From atop my perch at the Stoa today I have to wonder about those of the younger generation entering the workforce.
The Millennials have been entering the workforce since around 2001, professionally every year after that. I see that they are/were the first half of that generational cohort to enter the adult world. They are a good mix of what my generation was, plus the technological enhancements that have since come on the scene. They are good in teams, work well in large groups, know how to network, and can be pretty stubborn when they need to be. They are the ones fighting in 4 wars today and doing their best to live in a down economy.
There are others that are entering the workforce now, at least since 2008 or so, that are showing signs of progressive social dysfunction. The middling and last wave of this Millennial generation (cut off at 2001 and now called the Homeland Generation) have lost the social abilities that the early wave possessed. They have come to rely on electronic relationships so much that they fail the test of basic sentence structure, syntax, and eye to eye contact in a conversation.
Many have been sheltered by there parents to the point where they really do not understand how the real world functions. An HR director told me that increasingly, he is having to tell parents that NO, they may not accompany their college-graduated son/daughter to the big employment interview. They can not string a sentence together that is intelligible to other people and do not understand the impact of personal interactions.
They are socially awkward, rude (don't get me started), and unaware that there are others in this world that have feelings or needs. Humans are there to serve them and their needs just as their moms and computers have been since they were old enough to be aware.
In the workforce they tend to be apathetic and wondering where their raise and corporate car is after 6 months of employment.
On a personal note, they are the most drugged generation on record. When they show signs of stress or difficulty coping, they are proscribed anti-depressants. When they were children and were hyper, they were told they had ADD or ADHD and promptly put on drugs for that as well.
Are they a failed generation, this last half of the cohort? How have they failed, have they failed, and who failed them?
I think that the Boomers and Gen-X'ers have failed the ones that have honestly failed (not the ones that were destined to fail all on their own).
Boomers, on one end, have pampered and preened over their darlings (I'm talking about the early X'ers and Late Millennials) and told them how wonderful they are and how the world is just theirs to play in. They were never given goals or responsibilities so as adults they do not know how to formulate goals or show any kind of responsibility. Those X'ers then had late wave Millennials for children and passed on all the pampering and protection that they received from their parents. No lack of money, since the economy was booming for over 20 years, no lack of toys, electronic or otherwise. They got what they wanted when they wanted it. Now as adults they expect others to give them what they want when they want it. That things require money and work never really crossed their minds before. This goes equally for those later Millennials that come from late X'ers and Early wave Millennials themselves.
X'ers who had to fend for themselves in the 80's are raising, for the most part, good Millennials. They are being taught to stand up on their own feet and earn what they want.
Today's children are being told that they are dysfunctional. They are being told that they need medicine to be "normal", even when that child does not really know or understand what "normal" is any longer. How can they know? They are just kids. They watch programming that is adult in theme, but marketed at kids (think MTVs "Skins"). Just because they are 13 or 14 and look like they are 18 or 20 does not make them mentally mature. They are unequipped for the mature content and wholly unequipped to deal with it in the real world.
Let me hammer on this for a bit. Just because they look mature does not make them mature. The only thing that grants maturity is life and the experience that life grants us. Usually through trial and error...but mostly error.
You can not expect a 14 year old, that looks 18 to have the self-coping mechanisms to tell older boys, "NO", when they are being flirted with. They will fold under peer pressure and their social network unless they have a strong sense of personal identity. This is hard to develop while living in a wet fog of anti-depressants and psychiatric appointments. Likewise, you can not expect them to understand the ramifications of their parents' divorce the way that an older woman would. When that child shows stress, as even an adult would, they are given drugs. Drugs are not the answer for these kids. They need mentors and role models. They need navigators who will help them around the rocks and reefs of life especially when their parents are dysfunctional themselves or simply too busy to give them the attention they require. They need to make mistakes, but not catastrophic ones. They need accomplishments that are theirs and not hollow accomplishments to "make them feel good" (think trophies for being present). They need adults or older peers who can, non-threateningly, give them advice that they will feel that they can trust.
Parents used to fill that role, and still should. Where it breaks down, others need to step in. No, not the government, but friends and relatives. No judgement, just advice. Everyone has value. Everyone has worth. There is a role in this huge world for everyone, you just have to find it. Time wipes away most pain. It is a universal solvent for hope. If you live long enough, things change. It is up to you to shape that change in a positive way for you.
I love this saying by Dante, "Those that wait to be asked for help already half refuse." You don't have to wait to be asked if you see a need. Often times, people may be unaware that they need help, or they are simply too proud to admit that they need help. Shame is a powerful force. Disarm the shame and the personal defenses and simply be available for your friends and associates. Let them know that you will not think less of them if they need an ear to pour their troubles in.
Live well, everyone.
--Zavost
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