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Ryan Paugh graduated from Penn State in 2006 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business. After working in corporate communications, freelance writing and reporting, he co-founded 
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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.
Whenever I think about patience (or lack thereof) I think about my good friend Kevin. He’s the poster-child for millennial ADD. Ever since I can remember, he has never been able to keep a job. Not because he’s lazy or incapable of doing the work – managers would love an army of Kevins on the job. His real problem is intolerance for sheer boredom…but who doesn’t have that problem?
It seems like a big part of being an entry-level worker is just waiting for something big to come your way. In the mean time, you bite your lip and act busy. Here at Employee Evolution, we’ve met plenty of millennials that cope with this sort of existence. Preceding generations say it’s normal. I say it sucks. And everyone who’s living with it is wondering where the hell to draw the line.
If what our elders say is true, we’re supposed to keep on truckin’. Eventually we’ll have some real responsibility and the downtime will be nothing less than treasured. The problem is, I don’t live my life on blind faith.
How do you know you’re not just sitting in a dead-end job twiddling thumbs until eventually you get the boot? There’s certainly that risk in any position, but when you know your manager is not using you to the extent of your abilities, you start to wonder if the company really needs you.
And what about the time you’re wasting? There’s so many better ways to spend your day than just sitting around waiting for your time to shine. When does waiting end and taking action begin? The answer is not easy, but here are a few low-risk suggestions…
- Keep your options open – Don’t wait for things to end to start thinking about new beginnings. Keep your resume in the flow and continue to network.
- Annoy your boss – Yeah I said it! Constantly ask for more work, even if they never give you any. People rarely get fired for being too engaged at the office.
- Screw face-time! – If you’ve put in your 8 hours and accomplished nothing, don’t continue to waste your precious time. If you don’t already have a hobby, get one.
Now if you’re sick and tired of annoying your boss, already have an endeavor on the sideline and have your resume circulating on the MONSTER known as Monster.com, here is a crazy idea…create your own rules! Leave early if you have nothing to do. Start the day late when you have evening meetings. Don’t make any excuses when people ask where you were all day.
Follow this new mantra at your own risk – there’s a chance you could get fired. But who wants to work at a dead end job with nothing to do anyway? A good manager will recognize your new mind-set as a need for more work. A bad manager will write it off and call you careless. In that case, reevaluate how you feel about working for this person. You may burn a bridge or two, but in today’s world of invariability, a few burned bridges is not the end of the world.
Knowing when to get out isn’t easy and I’m no expert. I do know that Kevin’s erratic job-hopping is not the answer, either is sitting around and wasting your life. Hopefully some of our HR readers can take a stab at it for us. “Be proactive” is the answer I always get, but we all have our limits. How do you know when enough is enough?
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Leave your thoughts here. (18 responses)
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Radical suggestions but good points. I’ve left early and never been questioned. I get my work done… and done well.
I think about the many people sitting here wasting time barely accomplishing anything. Then I think, how the hell will we stay competitive in the next decade? We won’t. China, India and other developing countries are running at a steady pace, working harder every day. Here we are, loosing motivation and twiddling thumbs.
You read my mind once again, as I’m comtemplating where I’m going to draw my line and when. I haven’t been in this job long enough to feel like I’m beating my head against a wall.
Ryan,
I couldnt agree more with what you say. Truth is 90% of jobs are horribly boring and entry level jobs are even worse if thats possible. We are supposed to keep our lips shut and bend over for the man to advance in our profession. Some people just dont have that kind of tolerance and I don’t blame them.
ps i respect the Kevin shoutout.
It’s too bad that this is such a common theme for entry-levels, but I’m glad to see some great dialogue. Like I said, I hope some of our HR readers can take a gander at this post and give us a little direction…maybe they don’t even know.
Which is all the more reason to bring up the topic!
I would have to say that the best thing about doing co-ops at my school has been the opportunity to determine qualities that I DO NOT want in a job upon graduation. And on the days when it gets really bad to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, without feeling guilty or burning bridges — a nice, graceful exit. Although, I was discussing with a few other friends who are on co-op recently what the working world is going to be like when we’re at jobs (or working for ungrateful/incompetant/disrespectful bosses) that don’t have expiration dates. Maybe I’ll just stay in college forever…
That would be my recommendation.
-Ryan Paugh
Ryan:
Have you seen this yet?
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TO’B
What if your friend Kevin had complete CONTROL of his time? Meaning that he could do work whenever he wanted (as long as it got done) and the rest of this time was his to manage. Personally, the level of control I have over my work and my life make a big difference in feeling satisfied. Then one wouldn’t be sitting in a cube, bored to tears. As long as you’re an achiever, you’re free to do what you want. I would imagine that if Kevin operated this way, he’s also be quickly recognized for his good work and given career advancement opportunities at a faster rate!
I had this same issue when I first entered the workforce. Then my company adopted a Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE). Employees in a ROWE have complete autonomy to manage their work and their time in whatever fashion suits them best. It made a HUGE difference in my professional and personal lives.
Marissa:
I’ve heard of ROWE and I love the concept. I’d love for the opportunity to work in this type of environment. I hope more companys begin to follow suit.
-Ryan Paugh
As a Baby Boomer (born in ‘62), I can say that as a Manager, what I see and hear from the younger generation concerns me when thinking about Management Development. In order to become a good Manager, you have to have a good mix of knowledge and experience. I’ve never felt that the knowledge I obtained in college helped prepare me for the realities that occur in the workplace, but it was very useful in teaching me good habits that would eventually carry over into my worklife (i.e., deadlines, preparation, analysis, reliability, etc). I also believe that in order to become a good Manager, your experience must include good as well as bad experiences in your worklife. You need to be mentored by a good Manager as well as experience the terror of a micro-managing superior to understand the range of management styles that exist in the business world today. There is a value to starting in the trenches, as this illustration has been shown in some of the greatest leadership stories to date (i.e., the leader who leads his troops into battle). One cannot expect to “plop” into a Management position with all the tools intact. We saw this when MBA’s years ago failed to grasp the forces at work in the business world and assumed that because they had an advanced degree, they automatically ruled the business world. I understand we have a new generation of workforce and we need to tweak the way in which we motivate our younger workers to lead the next generation of business management, but don’t lose out on the value of starting from the bottom and working your way up. Millenials need patience - this issue about boredom reflects the unwillingness to start at the bottom, learn the ropes, and work your way up to the top. The opportunities will be there for you, but don’t expect that just because you are a millenial with a decent work attitude, that these mid-to-high level management positions are going to be handed to you left and right. Look for a mentor to instill his or her knowledge on you, think independently and observe any and all actions by others, and learn to develop a management style that creates a win-win situation for your company, your staff and yourself.
Alan,
I dont think anyone is asking for management positions right out of school. Like you say, even for an MBA, it makes no sense to be managing people who have done the job for years. However, an entry level job should not consist of hour upon hour of “down time.” In fact, down time should not even exist. Instead it should be not at work time.
As an entry level you can seach for a mentor, you can ask to do assignment after assignment, but after repeatedly being told to do mundane tasks or wait it out and do nothing, enough is enough.
If the truth about entry level jobs is that there will be alot of time when you don’t actually have work to do, then be up front with your new employee and tell them that. From talking with people and my own experiences I find this to be some sort of an “unspoken truth” in the corporate world.
Ryan - I understand your skepticism and desire to be provocative - which I much appreciate. No one should have to hang around the office with no work to do, and face-time is at least a partially obsolete requirement for doing SOLO work. While there is usually going to have to be some boring and drudge work to do early in a career (drudge work still exists and someone’s got to do it - plus that’s the way you learn some things), there is no excuse for routinely having no work. There is always something useful to be done in any organization to build for the future. This is a poor management issue
I will jump in and make a suggestion about how to “be proactive. I agree that taking the initiative to ask for more work is an excellent tactic, even if it has to be done repeatedly. That should make a positive impression and might get results.
If asking the manager/boss doesn’t yield a project they have in mind, here is a strategy to try that can produce something meaningful and stimulating to do (for Kevin-types and anyone else) - and can allow them to shine: Do some research and analysis to identify something you think needs to be done to improve the business and/or take advantage of opportunities you see for the future. Create a project for yourself around that need. Go to your manager with the idea. If you get no response, get started anyway in the time you have. (Don’t put this ahead of work you are directly asked to do. This is for unfilled time.) When you have something tangible done, not necessarily the completed project, bring your work to the manager and discuss it’s implications for the organization’s success. Savvy managers will see the value of the work and know it can make them look good. (You will have to grit your teeth if they want to take some ownership of your idea and work - but how to deal with that is advice for another time.)
One comment on burning a bridge or two. Sometimes it may be necessary, but I recommend you thInk hard before doing so. With all the job and career mobility, you never know when someone you burned bridges with is in a position to hire or promote you or not in some other company. Try to handle partings in a civilized way. Revenge only feels good for a few minutes and may bite you back later.
aI really enjoy this blog and find fodder for the *Cross-Generational Conversation* Forums I run.
Phyllis:
Great suggestion! It’s a tough task, but if you’re stuck in a rut, what else do you have to lose?
When I talk about “burning bridges” I didn’t mean to suggest the use of hostility. I just think it’s important that people my age (or anyone for that matter) recognize that if they’re uncomfortable in a position they can (and should) get out without the fear of retribution. But of course, do so with a sense of maturity.
Thanks again!
-Ryan Paugh
Hi Phyllis,
I think that is great advice. Everyone should take intitiative and be proactive. However, I have no interest in taking this initiative and fixing a problem so my manager can look good. There are just too many problems that need fixing outside of your corporate environment. If I take this initiative you mention, it will be to tackle a project on my own, outside of work. This will make me look good and could help me get out of the boring job that forced me to take action in the first place.
You could say this is selfish, but why work your butt off for someone else to get the credit. Inititiative and drive are great, but if my company is not supplying me with enough work, training and support, then I will find no reason to help them succeed. Do not expect loyalty just because you give me a paycheck!
Ryan (H),
You are selfish - it is a consistent theme in all your posts. Part of corporate life is occasionally sacrificing yourself to make the boss or company look good - that is part of the deal. If you don’t like it - leave to do that entrepreneural job that you and Penelope insist is so easy to cultivate. Hope your future employees don’t have your attitude.
There are very few people in my 10 years of working life that I have hoped would fail - but you are one of them. A little humility would do you good.
Why is this Jim guy talking about Healy on my post?!
Doesn’t he know it’s all about me?
Isn’t this blog somewhat entrepreneurial in nature? Are writers entrepreneurs? Huh…
Great Website!
I’ve been an active participant in this interesting struggle that our generation faces for nearly three years now (graduated early ’05 from UCLA). To fit into old, outdated archetypes of what a “job”, “career”, and “employee” are considered to be by much older people who grew up very differently from us. So differently that, from the pace at which our society is advancing, problems such as these begin to arise…
I believe that the way our generation is reacting to the “work world” is neither a “good” nor a “bad” thing, but that it’s merely the result of a massive generational gap that’s becoming more and more pronounced. People are living and working longer… Baby Boomers birthed the Gen-Xer’s, grumbled about them until they were properly assimilated… and now there’s our generation. We’re a bit different than the Xer’s. Most notably we were raised by these same Baby Boomers who grumbled so much about the Gen Xer’s (I have two half brothers who are in their late 30’s), though by the time we came along the Boomers had been wasting their lives away for 40 or so years in the “work world”, were even wealthier (and more assimilated into the dull routines of what they believe life should be). This wealth, combined with the experience of already having raised the previous generation (X) of course resulted in a new generation that was more educated, cultured, civilized, etc., and – because of these aspects, a generation that overall felt genuinely good about themselves and were excited to face the endless possibilities that life had to offer… This little conflict is just the result of a clash in generations with a 30-50 year gulf of time separating them.
The problem being generational, we have to look at the time periods in which the people that we’re working for were last at our level in their “career”… or even the age of the company itself… When was the corporate culture *cough* formed? This could have been 30-50, or more, years ago. That’s around half a lifetime. Think they’ll be changing their minds about what life and “work” are supposed to be anytime soon? Seems unlikely.
As civilization progresses, if it’s a successful society, so shall the people within that civilization progress. What we have now is the sizable majority of a (American) generation of people who have progressed and surpassed previous generations in nearly all areas of life. It’s the most educated and prosperous generation in human history… this means it’s different, hence the conflict. Change causes conflict.
This is forward progression. It spurs social evolution. It’s a good thing!
This comment turned into a little rant (sorry).
Ryan