Those darn millennials
- Details
- Published on Monday, December 7, 2015
By Vern May
Submitted Article
These days it seems like the scourge of the workforce is this group of young adults we’ve dubbed millennials. It has become fashionable to gripe about what we elders view as a sense of entitlement.
The millennial generation, which is loosely identified as kids born from the 1980s to early 2000s, have been given this handle as the first group to come of age in the new millennium.
On the positive side, this cohort of young adults is being categorized as confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and open to change. But that’s not what we hear about most when we assess the attributes of these newcomers to the responsibilities of adulthood.Instead, we hear that young people are coming into the workforce, thumbing their noses at entry-level positions. In a CNBC report earlier this year, they were also described as lazy, narcissistic and addicted to social media.
I had the opportunity to spend some time in the classroom this week with some of our area’s youth and I think the criticism levelled at them is unwarranted. As a Generation X’er myself, I don’t see the upcoming teens having any greater sense of entitlement or confidence than we did at that age. In fact, the restless youth entering the work force now may be more grounded than we or our parents were.
The difference though, is that we’re doing a much better job of preparing them for independence after high school. Programs such as junior achievement (being taught in Grade 9) are opening their eyes to the reality that minimum wage jobs without benefits may not allow them to pay their own bills. So our kids are opting to bypass a “McJob” in favour of career roles that will allow them a quality of life. Shouldn’t we be excited about that?
We have done our job as parents and educators to get our kids ready for the real world. Now we need to educate ourselves about how we are going to adapt in the workplace now that our kids are becoming our peers and colleagues in the job market.
“Millennials are hungrier and better educated than any generation in history, and they understand technology,” says Andrew Challenger in the CNBC report. “They are knocking at the door of people sitting in comfy positions and that’s where the negativity comes from – a real place of insecurity.”
The real challenge for us here in rural Manitoba is recognizing the ambition of this group and trying to create attraction opportunities which mirror the picture of success our kids envision for themselves. That doesn’t mean we harness their drive, but instead let them explore and experiment, then bring that wealth of knowledge and experience back to help us set the table for the generation that comes next.
Success starts with an open dialogue and we need to be talking with each other. Let’s continue the conversation and explore the possibilities that exist; email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone 204-867-3885. The best things around that I have ever seen came from small towns and big dreams.
