Misconceptions of Millennials
Many individuals from previous generations believe that millennials are “lazy, entitled, selfish, and shallow” (Stein 28) because more millennials live at home than any generation before them. Millennials feel that they are misunderstood because of the misconceptions and feel that previous generations are hypocritical. In his article “The New Greatest Generation” Joel Stein recounts, “I moved home for the first six months after college. When I got hired at TIME, my coworkers hated me for cozying up to the editor of the magazine” (30). Stein, a member of Generation X, tells readers that he had to move home because of the debt he acquired and the difficulty with low employment he encountered. He admits that attempting to
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join the workforce and be independent is hard and that he could not achieve it. Previous generations expect millennials to immediately enter the work force without taking into account the environmental factors that affect millennials. Although older generations misjudge millennials as lazy and irresponsible, millennials demonstrate maturity by continuing to live with parents to pursue higher education while not accumulating debt and taking a break from the overscheduling of their lives. The increase in tuition and reduction in college funding is causing graduates to acquire more debt and needing to live with their parents. The article “Startup Founders Offer Advice for Millennials with Student Loan Debt” provides an explanation for the increase in student loan debt; “In fact, according to online coaching tool Onbotraining, student debt levels are five times higher than they were 20 years ago, resulting in numerous students falling behind in their payments and taking a hit to their credit ratings” (Satter 1). The increase in the number of students having to rely on loans to attend college is alarming. Many tuition assistance programs do not have the funding to help students because of government budget cuts. An article titled “Higher Education Faces Potential Loss of $583M in State Funding” states, “If lawmakers and the governor don’t settle on ways to raise annual revenue streams, higher education faces a worse- case of losing up to $583 million in state financing next year — more than 63 percent of the state general fund money it receives this year” (12). The drastic underfunding in education is causing colleges to make cuts to financial aid rather than other programs. The increase in tuition and the decrease in financial aid are preventing millennials from being independent. Millennials are faced with greater financial challenges than their parents faced when they entered the workforce. Some of the financial challenges that Millennials face are greater student loans and the aftermath of the recession causing less jobs being available. Student loan debt is causing millennials to be unelidable for loans or they are only eligible for high interest loans. Sean Kern states, The connection between housing and student loan debt is straightforward: millennials struggling with student loan debt are less able to afford a home. Student loan debt makes it more difficult to save for a down payment and also weighs unfavorably in “debt-to-income” calculations, making it harder to qualify for a mortgage in the first place. (30) Millennials struggle with saving money and getting ahead because they are paying back student loan debt. The loans that they acquire ruin their financial history when they are paired with the oversaturation of the job market. This means that millennials must pay higher interest rates or save the money that they need for a car or housing instead of buying with a loan. Millennials are faced with a horrible financial situation, but choose to live at home, not because they are lazy and freeloaders, but because they are responsible and saving for the future. In society today employers require a higher level of education then when previous generations entered the workforce causing many individuals to attend college and be over qualified.
Millennials are aware that the lower paying jobs, like working at McDonalds, will not turn into a career because they will not make enough to support a family in the future or to pay back student loans. In the article “The Best Job Market in History,” Cyndee Miller explains, “Three industries reported expected hiring levels that fell below the national average: machinery (55.9%), food industry (47.3%), and health care (34.5%)” (13). The drop-in hiring levels creates an oversaturation in the job market because of the over qualification of many individuals and the lack of practical job experience. The available jobs go to the more experienced candidates because most individuals have a college degree but not job experience that would set them apart from other applicants. Millennials are faced with greater financial challenges because of the job market and the debt they acquire to achieve a college education. The financial challenges force Millennials to not be independent and create the negative perception that they are lazy
freeloaders. Unlike previous generations who resented their parents throughout early adulthood millennials enjoy a healthier relationship from childhood to adult hood which offers them the option to move home. Previous generations felt that their parents did not understand them and there was a greater divide in communication because of these feelings. Stein presents the point that millennials view their parents as friends instead of authority figures and that is because of the parenting style, “peer-enting,” that is negotiating and having open communication with the child (Stein 32). The open communication allows the child to feel more open to asking to move home and not feeling that they have their life in order. The “peer-enting” (stein 32) also helps the parents to be more involved in the child’s life and feel that they can help millennials with the financial hardships they experience. While some students are fortunate and have parents that can contribute to the cost of college most, students are not. Parents have planned poorly for college education because they have many unexpected expenses such as natural disasters and sickness. Parents feel that they are helping millennials by allowing them to move home. Parents feel a sense of helpfulness since they cannot cover the cost of tuition and fees and millennials are given the chance to save for their future and pay off debt. The openness to helping Millennials be financially ready to move out is why millennials feel that they may move home and get their lives together. Millennials are labeled as lazy and freeloaders by previous generations because of the decisions to be financially responsible and live at home. The environment and challenges that every generation faces are different from previous generations and millennials are forced to adapt to the changing environment. Millennials are faced with the increasing cost of college and the cut of funding to colleges which leads them to graduate with more student loan debt than previous generations. The job market requires more college education to be qualified for jobs and many individuals have met this challenge. The job market is oversaturated, due to an increase in qualified individuals and a decrease in necessary positions that are available. The inability for millennials to find a job combined with the increase in debt from college creates a greater financial struggle for Millennials and leaves them living with their parents to become financially stable before moving out on their own. Millenials parents are not able to cover the cost of their college education but allow millennials to move home to help millennials and strengthen the child parent relationship. Millennials are not lazy freeloaders but actually adapting well to the environmental challenges that they are facing.
In the article, “A Generation of Slackers? Not So Much”, Catherine Rampell explains why older generations find millennials to be the laziest generation yet and provides facts that contrast the claim. The generations that came before millennials like Generation X and Baby Boomers have multiple reasons explaining why young people have became less productive over the years. Catherine Rampell provides information regarding how millennials are not as lazy as Generation X has made them out to be.
He quotes William Strauss, the author of Millennials Rising as saying America’s young are “generally a hardworking, cheerful, earnest, and deferential group”. Brooks maintains that today’s elite college students are rule followers who “don’t live in that age of rebellion or alienation”. He says that these students now live in an age when the battles of militant feminists, theological conflicts, and the Reagan years are over. Millennials, according to Brooks, live in a “just world which rewards high achievers who ‘play by its rules” and respect the “fundamental order of the
Millennials are often portrayed as spoiled rich people who still rely heavily on their parents for everything. This makes them seem childish, and Matchar’s questionable usage of these terms nonetheless is an obvious jab at the poster minority. Millennials overall are hard working and put under more stress than their predecessors, and the ridicule they endure for their work is uncalled for. Therefore, the thesis’s major flaw almost entirely overshadows its main
Not So Much”, explains how Generation Y is not necessarily lazy, but rather conforming to fit changing times and a changing system. Her degree in journalism from Princeton, and experience in writing about economics, politics and data-driven journalism, more than qualifies her for writing about such a topic. I was one of those people who believed that today’s generation is too dependent on their parents, always looking for a hand-out and have a sense of entitlement. After reading this, I now have a slightly different opinion about Millennials. Of course, there will always be slackers in every generation whether past, present or future, but there is always more than what meets the eye. Just because someone may not spend their forty-hour work week all in the office, does not mean that they are working any less, but that because of today’s technology they can work from almost anywhere. As for the amount of graduated college students that return to live at home with their parents, it is not necessarily because they are too apathetic to go out and support themselves, but rather the reason being the high unemployment rate among sixteen to twenty-four year olds. After the Great Recession in 2009, many Millennials either lost their jobs, or were simply unable to find one after graduation. While I was raised to believe that if you wanted something, you worked for it, I truly hope that today’s generation is still
A current recession is forcing people to have to deal with low wages and a horrendous lack of flexibility, in regards to hours. In fear of unemployment, today’s work choose to bear with these conditions instead of demanding for better treatment. In “Why Your Office Needs More Bratty Millennials,” Emily Matchar, the author, claims that the workforce would benefit from adding millennials, those born from 1983-1999, because their aggressive demanding tactics would cause companies to eventually have to adapt. These companies would have to adapt because by 2025, 75 percent of the workforce will be millennials. All of the external sources and numbers, provided by Matchar, don’t back up her claim, resulting in a weak
Generation Y, more commonly referred to as the “millennials”, is today’s group of young people. Similar to other generations, each cohort is labeled with unique characteristics and inevitably faces adversities while taking its place in society. Many American’s today debate their views on the youngster generation, but none the less all sides can agree the discussion has become a hot topic. Catherin Rampell creates an open discussion in her article, A Generation of Slackers? Not So Much, addressing the main issue: Are millennials a generation of slackers. I feel strongly that my views align with Rampell’s, in believing my generation has already begun to show its capability of doing great things. Through analysis of the text and my own personal experience I am able to dispute the opposition towards my generation as well as, express the positive relationship of millennials in
In David Brook’s essay, “It’s Not About You,” Brooks mentions and describes the challenges college graduates face when looking for a job. He goes on and describes how this generation is different than any other generation. He explains how college graduates don’t go on and get married, buy houses, and have kids like previous generations. He also states how college prepares you with a set of skills that are much different to the ones you encounter when you graduate. Those skills you have to learn on your own.
A majority of people believe that graduating from college will result in a well-paying job. Unfortunately, a degree will not secure a job for many graduates. In the U.S., the jobless rate for college graduates in 2012 was 7.7 percent, and has further increased in the past five years(Robinson). With such a large pool of unemployed citizens for employers to choose from, recent graduates are facing fewer opportunities for work due to little or no previous work experience(Robinson). Although many graduates are faced with unemployment, the majority do receive the opportunity to work. Sadly, many must work jobs they do not enjoy for salaries that make it difficult to make ends meet(Debate). Students are faced with mortgage-sized debts upon graduation, making it difficult for them to start businesses, buy cars or houses, or make other investments that would better the
The new greatest generation was written by Joel Stein, and is critical analysis of the new generation in this article Stein states that people that are in the new millennial generation are considered narcissistic, lazy, and highly unmotivated. He is a writer for the world famous time magazine. The author thinks the only thing the new generation cares about is themselves. The author ran some tests on a huge amount of college students to see if they were narcissistic or not, according to those statistics he found that about fifty percent in 2009 are al considered to be narcissistic. The author shows that technology
Millennials are accused of being tough to manage, behaving entitled, unfocused, lazy, narcissistic; however, they seek to have a purpose that they love and make an impact. Yet, the more they receive, they are not happy. Sinek jokingly states that they could be offered “free food and bean bags, because that is what they want, and they will still not be happy.” According to Sinek, there is a missing piece for millennials, furthermore, he goes on to say there are four characteristics that make millennials the way they are, “parenting, technology, impatience, and environment.” (2016).
1) Common characteristics of “The Greatest Generation” that Brokaw mentioned are a sense of personal responsibility and a commitment to honesty. Among them, personal responsibility was the defining characteristic of the WWII generation. It is like endeavoring to get what a person wants or has to do, preserving what the person gets, and overcoming hardships if there’s any in the process. I think the current generation has less personal responsibility than the WWII generation. People tend to depend on their parents, other family members, or guardians, and easily give up; increasing suicide rates is an extreme example of giving up a life.
Everyone would think getting an education is easy so you wouldn’t need a minimum wage job, but it isn’t. College tuition has gone up and so have private schools and catholic schools. Some private schools are at the cost of some colleges. Education has become very expensive, that people decide not to attend college and rather work a low paying job to get by. Some young adults are responsible for college payments if they want to further their education to make something of themselves because their parents do not have the financial funds to pay for it. People may think that parents just don’t want to pay for it, but that’s not the case, they just cannot afford it on their minimum wage job so young adults are forced to get jobs in areas such as department and grocery stores, or
Girod, Gary. "Are The Millennials The Screwed Generation." Mag.newsweek.com. Joel Kotkin, 16 July 2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.
It is not very often that a common ground is not established when on the combined subjects of Millennials and entitlement. Some believe that the blame for entitled Millennials should be placed on Millennials themselves while others believe that the blame should be placed on society and those surrounding Millennials. A stereotypical Millennial
Blaising, Craig A., Kenneth L. Gentry, and Robert B. Strimple. Three Views On the Millennial and Beyond. Counterpoints. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999.