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

Graduated HS in '96 and spent 7 years in the Navy before starting college in '03. Soon after starting college I realized that not only was I just older than the kids around me, they were of a different generation (as in, these kids weren't even close to being 18 year old versions of myself). One problem: They had cell phones from their entire adolescence onward and were never in a situation where they couldn't call for help.

One time a had a mechanical engineering student in a diff-eq class with me. He came in on a Tuesday AM class complaining that his toilet broke on Friday with unflushed business in the toilet, and that his whole apartment had now stunk. He had submitted the work request with his apartment complex, but maintenance had not stopped by to look at it yet.

I said I'd come look at it so I stopped by his apartment after class. Popped the lid off the tank and the only thing wrong with the toilet was the chain between the handle and the flushing valve had broken. All I had to do pull the half of the chain that was still attached to the flushing valve and flush it manually.

This was a mechanical engineering student. Anybody who has the desire to be a mechanical engineer should have a desire to attempt to figure out a toilet before letting your apartment reek for 30 minutes, let alone a whole weekend. Anyone over the age of 18 and pursuing engineering should have the intellectual curiosity to figure out how everything works in their house. But the problem is some of these kids were just never raised that thinking and doing for yourself was even an option....