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And it hasn't been taken over by the trolls or personal attacks.
I am in sales, so type A is often expected. That said, the millennials on sales teams, I have worked on, work just as hard, we all have to, or be replaced.
Possibly the common complaint is.........graduated, move back in with parents, get disillusioned, stop looking for work, and just ***** and complain, refuse to take retail jobs. Who would not be bitter under those circumstances.
I am a ''Baby Boomer'' and I am extremely computer/tech savvy.
What I hate is the presumption by younger people that I am not computer literate and lack experience in social media, etc because I am older.
Well I too am a BB and very tech savvy, but its generally a very good bet to assume that we aren't. Also, I don't know about you, but i am finding I'm not as on the cutting edge with apps, techniques and so forth as i once was, not to be confused with being an early adopter of consumer goods.
To answer the question, it still amazes me how many folks from the older generations have nearly nothing in computer skills. We're talking basic stuff here - email, Word documents, etc. I understand the reluctance to switch to new technology, but this stuff really isn't that "new" anymore, and does make life a lot easier than writing everything down on paper then tossing in a pile somewhere while hoping you'll be able to find it again later.
Er, we invented things like cell phones, the internets, programming, personal computers, and most of the other technology you youngsters rely on.
Or maybe the younger generation believes this is something that just "appeared" because they decided to grace us with their presence.
Er, we invented things like cell phones, the internets, programming, personal computers, and most of the other technology you youngsters rely on.
Or maybe the younger generation believes this is something that just "appeared" because they decided to grace us with their presence.
Obama told them they didn't build that.
But seriously. To answer the OP;
The skills I see lacking in many BB is the desire to continue to learn.
I'm not talking about technology adoption. I can point to as many tech-illiterate in one generation as the next.
But in the US there seems to be a lack of desire to acquire new skills outside core competency after 45.
I'm talking like accountants taking painting or Tech people learning classic literature.
millennials were taught that they can do anything. And that simply trying or showing up was an accomplishment. BB are not willing to try and continue doing something they are bad at.
Speaking as Generation X member, I think the skill Millennials are most missing is how to slack. I mean, sure, my generation epitomizes slackerdom, but they could at least make the effort, especially when dealing with Boomer bosses.
Everyone knows when you first get a job you've got to put forth a frenetic and enthusiastic effort for a while, at least for a few weeks or until the next group of new hires comes by. Millennials aren't so terrible at that. After that, you can just lean back, surf the web, make personal calls/texts, and BS around the water cooler, right?
Right! But you have to do it correctly. For instance, say you're on a personal call and the boss comes by. Do you wave him to silence while you continue to speak? NO! You raise your voice, say something like "Gotta go, Bill, duty calls", and hang up. ("Bill" may or may not be who you are talking to, but it should be a common name among your co-workers. Not going to fool anyone, but leaves you a mental out with the boss). That you stopped what you were doing to be attentive gives your boss the ego-boost he needs. With texting, just stop and set the phone down.
For web surfing, you've got windows for a reason. Always keep something work related up on the screen. Put personal stuff behind other windows or minimize it when the boss comes by. And it should go without saying, but no porn unless you're in the industry.
I could go on, but the place absolutely refused to embrace proper use of computer technology, despite this being 2014, not 1994. Whenever issues were raised about this by our customers (Lockheed, etc.) and company management, the 2 angry old guys that basically controlled my little department got enraged about it and basically said, "this is the way we did it 20 years ago, why do we have to change?" That's the type of attitude I'm pointing out. I'm well aware it is rare, but it also directly contributed to the death of this small business, so it is a real problem.
There's a fine line I think employers need to walk and that is they don't have to update constantly and at the same time realize that there is only so far they can go without updating.
At work I use Office 2010. A few PC's have 2013. No one as of yet has noticed significant differences to validate updating. This was already preinstalled on devices bought so it was built into the cost.
We're not a software intensive employer.
At the same point however we do use some vendors that require more modern systems. What this means is windows 7 and probably the latest versions of chrome. That's not that big of an issue but at a prior employer they were using pc's easily a decade old. Floppy drives were still on them, windows xp, office 2003 etc. There's way too many users that never got off of XP and the countdown is coming.
Open systems eventually defeat closed systems. Otherwise you end up in a situation where a handful of programmers gradually age, ask for a ton of money and the place goes into a panic mode (like you said) if they leave.
Speaking as Generation X member, I think the skill Millennials are most missing is how to slack. I mean, sure, my generation epitomizes slackerdom, but they could at least make the effort, especially when dealing with Boomer bosses.
Everyone knows when you first get a job you've got to put forth a frenetic and enthusiastic effort for a while, at least for a few weeks or until the next group of new hires comes by. Millennials aren't so terrible at that. After that, you can just lean back, surf the web, make personal calls/texts, and BS around the water cooler, right?
Right! But you have to do it correctly. For instance, say you're on a personal call and the boss comes by. Do you wave him to silence while you continue to speak? NO! You raise your voice, say something like "Gotta go, Bill, duty calls", and hang up. ("Bill" may or may not be who you are talking to, but it should be a common name among your co-workers. Not going to fool anyone, but leaves you a mental out with the boss). That you stopped what you were doing to be attentive gives your boss the ego-boost he needs. With texting, just stop and set the phone down.
For web surfing, you've got windows for a reason. Always keep something work related up on the screen. Put personal stuff behind other windows or minimize it when the boss comes by. And it should go without saying, but no porn unless you're in the industry.
My personal favorite getting noticed. Want me to work more than 50 hours ok boss man. Emails at 11 PM and replies and 6AM followed by a return to bed suits a micromanager like you just fine. And who said playing games can't be fun. But hey I am upper range Gen X so I get it.
I think that like most Gen Xers I did not learn about computers in school. I learned on the job and became quite good at the things I need to do my job. I didn't learn everything there was to learn about using computer programs in school because that stuff just didn't exist. I am sure that if your mother need to learn Excel she would learn it. Not knowing how to do a specific task does not mean she can't use technology.
Generation Xers were actually the first to regularly learn computers in school. By the early 1980s, when the first Gen-Xers were graduating, my school district had purchased computers, and by the mid-late 1990s, when the last of the Gen-Xers graduated, computers were an everyday part of life for many people. However, for earlier Gen-Xers, computers may have just been a class in high school or middle school, and then promptly forgotten. However, even those who have forgotten the specifics have more of a foundation for learning computers than previous generations.
Generation Y or the "Millennials" had computers from at least early elementary school, so most are natural with them, though I heard a girl in her mid-20s complain that jobs (which for her would probably be at Walmart or McDonalds) require too many computer skills. Such describes my brother, who did not do well at school (although his GED scores were very good!) and did not get much exposure to computers with me always on ours. So not all "Millennials" are computer-savvy, though most are.
I really wonder about the next generation. Will they grow up with the computer-savviness that characterizes most of Generation Y? They all seem to use mobile devices.
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And who said playing games can't be fun. But hey I am upper range Gen X so I get it.
