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My company hires most employees right out of college. Recently, I had to work with one and was surprised about her attitude. She was very negative and didn't want to work. I asked her what her dream job was or what she would rather be doing than this job. She said she didn't have a dream job and would just like to be outside, hiking, anything outside. I was surprised at this. I was talking to another lady in the office who is older and she works around a lot of the younger, twenty year olds. She told me that they gripe a lot about the work they are doing.
Anybody else see this where they work? Why do these young people not like working? At our office, they don't always work from 8 to 5; we require overtime certain times of the year.
Are their parents pushing them to get a college degree? I may not always like every thing I have to do at work, but I realize that a person has to do some things they don't like. Overall, I like what I do.
Entry level jobs aren't fun, everyone knows that. Even if you're on your chosen career path, you're doing everything that the people that have your "dream job" would rather not do. Furthermore, most jobs aren't all that fufilling, and most people work because they have to in order to afford food, shelter, family life, travel, and hobbies. Who dreams of being an insurance agent or slaughterhouse worker? The economy doesn't care what your dreams are, so people adapt to what's offered. I don't endorse her alleged laziness and whinging, but... there's a reason it's called work.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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I don't see this. My last company had tons of interns and people right out of college (it was in clean tech) and I was blown away by the ability of new grads we hired. Worked long hours (and eligible overtime people wouldn't even clock all the hours they were working knowing their supervisor wouldn't approve but worked anyway to get the job done well). Always plugged in. Great computer skills. Worked fast. The only flaw I really saw is some were too much of a perfectionist, and some lacked soft people skills, but that is to be expected. It was really rather intimidating at times for me (I'm in my 40s), but it was great. Most moved up fairly quickly.
My experience with 20-somethings new to the workforce was very positive. The new grads seemed to be very well prepared and eager to learn new things on the job. Most of them were very hard-working and had good social skills. Maybe the OP's company is hiring the wrong new grads.
I don't see this. My last company had tons of interns and people right out of college (it was in clean tech) and I was blown away by the ability of new grads we hired. Worked long hours (and eligible overtime people wouldn't even clock all the hours they were working knowing their supervisor wouldn't approve but worked anyway to get the job done well). Always plugged in. Great computer skills. Worked fast. The only flaw I really saw is some were too much of a perfectionist, and some lacked soft people skills, but that is to be expected. It was really rather intimidating at times for me (I'm in my 40s), but it was great. Most moved up fairly quickly.
I agree. I think it depends on the field and what the job is.
If it's a call center that has lower requirements (i.e. educational), then I could see how the OP can say this. However, if you get into something like engineering, I think this is less common.
I think it's more dependent on the future track of the position and the corporate culture. Prior to my current job at a software company, I worked in IT call centers along with many other people in their 20s. No one went the extra mile because call centers are stressful and dead end. Everyone knew this.
At this new position, people work harder, not only because they are compensated better, but because they generally like what they are doing. Survival or low end jobs will always have people "dragging along" because they see little value in the position.
If this is more than rare at your business (you did not make it clear if it was only one person or not), then there is a high chance it is due to your organization's hiring policies/managers. I worked very hard in college and graduated with numerous accomplishments on my resume that prove it. In various cover letters I have emphasized my wish to give the job the same level of commitment. Yet, I have still struggled to get a job, and in at least half of of my conversations/phone interviews (rare as they are) with recruiters and hiring managers, I have either subtly or not-so-subtly been informed that my high GPA, other accomplishments, and desire to set the bar high in my work are specific negative indicators for "cultural fit" in their organization. This is certain to be the problem in many of the large amount of cases where I am not even contacted in the first place.
I have seen many of these people you are talking about within my generation, but when there are also plenty of people like me, you have no right to complain UNLESS your complaint also extends to the organization for creating a hiring system that weeds out the hard workers you say you want.
I see a lot of old people at work with an attitude that they'll just collect that paycheck until retirement then rely on social security after because there is nothing else going on for them short term career wise. It goes both ways.
Hmm... it's been a few weeks since the last "young people s*ck" thread on this forum. Glad to see we're back on schedule.
Quite frankly, she was honest with you. She'd rather be hiking or doing something of meaning with her life vs. sitting in an office, toiling away for somebody else, and putting up with heaven only knows what form of office politics go on in the place.
Nobody's "dream job" is to sit in a cubicle from 8 to 5 working with a bunch of random people for a paycheck. And that doesn't even factor in the stress, layoffs, office politics, and other BS. It's also possible she doesn't have a "dream job" because she knows darn well that employees are disposable these days, so there's no point in being attached to a job. Young people aren't stupid - they are keenly aware of what's been going on in the economy lately.
Long story short, if she can do the job, I'd keep her. She's at least being honest with you vs. giving you some BS story about how coming to work every day to work for this company specifically is all she's ever wanted to do.
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