is multifactorial.
I'm gen x. All the boomers I know including my parents worked their asses off. My millenial nephews and nieces are completely worthless. Everyone has a different story.Yeah i'm gen x and this is my feelings. if you get millenials in the right situation they blow baby boomer work ethic out of the water. i can't count the number of baby boomers that i've known that scream work ethic and do drugs on the side. when you force square peg in round hole then you get attitudes like the song above. the biggest issue with millenials is they're the first generation of kids that had their parents genuinely try and allow them to be themselves.
and i really do mean the first. most generations before them squashed that impulse -- usually with prejudice and extremely harshly.
when you take steps back and look at things from that lens, they're not so bad -- you just need to talk to and treat them like individuals and not cogs in your machine.
the catch is... a large amount of them don't have the talent to be anything but cogs in a machine and don't have the self-awareness to recognize it. they think they're special. well... then the song above is pretty accurate. however, they don't need to realize that when they're 20. even when they're 30... so what? life's too short to sit there and "be realistic" when realism is being bent over by your parents (and that's what's happened, don't kid yourself).
it's an interesting generation when all is said and done -- and the funny thing is that in 40 years they'll be saying the same things about their grandkids.
one other note: i touched on it a little, but anywho... i don't think the baby boomers have any room to talk when they've saddled these kids with obscene debt (and i'm not only talking national debt) and driven up costs of virtually everything through leverage and debt to the point that things are more difficult than when the boomers were kids by huge factors. when you make any comparison of costs (college, house, etc) it's all wildly blown out of proportion by the government. Then boomers come out and bitch that the kids are lazy when most of them are just disillusioned and cynical.
it's honestly a little hilarious being in the middle. the baby boomers call millennials entitled, and the millenials come back with "entitlements... guess who's the kings and queens of them". the truth somewhere in the middle? not really IMO... it's the parents' responsibility in the end.
I'm gen x. All the boomers I know including my parents worked their asses off. My millenial nephews and nieces are completely worthless. Everyone has a different story.
Keep in mind alot of baby boomers like myself been fighting against the things that created this massive debt and we fought against it every step of the way the last 40- to 50 years. We didnt know for sure but it sure seemed like the policies and philosphies our govt and society were adopting would eventually lead to where we are now.
Two Gen Xers discussing investing: "Do you save your cash in your mattress or buried in the back yard?"
Gen X five-course meal: Four glasses of craft beer and a slice of pizza
Gen X work/life balance: No balance, one has to work to balance it with life.
Gen X sex: None, why bother?
Gen X good day: Being awake for 18 hours, and being angry about something during each of the 64,800 seconds.
Sorry Marlow.....I couldn't resist.
I'm an operator for a excavation company, every millennial I've had labor for me has been a nightmare and never last long. You can't generalize all of them due to this experience, but so far, they are 0 for a 37.