It's a myth that baby boomers have a stronger work ethic than later generations
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I work with several Millennials that do work hard. The problem is Millennials think they are obligated to skip the steps to progression. Millennials don't think they should mop the floors and work their way up the ladder...they want it now. For me this is the main reason that I see Millennials as very selfish, self righteous, needy, etc.
Boomers, as they begin to exit the stage (bless'em), leave this country more fractious, more in debt and with less hope for the future than any generation since the Great Depression. Many will blame some external source outside themselves, but history doesn't disambiguate when it refers to generations. Left, right, middle or uninvolved, in the historical perspective they all take the blame if for no reason other than they didn't stop it.
I expect to get flamed for this opinion but the proof is in the pudding.
Boomers were born into a world on fire (Bay of Pigs, anyone?). In spite of the challenges that the Old Guard and the good ol' boys had created, Boomers ushered in the Civil Rights movement, womens' rights, and a wave of technology that literally changed the way the world operates.
No generation is perfect but just keep this Boomer song in mind when you're tempted to be a hater:
I don't know about work ethic (my opinion is people are overall pretty lazy, since we are generally coddled by technology and all that "makes life easier") but I can say with confidence the younger generation expects far more reward for far less effort. I am 30, and have been a non-traditional student for the past few years. I am surprised by the expectations of my younger peers- six-figure salaries, important titles/functions, etc. Yet many of them have never worked outside of a summer internship, or the occasional weekend shift scooping ice cream or whatever. The lack of work experience and naivete about what to expect in the workforce is pretty glaring when you consider how exceedingly competitive the market is. Well-educated, experienced professionals have trouble finding great jobs with considerable benefits and comp- why should anyone fresh out of college?
It's naivete, or arrogance. Take your pick.
Your post reminds me of my 23 year old stepson, who just graduated from college.
His mommy has enabled him for years, spending an inheritance on his college (and he went to college for over five years for a four year degree) so he wouldn't have to work. He didn't even do any sort of internship. He basically went to school part time for about six years and FINALLY graduated, which is a good thing because by that time my husband (his dad) and I were thoroughly put out with subsidizing his party lifestyle. (For those of you doing the math, he graduated at age 17 due to his birth date, and he took college courses in high school supposedly to get a jump start on college - and still went on to college part time for the next five years).
As graduation approached - along with "real life" - he began to panic as he realized that he was going to have to actually be an adult and get a job. FINALLY. (His dad and I were in a state of shock over this attitude, having worked every chance we could since we were in our early teens.) I recall one time a few months ago when he literally whined to his dad, "But I'm competing in a GLOBAL market!" and his dad said, "Son, you're not competing with anyone if you haven't filled out any job applications."
He tried to get into law school - saying all the time, "Now you understand that if I go to law school, I will need to put all my effort into school" (ie, "I am not willing to work but I expect you to continue to pay for me to live while I take three years to go to a two year program") - but wasn't able to do so.
Finally, it took his dad literally cutting off the money (not sure what his mom is doing - she's probably run out of money by now), for his son to realize dadgummit, he had to get a job. And guess what - due at least in part to his incredibly skimpy resume which does nothing but showcase what a special snowflake he has been for the past eight years, he had to get a job at a restaurant.
He is FURIOUS. But the truth is, he needed to be working in that restaurant five years ago. If he'd started there five years ago, he'd be further along a career path by now. He set himself back voluntarily. He HONESTLY expected to start a full time, professional job making at least $50k a year right out of college (with a Business degree) with a resume that clearly shows he hasn't been working this entire time.
And no generation is imperfect either! All kinds of good things came from the boomers, can't be denied any more than the bad.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KathrynAragon
Boomers were born into a world on fire (Bay of Pigs, anyone?). In spite of the challenges that the Old Guard and the good ol' boys had created, Boomers ushered in the Civil Rights movement, womens' rights, and a wave of technology that literally changed the way the world operates.
No generation is perfect but just keep this Boomer song in mind when you're tempted to be a hater:
I give you this song from the bard of your generation (and a Nobel laureate now to boot).
No one ever dies wishing they'd spent more time at the office.
Our generation is in the process of overturning our nation's obsession with material gain and other s--- that doesn't actually make you happy. We're also going to be healthier and live longer.
Boomers got paid some of the best wages than any generation prior or since.. they got their pensions, built up their fortunes, and now can sit in their retirement homes in Florida shaking their fingers and snubbing their noses at the millennials for not wanting to take that $13/hour factory job.
They had the DOW JONES rise from 1,000 to 10,000, effortlessly building their nest-egg which is now worth quite a bit. Thanks to ever decreasing interest rates and increasing demand, their real estate exploded in price in many areas, which only helped them even more.
Now to get ahead you have to rack up $25000 or more in college debt or work full time while attending college or spend until age 35 paying the debt off... we are supposed to adapt to changing times and stop whining... I've done that and I'm grateful for my situation, but I don't snub my nose at people underneath me or pretend I'm someone special... we're all replaceable monkeys and I'm grateful at the fast food worker or restaurant cook or dishwasher doing the work I would not want to do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gunion Powder
No one ever dies wishing they'd spent more time at the office.
Our generation is in the process of overturning our nation's obsession with material gain and other s--- that doesn't actually make you happy. We're also going to be healthier and live longer.
Good point. I'd rather have less toys and have more time off work. I have no interest in a massive motor-home, boats I'll use twice a year, etc. I buy my cars used and got my house for $20K less than I can sell it for. Money doesn't bring happiness but that doesn't mean I'm going to blow it all at bars and restaurants like many millennials do (many of my co-workers admit to probably spending $20-30k in bars during their 20's throwing out big money on overpriced drinks they buy anyone and everyone... kudos to them I'm too cheap for that besides I'm not into bars)
My co-worker told me he and his girlfriend have smoked a combined 3 packs a day the last 15 or so years. Using an average per pack price of 4 and 5 dollars over that time period I calculated they spent between $65000 and $82000 on cigarettes.
As a whole, I do believe that the baby boomers have a more dedicated work ethic. But the gains they realized were much greater than an equivalent effort put in by subsequent generations currently in the workplace. On top of that, they gutted pretty much every industry out there for their own gains. If you can name it, they probably wrecked it. Health care, education, finance, real estate, etc.
The disproportionate gains that they realized fueled the notion that they were much harder working than the Xs and Ys. To prove it to themselves, they look at what they amassed over the course of their lifetimes, and compare it to the slower growth of subsequent generations that can't do what the they did, attributing their gains to their work ethic, not the product of numerous bubbles that they rode and popped at the expense of the future generations.
Many of these things have fueled an enormous generation gap, especially in the workplace at the present time.
It will be interesting to see how the country changes as boomers retire and eventually pass on. There is going to be an elder care bubble, probably an assisted living bubble, a death care bubble, and who knows what else. There might be a vacant real estate bubble too, because all of those younger workers aren't making the money that their parents were making and can't afford to have multiple homes or huge property. The previously mentioned educational expense is a serious problem. My undergraduate degree now costs over $250,000. Yep, a quarter of a million. Just undergrad. Obviously there's a diminishing return here, but even at a fraction of that, a young person is starting out financially handicapped from day one.
Also interesting will be the changes to the workplace. The next generation X is a smaller generation and may not be able to fill all of the roles at the rate that they will be vacated by qualified people. In addition, the Y generation has a lot of people whose careers never started at all, or were diverted into lower service industry jobs with different skills that don't port into other fields. I'm not sure how this will all shape the future of the American workforce and workplace. In Germany, companies are offering incentives to keep older workers from leaving because they are running out of people to fill the roles. I don't know if that will happen here.
Not saying boomers are bad people at all, but they had some big advantages that aren't extending to younger people.
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