re: Study Finds American Millennials To Be Some Of The World's Least Skilled People

My buddy has worked for 4 different companies in the past 5 years, and his income has almost doubled

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"I've been here for a couple years so I've got vacation, I'm halfway to owning my entire 401k, and I'm reasonably established. I'm going to need a good monetary incentive to leave."

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Exactly. The first time I made a move in the big boy job world was on the tenth anniversary of my hire date. I was fully vested in 401K, had stock options that were worth a pretty penny, and had developed the skills and the network needed to succeed anywhere. Then jobs come TO YOU rather than you going after jobs. There's nothing special about me, except for my extreme intelligence, my networking ability, my connections, the fact that I'm absurdly good looking, and my girthy penis. You too, can get ahead in business. I'm living proof.

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Truth is, you have to figure out a way to network early on. Nepotism is great if your the one getting the job. Otherwise, you have to establish a relationship with someone at the decision-making level, or know someone who can vouch for you. It sucks, but that's how the world works.

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Yep. It took networking to get my first job, and it has been networking that has gotten me every job since. I have a great paying job now that I had waiting for me at graduation, but it took an inordinate amount of hustle, far more than my father's generation needed and exponentially more than most people in my own generation could understand in order to get that job. One of the many essential skills that our public school system fails to teach is how to land a job. They don't teach where to look, who to talk to, how to make a resume that will put you in a positive light, how to dress, what to say in an interview, how to keep in touch with recruiters, ect. I was lucky that my major had steller student and alumni associations which helped me network. i was also fortunate to have friends and family who had just gone threw the same struggles and could teach me how to play the game.

Most people in my generation do not have those advantages. It seems all too easy to throw one's hands up and do nothing when they can't find a job, receive government benefits or assistance from their parents that keeps them living in relative comfort, and do not have some pressing need for money (i.e. a family to support).

In and around BR doing environmental work. Started as an air quality tester, then working on jobsites basically as a foreman for this company that did removal (did the union), then air/water quality inspector, and now working as a compliance guy in a plant

This is my take. I was born in '72.

People are merely products of their times. There is no vast conspiracy of entire generations of people to be better or worse than previous generations. People are just people.

The boomers came of age in a time when television speeded changing perceptions of war and social issues. This period of our history is somewhat unprecedented, and resulted in a heavy trend toward mistrust of government and elders of society. Combined with the drug/hippie culture upswing leading into the 70's and then the AIDS epidemic bringing promiscuity and "me-ism" into a rapid decline. The worst boomer qualities seem to be selfishness and willingess to sell out younger generations for their own benefit.

This set the stage for the x-ers. These guys were around during the rise of the personal computer, video games, cable television and eventually wide use of cell phones. Many of them grew up in the Reagan-dominated 80's and enjoyed a brisk economy and winning the cold war. There was more disposable income and American exceptionalism was eroding almost imperceptibly slowly. Divorce became a more common phenomenon at this time, and many kids were spending more time "raising themselves" since the single moms were more likely to have a job or two and less likely to rely on government aid compared to today. Such a scenario is felt to be suboptimal for child rearing by today's standards, but one could argue this could instill a greater sense of self-reliance in those that learned to cope. A college education was not nearly as expensive (though getting there) and your degree still meant a fair amount, especially in STEM fields. These guys were better with technology than their older peers, but not as reliant on conveniences as the generation to come.

The millenials are largely too young to remember 9/11, have always had internet and cell phones, and live in a time of rapid proliferation of all types of techno-gadgets. Social media has evolved greatly as they continue to come of age. Diversity is increasingly hard-wired into their education. There are campaigns against bullying and a social push for greater tolerance and recognition of everyone as intrinsically special. Parents in general are putting much more effort into giving them "good" childhoods. These guys are more comfortable with all forms of technology and less able to easily handle tasks not geared for shortcuts. Also, less able to deal with interpersonal conflict and adversity due to not having to experience as much of it, due to their developmental world being somewhat "bubble-wrapped." Their college degrees don't mean as much as mine, though STEM degrees remain good investments for the most part. American exceptionalism has eroded more noticeably as the rest of the world catches up and now there are many more skilled foreign workers for them to compete with. If the economy ever shifts into overdrive again, much of the malaise of this generation may be salved with more available high-paying jobs. Many from previous generations view them as whiny and self-centered, which is where some parallels to the Boomer generation can be perceived.

Generations should be judge really as "would I be that much different if I grew up in this particular era?" I think the answer is for most part, no. To waste time getting hung up on generational differences doesn't really accomplish much. It's really just lamenting that times have changed or that you don't fully understand the motivations of a particular group. The next generation will be just as baffling to those around to witness it coming of age.

They needed a study for this?

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i know im certainly shocked that you'd make ignorant, inaccurate, sweeping generalizations

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Feel free to debunk what he put out there.

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Unless he's moving around the country a lot, his reputation will precede him and he will hit a wall soon. I look for stability and the ability to adapt within an organization way before I look at education and "ambition."

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You have to weigh everything out, certainly, but you need to be ready to jump ship. Your employer will fire you without a second thought. We're basically cattle.

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Your way: Tons of young people living at home with no job and no hope of any future.

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Again, your fundamental problem is that you've confused cause and effect.

If you want to be the CEO of Caterpillar, you don't start out by digging ditches. Anyone who says otherwise is merely forwarding a bankrupt morality in the form of a myth.