This peculiar statistic has been attributed to the large number of recent college grads who have recently entered the job market, and to the special breed of self-confidence that has flourished among their generation.
This NY Times article blames the strange sense of entitlement among the kids of Gen Y - aka the "why worry?" generation - on "parents who overstoked their self-esteem, teachers who granted undeserved A’s and sports coaches who bestowed trophies on any player who showed up."
But perhaps these well-educated (and, importantly, well-informed) college grads are just no longer willing to settle for the shitty hand their counterparts have played in years past. Maybe they are sick of employers taking advantage of a competitive market to expand the (already obnoxious) phenomenon of unpaid internships beyond part-time, supplemental learning experiences into full-time, full-responsibility, unpaid jobs.
I say right on, Gen Y. You may be hyperactive and cocky, but you sure know how to stick it to the man.
Yes, maybe the previous generations WERE damaged by all the criticism lack of support. Gen Yers seem to be pretty optimistic and unperturbed in general, and we sure need them to be!
ReplyDeleteI see this as most certainly a positive development. A lot of us grew up in a world witnessing adults who were clearly miserable at their jobs but were too scared to quit out of economic concerns, or because they wanted to start a family or -- worse yet -- that they started a family at a young age and now were shackled to their miserable desk job because the income had become too important.
ReplyDeleteWhen offered a decent job at a newspaper two years ago, I was unimpressed with the offer, but it was also all that had come along in a rough job market. I turned it down and moved to New York instead to try to hack it as a freelancer. It hasn't been the easiest (or most financially stable) route, but it has most certainly been the right move and led to more personal growth than accepted that job would have.
I think a lot of that self-confidence comes from our generation's understanding of the entrepreneurial nature of the internet. Can't find a job? No one will hire you? Start your own company! Publish your own web site! It may not work in the long run, and the rewards may be far off, but at least you're doing what you love instead of settling for whatever is available in the job market, working half-passionately for someone else's dream.
In essence, when technology makes the playing field flat, people ask: who are you to tell me I can't do this?
PS - For the record: I do not have a trust fund, nor have I ever met anyone with one