There was once a time when I could count the number of jobs I’d had on one hand. That day has come and
gone.
I remember each job and why I left. Most of the time it had to do with respect or the lack of it shown by my former employers.
Before anyone starts the chants of “get a haircut” or “turn your damn blinker off,” I’d better mention that yes, there are bad apples. Some of us youngins are just lazy, and it kills the rest of us to have to pick up the slack.
Believe me, we’re just as frustrated with them as you are. Particularly when you choose those jackasses over us for some super-chic internship without doing any sort litmus test on their work ethic. Come on, these are usually the same people with unprotected Facebook and MySpace accounts – do your homework!
Bad apples aside, quite a lot of my hard-working generation has held more jobs than there are holidays in the year. This isn’t a bad thing, all things considered. Some geezers use derogatory terms like generation-wide A.D.D. or career restlessness, but it’s not all that uncommon. The average worker between 18 and 34 has held nine jobs.
We’re not just restless in our careers, but also restless in the work we do. We’ve been described as “a continuous blur” by older generations. Our knack for instantaneous communication not only lands us in hot water with employers when we use Facebook too much on the job, but also grants us an almost unlimited access to all sorts of knowledge and experience that our friends have to offer.
The unfortunate side effect of all of this glorious multi-tasking, collaboration, and job-hopping is the appearance of infidelity. It makes no sense to hire a worker who will jump ship in a year’s time. So the natural and right thing to do is offer a lower starting salary, decreased benefits, and accrual-based rewards. Gotta tighten the screws, right?
Wrong.
Millennials crave a challenge. We’re the generation that aced our lectures and Sudoku at the same time. We held full-time jobs, babysat, blogged, and managed to pull straight-A’s while keeping perfect hair. For most of us, it’s not arrogance – just the advantage of being the new kids on the block. You want us to pay attention 40 hours a week? Don’t start by boring us to tears.
Keep in mind, we’re new and very excited to take on the world’s challenges. And a lot of us are looking to our… er, elders, to show us the way. Our skills and mindsets are malleable. We can adapt to almost any scenario, zooming back and forth between the forest and the trees seemingly at will.
If you treat us with respect by understanding how our A.D.D.-riddled brains work, we’ll return the favor a hundred fold. Maybe we need to learn that the grass isn’t always greener, but we also loathe the thought of becoming cogs in anyone’s grand machine. Unless you got a lazy bad apple, not one of us will stick around very long if we’re not being challenged.
Our top performers can be your best friends and best workers and our bad apples can be your worst nightmare. Dig deep to find out who’s who, but if you take nothing else away from this article, let it be this:
Give us a challenge. Make us think. We’ll have every reason to stick around. Hell, we might even dedicate our next Tweet to you!
Popularity: 7% [?]
January 7th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
That was a brilliant post, I do agree that the younger generation do seem more short minded, but if you harness it, it can be a great thing. I am 21 myself so still pretty young and do a number of things for my work, all to keep up the ‘challenge’ :)
Also the links in “Come on, these are usually the same people with unprotected Facebook and MySpace accounts” are broke
January 7th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
I agree, being a Gen-Y who teaches Gen-Y issues. It is hard for many companies to understand that Gen-Y’s can do a 8-hr work day in 3-4 hours. It is also hard for them to open up, deliver transparency and other high level issues with a new, untested and untrusted employee. There is a give and take, but I do believe that for companies to embrace the younger generation in their operations, they need to understand that while we are at the company we are there to make an impact, they just need to open the door.
January 7th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Dudibob,
Thanks for the feedback. I’m glad you liked it! I hope you share it with your friends :)
Greg,
Yeah – the 8 hour thing absolutely kills ‘em, you can’t ask for it because they think you’re a slacker! That’s the worst. When someone can figure out how to get paid just as much for half the hours, they’ll get my vote for president.
You make some very good points!
Where do you teach?
January 7th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
Nick speaks the truth, not always with love, but he speaks the truth.
Millennials want to be treated with respect. Don’t we all. The difference is that when they’re not, they don’t tend to stick around too long. Why should they? So they can put up with as much abuse as Boomers have in the work place. Boomers foolishly call it “Paying Our Dues.” Millennials call it a bunch of crap, which we all know it is.
When we speak to organizations and corporations to help them develop more effective relationships with their Millennial workforce there is often so much hostility toward the entire generation it’s sad.
The reality the “Me Generation” is old and getting older and aging Boomers resent the hell out of all the young bucks out there charging thru the forest.
And the fact that Millennials can be charging thru the forest and still be texting, getting your work done and staying in touch with the latest developments around the world is rather delightful! Sounds like an employee I’d want to hire!
January 8th, 2009 at 10:49 am
What a great time for me to come across this article. I have felt the same way and am currently very restless about this exact situation. I finally left my former place of employment for many of the reasons you listed above, and I’ve been freelancing while I try and find a place worth staying at. This time, I won’t accept less. After all, isn’t that what we all truly want? Unfortunately, outsiders and Millennials like to chalk this up to being a “bouncer.” I try to explain that yes, some people do have to leave quickly because they lie on their resume and can’t deliver, but others have legitimate reasons. I’ve been handed everything from a very inaccurate job description in the hiring process to the uncomfortable situation of knowing more than my direct supervisor, conversely causing that supervisor to constantly haul me into a mess they’ve caused and watch me try to keep my head afloat. While that was a challenge, and one I put up with for 2 years, it wasn’t the correct, growth inducing challenge, I wanted. While I grew emotionally, I learned nothing about my craft for 2 years. I think when we make it over this hurdle, we’ll all rise above this. After all, how much strength does it take to pick up and start over when you can easily wade in monotony? A lot. Thanks for writing this Nick, and all of the responses… I know I’m not alone :)
January 8th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Nick: As a consultant who works with Gen X and Boomer Managers, I’d add another perspective to your list for Gen Y. Plenty of managers respond to Gen Y’ers who take over a project without any prompting. You see something needing to be done–a challenging, provocative opportunity–take it over. Sure, Gen X and Boomers need to understand who you are–and latch on to your smarts. But very often you can move the relationship dial with managers yourself. Don’t worry about whether or not you should take it over. Here’s my BIG RULE: Ask for forgiveness, not permission. In other words, if you took over a job and find out you’re in somebody else’s sandbox, apologize and look for another sandbox.
January 9th, 2009 at 7:37 am
Good one!
I am 33 and put on my CV only 7-8 jobs out of 15 I actually had. And still guess what is the one of the first question on the interview is? Yes, why do you change the jobs so often?
Why don’t they understand that economy changes, especially in regions like former USSR and eastern Europe? I cannot stay on the job that pays the same salary for two years while housing prices tripled, but the projects got postponed, so we cannot give you enough/new/challenging work.
I wonder if there will ever be consultants to teach old farts how to work with young generation? I guess not, because nobody ever listens to young ones, and you cannot become such a consultant when you are old, because you are obsolete by that time already. bummer.
January 9th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
I am sure most Millennials will read this comment and reassure themselves that us X’er’ s Just don’t get it, but I am going to give it a shot anyway. So here we go.
These blog posts as well as the comments all state that Gen-Y needs to be challenged and not “bored to tears”. This is the first problems that they encounter in the workplace. Why does this generation need to be externally challenged by someone else or be kept busy. Why can’t they find a way to challenge themselves? In the workplace it is best to find ways to motivate yourselves to work harder or innovate in your workplace. Instead, the Millennials finish their assigned work and then entertain themselves with blogs, facebook, etc. while they could take on additional work.
“And the fact that Millennials can be charging thru the forest and still be texting, getting your work done and staying in touch with the latest developments around the world is rather delightful! “ Why not use that extra time in the workplace to create a new process, take on additional responsibility, get tomorrow’s work done, etc.? If you can get 8 hours of work done in 4; then why not use the other 4 to help a coworker or seek out (not wait to be asked) more responsibility?
Of course, every generation “loathes the thought of becoming cogs in anyone’s grand machine.” However, the older generations have the wisdom to know that if the work is to get done then they need to do it. The “cogs” keep the machine running and without them businesses (even Gen-Y owned ones) will fail.
January 9th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
I see a problem. People who think an 8 hour job can be done in 4 hours usually don’t understand the job.
It’s like when my wife wants me to clean. She takes hours to clean. I take 10 minutes, and it’s good enough so I can go back to playing on the computer.
Of course, this doesn’t work with bosses, which is why the older generation has learned to take the full eight hours. Much like taking a full hour to clean the kitchen very slowly gets me off the hook, Gen Y should learn what happens when they go to fast.
They’re layed off and rehired as contractors to do the work in just four hours.
Seriously – this Gen Y is so awesome stuff is really getting old. I see a lot of people with no real world experience and no financial responsibility cruising their jobs complaining about not being challenged.
It’s bullshit. Gen Y doctors and engineers and teachers and factory workers and loggers and burger flippers aren’t getting work done any faster.
A small subset of white, college degree urban rich kids with marketing, PR, and other service jobs are chafing that they aren’t respected. Those industries are under heavy spending pressure, and thankfully, this nonsense will go away as they are laid off and have to take jobs that aren’t challenging but at least pay the rent.
If you don’t like your job, quit and start your own business. The workload will make you too busy and tired to whine, but at least you’ll find out if you really have what it takes.
January 12th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Work fast? That’s great. But jobs are only partially about problem-solving/job-doing… as you move up the ranks, you need relationships and political savvy to excel. Not because people are evil, but because as you move up, career development becomes a zero sum game: e.g., when you’re one of 5 VPs in line for the presidency, those 4 other VPs—who may be your friends—are also your competitors for a job you’ve been working years to obtain. So friend or not, things are going to get… complicated. A.k.a. political.
When you rip through your work at warp speed, Gen Y, you miss all that. It feels good, you sense you’re getting a lot done… but then here it comes again: the disrespect from above. Time to move on, you figure. It never crosses your mind that there are multiple ways to solve that problem, that your bosses are looking for you to evolve to the next level (relationship or political); you only note that they don’t seem to respect the problem-solving you’re doing. You miss the point, pack your bags and go, never learning how to handle the ambiguity, how to handle the politics, how to raise your game and make the most of your talents.
Well, some of you do. I call you high potentials, leaders, etc. The rest of you? Personally, I love you: I call you “job security.”
January 14th, 2009 at 11:49 am
I have to admit – you fascinate and scare the crap out of me at the same time. It fascinates me that people think the way you do… It scares me that there are potentially thousands of people out there thinking they deserve something they have not earned.
Couple of points…
1. Broad generalizations saying, “Millennials crave a challenge.”
That is a VERY broad statement. From one perspective, who does not crave some type of challenge? As a Gen Xer – I crave a challenge. So does my Mother who is a Boomer. Is it possible that Millennials are the only people craving a challenge? No it is not.
From another perspective, the broad lumping together of any socio-economic group is a dangerous assumption in terms of viewpoints. I hear a lot of “Millennials are this…” “Millennials are that…” Enough with the generalizations.
2. You need to fit the job. From the very little that I know, it appears you have been job hopping looking for a challenge (among other things) and have not found it. Chances are you have not found the job for you or perhaps even the career field. At 38 years old, I have found my stride. It took me a few years to get there. But I found it. It is commonly said that most people will not be in the career field that they studied for within 10 years. I believe it. That is not a Millenial thing either – it is a fact of life.
By the way… I believe there is a new economic rationalization coming soon… If you were a job hopper, I do not believe that will be seen as a good thing. Sorry.
Spin it any way you want. A year ago, the economy needed a warm body – any body. Books and blogs were written to woo the Millennials. Now anyone proclaiming themselves to be a Millennial will be singled out as “trouble”.
3. You need to add value to what you do. If you are not adding value, you are costing more than you are producing. You may be able to fool some people some of the time (using the Millennial argument) but at the end of some time period, you must be adding value.
4. Like it or not – you need experience to be able to do a lot of jobs. Yes… There are many elements of a job that you can perhaps do better than your boss – but it is difficult to quantify the decision-making that goes on that only comes with experience. If you think your boss is stupid – you will only look for the stupid things that your boss does that are stupid.
It is difficult to fast-track work experience.
5. And you are correct… Your gut is usually right at some level. There are bosses out there who have zero clue about the job, reality, business, etc… If you think your boss does not have a clue, you may be correct. However… I think some Millennials (and some Gen Xers, Boomers, Veterans, etc) have had so much “sunshine” pumped into them that it is difficult for some Millennials to actually see reality.
The whole Millennial craze has had me feeling uneasy. It feels like the dot com boom back in the late 90’s. Everyone had these huge valuations that defied traditional economic logic. Then BOOM! The bust came and reality set in.
I think that reality is about to set in for Millennials who are not adding significant value to their professional “bottom lines”.
Well reality is here. The down economy is kicking everyone’s collective butts solidly – especially Millennials who believe they deserve because they exist.
It is time to face reality.
Peace.
January 15th, 2009 at 2:32 am
Thank you for all the wonderful comments – sorry it’s taken me so long to post back here.
Dan, it is very easy to step on toes that way – which no one really likes to do, even if we’re right. I had a colleague who tried to push a new technology on the Marketing Department (we’re the Applications Development department). It didn’t go well, Marketing shut down and has stopped working with App Dev ever since, because they don’t trust us anymore. Toes got stepped on. It’s not necessarily always easy to hand out the Hello Kitty Band-Aids when you’ve gone too far.
Albert – believe it or not, there are consultants – namely Dee Valdez and GitNitRight (http://www.GitNitRight.com) who do speak on Millennials behalf. It’s not entirely hopeless, although – it is bleak in today’s job market, but there are older people who “get it”.
Steve – It’s not easy to create work when you’re the plebe and not trusted to initiate change. You’re seen as if you’re stepping on toes in many places… and in top-down businesses, this is a huge problem.
What we’re talking about is a fundamental change in the structure of business from vertical to utterly horizontal. Millennials don’t believe in a power structure (outside of 90210 and the OC). We’re all about respect and sharing of ideas. Sure, there’s some tigers out there who’ll eat the sheep, but… most of us have got very good BS-detectors.
At the moment, there’s no benefit or added bonus for us to go above and beyond… we’re “entitled” remember? There’s no encouragement for us to go above and beyond. We don’t get promoted faster, in fact, we get held back – relegated to waiting for “seniority”, whatever the hell that is.
Jim, usually true about understanding a job having a direct correlation to how long it takes. Remember, though that many of my generation have the ability to multitask at a level no one has ever seen before. Studies show that our brains are literally wired differently. Each new task is woven into the work narrative as if it’d been there all along.
Many millennials ARE quitting and starting their own business – myself included, because we just can’t take it anymore. You can really only take so many write-ups for “harshly written e-mails” and “stepping on cross-departmental toes” when all you’re doing is making suggestions.
We’ve had many years of the “me” generation saying “Look at how awesome we are” and surprisingly little from the Gen-Xers because they tend to be more quiet about their awesomeness, but the fact is that yes, we are outstripping the members of older generations with our fluid integration of technology into our work and social lives.
We’re not saying you’re not awesome or that you haven’t accomplished great things – we’re just saying that we want to do it too… and we have the tools to do it. We need your help. That’s the point – we don’t understand why there’s so much resentment when we’re so willing to share what we know. Kinda like how you made us eat our spinach. We didn’t want to at the time, but now that we’re not anemic as adults… well, we get it.
I highly doubt that every millennial will be laid off, but it’s exactly that foolish sentiment which we strive to avoid – we’d rather not work for you anyways, and your business and company will fail if that’s your attitude. I’ve got a Marketing degree and a computer programming job…. and I’m not an urban, rich white kid… I’m white, but… well, poor as dirt. I hold out hope and I inspire and help other members of my generation – everyone from construction workers who are utilizing social media to get hook-ups for materials faster, to doctors who are using iPhones to memorize the names of ligaments and arteries, to engineers who are utilizing blogs to teach the next generation of engineers or to show off their cool stuff.
Is this something we see from an older generation? Not so much… so in my opinion, it’s not bullshit. It’s reality.
I still hold myself in high regard and know that I deserve a job better than a lot of the crap I’ve been treated to so far. If that means I have to flip burgers while I search out my dream job, sure. I’ll do it. I’ll invest my free time in me, and work towards something better – like my own start-up. Why not? If I’m going to be treated like a burger flipper, I might as well *be* a burger flipper.
Jason – office politics will change dramatically once Millennials hold higher and higher positions. We’re already changing the way interoffice communication takes place. Collaboration and social networking inside of the organization are not uncommon anymore… and we’re behind it (and working to get YOU behind it, as well!)
The problem with playing the game is that you have to play by the rules. We much prefer to change the game. It’s more fun that way. The game, as it exists, and just look at the economist if you don’t believe me – is not winnable for us, because there is just so much damn resentment towards us.
Chris, you’re absolutely right when it comes to “earning it”. We do sometimes float on 4 hours of work stretched to 8 hours because we can get away with it. There isn’t really a benefit for us to work our asses off under the current rules… particularly for companies who think that “we deserve to hit the wall”.
It’s true that everyone craves challenges… but the kinds of challenges we crave are different than say, a boomer. We grew up on video games, virtually dying hundreds of times in order to accomplish a goal. We readily accept failure where a boomer might be more adverse. Just think of Vietnam or Korea.
When boomers think about risk, they talk about the possibility of risk – that is, the chance of the chance of failure. A chance of a chance. That’s Seth Godin, not my words, but the point is the same. We don’t see it the same way. The risk to us is failing to live up to our own standards.
I agree with you that I haven’t found a job I’m happy with because I was slated into the wrong career by a father who thought that I’d be happy making fistfuls of money. Sure. That worked fine until I found out I loved working at the college radio station and being an on-air marketing director. Suddenly, sitting in a cube and having virtually no creativity in my job became… well, a nightmare. And it’s been that way ever since. Hence why I’m starting up my own company.
Adding value and gaining experience are very relevant, you’re spot on when you say we need to slog through to get it – but remember that we also started out as authorities in the social networking sphere. A lot of us are putting that to good use in our own blogs or Facebook or to network friends and get them jobs… or bringing that stuff into Work. I recently got a colleague a job at my company because I saw she was looking for a job on facebook (even though the company blocks facebook at work) and she is now a consistently top performer for her department.
We’re literally changing the game on a daily basis based on which tools we use and how we use them. Managers are trying to resist that by blocking our tools – but they can never succeed and will eventually fall.
Please don’t leave feeling uneasy. Just ask someone to show you the way – ask me, ask your nephew… trust us. We WANT to share our knowledge. In fact, we love it. We want you to share your ideas, to be on the same page, to be as fast and as efficient and benefit from using our tools, too. We don’t want to succeed at your expense.
I’ve had bosses I adore – for the people they are, but when it came to their management style, they were complete and utter failures.
Look, the sad part is, the older generations can afford to giggle about the economy right now and more over, think that “those brats got what was coming to them”, but a downturn is a temporary thing. And as more of us go out and start up our own businesses, become consultants, or otherwise take ourselves out of the job market… well, you can either work with us or suffer from the lack of us.
That’s reality.
Short term security is fine, but you’d better have a long-term game plan or you’ll be feeling the pinch in 4-5 years. After all, *you guys* made the current economic crisis happen, not us. It was short-term greed with the lack of a long-term vision that caused you to fail. We weren’t in a position to do a damn thing about it… but man will we show you our worth (and rub it in your face if you’re one of the nay-sayers) when the market turns around.
-Nick
PsychoticResumes.com
January 20th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
You said better in your own words then I ever could, the point people are making…
“At the moment, there’s no benefit or added bonus for us to go above and beyond… we’re “entitled” remember? There’s no encouragement for us to go above and beyond. We don’t get promoted faster, in fact, we get held back – relegated to waiting for “seniority”, whatever the hell that is.”
Yet this contradicts what you say when you say the “Millennials” want challenges. What better challenge out there then to seek to strive, to gain knowledge, to learn something new, or develop something? Even if your company/boss/department isn’t going to use it or implement something right away, why not have it ready to go? And then at that “a-ha” moment when the time is right, you can submit your proposal/idea/product, etc., in a way that isn’t stepping on any toes, and shows that you really mean it when you say you want a challenge, and you will in fact create that challenge for yourself, or not let the lack of additional compensation or recognition stop you from the challenge
Or is it only that you want to get a challenge when you will be patted on the head and given kudos? When you phrase it as you just did, it brings it all back to being about “you”. Personally, that is what scares the crap out of me. For all the talk about being collaborative and about sharing knowledge, blah, blah, blah….in the end it all comes back to being about you. So much for the greater good.
I’m not saying that is any different from any other generation before you, but at least the other generations weren’t all saying, “we’re collaborative, it’s all about teamwork, we’re all about respect and sharing of ideas”
And the fact that you state “Millennials don’t believe in a power structure (outside of 90210 and the OC)” just shows you really should look at starting your own business or working as a consultant, because in any aspect of life their is a power structure, whether it be in companies, government, military, hell even the PTA at the local schools has a power structure. Imagine what the world would look like if there wasn’t a power structure, I am sure everyone would be willing to accept the “kudos” as a team when things went well, but when the SH*T really hits the fan and things go to hell, how willing will everyone on the “team” be to stand up and take accountability for the failure? Not very, especially if they are made up of individuals as narcissistic as some of the Millennials sound like.
Oh, and I am only 32, so I “get” and use the new technology, I love to collaborate on projects and ideas and I am not an “old fart” as one of the posters above stated. But I do realize I am at work to work, and if I get something out of it, it is because I put an equal amount into it and yes, because I “paid my dues”. If work was supposed to be all about having a good time, socializing and networking, we would be paying admission to be there, not the other way around.
February 25th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Kris,
I apologize for taking so long to get back to you, hopefully you’re still following.
My original post and follow-up response might appear to be contradictory, as well as the comments about a lack of structure, and you are quite right to point them out since I didn’t do a very good job explaining what I meant.
It’s not narcissism; it’s dissociative angst fueled by oppression.
Let me explain.
Millennials will absolutely not go above and beyond in an institution that rewards being average. There’s no reason to spend the extra energy to do so. When we do, we almost always get punished for bucking the system. It’s happened to me every single time I’ve had a job like that. It’s happened to almost every millennial I know. However, an institution that has no rewards or that rewards everything equally, is just as bad.
Some millennials are the narcissistic breed. But most just want to be their own brand of rockstar playing with a great band. A band is a group of rockstars – so who doesn’t want to be a part of that? I thought that was just human nature… but suddenly because young people want to feel unique, are armed with the tools to BE unique and bring around change, and the older generations are scared sh!tless by it, suddenly wanting to be a rockstar is a bad thing.
Why can’t we be something other than corporate cogs working until we die?
What ends up happening is that these millennials, much like myself, will go out and make their blogs, their hobbies, their extra-curriculars – the primary focus of their lives… and use work as just a way to fund it all. We’re not looking for a cookie… or a pat on the head or another trophy. What we’re looking for is meaning. We want our work, what we spend our time on, to matter.
Where the work has no meaning, we’ll do just enough to not get fired… and nothing more. That’s not to say we’ll be lazy, but just that we’re not being put to our full potential. There’s no way around this except to find a company that will utilize our full potential by harnessing what we’re excited about and tap into that energy. Either that or we do have to become entrepreneurs – and a lot of us are.
Listen to what you sound like when you say those words: “If work was supposed to be all about having a good time, socializing and networking, we would be paying admission to be there.”
Don’t misconstrue this for a personal attack, but think about what you’re saying. You’re saying that your time – arguably the most valuable thing you have to offer (because once you run out…) – just isn’t enough to be able to ask for fun, meaningful work.
Is it that you think drudgery-based work time is so much more valuable than “networking/socializing/fun” work? Doesn’t a company get so much more publicity if they allow their “underlings” to tweet and facebook and spread the word rather than… oh, I dunno, locking everything down and making the million dollar website do the selling? Who reaches a better audience? Which source is more trusted?
When you work for someone, you’re saying, “I’m dedicating part of my limited time on this earth to doing these things for your company.” Don’t you think giving up 8 hours a day you could be spending improving the world, teaching a child how to read, enjoying time with your friends or family, educating yourself, etc… is worth a little bit more than a chunk of change every two weeks?
I think so.
-Nick Armstrong
PsychoticResumes.com
PsychoticResumes@gmail.com