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Ryan Healy graduated Penn State University in the Spring of 2006. He recently left his consulting position to start 
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New here? Employee Evolution is dedicated to helping the Millennial generation answer the hard-hitting questions that come with the biggest transition of our lives. Be sure to visit our about section for the full story. Since you're here, check out our best articles in the archives. We've also put together a list of some Millennial-friendly employers on our jobs page. Any questions? Feel free to contact us.
As you may or may not know, older generations have been studying, surveying and writing about what makes us millennials so unique for years now. It has already been established that we as a generation are different. As always, no traits can define an entire generation, but we all grew up in the same time period and share some similar life experiences. The question now is why are we so different? And, how are we going to change things in the work place over the next 5 or 10 or 20 years?
We may be different because of the enormous amount of new technology that we have grown up with and now take for granted. We have always had computers; we can’t imagine our teenage and college years without cell phones, AIM and the ability to have information at our fingertips through the internet. Is this what makes us so unique?
We may be different because we have grown up with constant change and therefore have an innate ability to thrive in any new circumstance. From pagers and car phones to the internet and cell phones, we have seen and adapted to new technologies at a pace unparalleled in American history. Maybe we need this constant change to continue in our jobs. Maybe we can’t simply adapt to the status quo of the corporate environment. Is this what makes us so unique?
We may be different because we really are the children of a new age. Not since 1850’s Has America seen a fundamental shift like we have seen in the past 10 years. We are indeed in a new era in history, the Information Age. Maybe us millennials simply do not understand how or why we should fit into a corporate structure that was designed over 150 years ago during the industrial revolution. Is this what makes us so unique?
We may be different because our parents, teachers, aunts and uncles have told us since day one that we could do “whatever we set our minds to” and we should “find a job/career that we love.” Now we find ourselves in careers that we have settled for and jobs that we don’t even like. We work for corporations large and small that deny our creativity, passion and drive to do what we set our minds to by telling us what to do rather than asking for input.
Why didn’t they tell us this harsh reality growing up? Why weren’t we warned that doing what we love is not always practical in the current environment if we want to sustain or improve on the life our parents provided for us?
Maybe it’s because they knew we were different. Maybe we were being groomed from birth to change the way things work. Maybe the answer to getting out of working paycheck to paycheck at a dead end job is not to find a new, better job. Maybe the answer is to change the fundamental structure of the corporate world so everyone can enjoy their jobs. Maybe we can achieve this if we make our voices heard.
We have been labeled “Americas next Great Generation.” It is my prediction that by the time we are leading this country, things will be different and eventually we will live up to the title. Why should we wait 20 years to do this? Maybe I’m crazy and maybe these are the same thoughts everyone generation had at 22 years old. But there is one glaring difference - the numbers are in our favor.
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Leave your thoughts here. (5 responses)
- 1 Pingback on Jul 7th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
I completely agree that our generation is unique. Our workplace will change, whether it is by an “employee evolution” or an “employee revolution.” We have been taught to achieve our dreams, and we are the first generation that continues to think that in adulthood. Because of that, the idea of a 7-6 job will change.
Though, we are generalizing on how our generation is unique, it is important to recognize that not our whole generation might feel that way. Though the number of people attending college is increasing, its still
I have given some thought to how work would be for us in 20 years, and here are some ideas:
- Everyone will have multitude of roles instead of one. Each one different: addressing individual needs or passion. A person ight have four, 2-3 hour jobs. They could work as a software architect, a graphic designer a construction worker, and a middle school teacher, all in the same day. See Penelope Trunk’s post on the link below:
blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/07/04/the-portfolio-career-to-find-fulfillment-try-simultaneous-careers/
- We will all work remotely instead of having desk jobs, since wireless will be the standard. You still might meet with a group on a regular basis, but it might be at conference rooms at Starbucks, or at a park.
- Instead of having a job, we will all work on a contract/consultant basis. No work, no pay. No performance, no bonus. Everyone will work for everyone based on the need. Social structures will play a much bigger role in how one finds work.
- Salary/Pay information will be much more accessible which will cause pay scales to become more uniform and more correlated to demand and supply, than the current sytems which lacks full information and can be different between organizations, societies, cultures, etc.
- Though corporations will exist, they will be shell entities solely for the purpose of defining the goal and getting people together, but not for managing them.
I think if I showed this list to someone in the older generation who’s worked at a company for 15 years, they would call me crazy, but you might recognize that some of these changes are taking place now!
“At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope that it can be done, then they see that it can be done–then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.” - Frances Hobson Burnett
KV,
Interesting predictions about the future of work. I have heard other people predict similar things. To me this sounds likea great way to work and could very well happen in the future. I want to make a couple points though. Everyone could work on 2-3 projecets, but working as an IT person then an accountant and then a teacher may not be the best way to do things. There will be no specialization and the caliber of work will go way down. Also, driven people with college degrees can work as independent contractors like you say, but less fortunate people will probably still need to be employed. Companies will need to staff some people to take care of day to day things, so this could actually work out.
overall I like the idea, I’m interested to see what happens as we get older. By the way, I think the change will be more of an “Employee Revolution,” but it won’t be an all out rebellion. I predict more of a quiet revolution. Also, it just doesn’t sound as good as “Employee Evolution!”
Thanks for the comment.
-Ryan
Personally, I believe that our generation has learned that we can change the way the world works through consumerism and technology than government or policy.
I think, with any generation (or revolution, haha), it will take time for us to obtain power. Power in the sense that we can shape the country, businesses, policies, etc. Instead of just up-and-leaving companies we don’t like we’ll start to settle and instigate change.
Over time people will start listening us. We’ll earn respect, power and probably change a whole bunch. But, that’s why it might take a few years…