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Raymond A.R. Jarosz is a member of the University of Notre Dame's Class of 2007 and an entrepreneur. After listening to his roommates and former schoolmates discuss their struggles within the corporate world, and after months of reading Employee Evolution, he felt compelled to try his hand at writing about these issues.
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I am 23 years old, and for myself and the rest of Generation Y, the ‘flat’ world and the age of complete digital interconnectivity was a trial by fire. And we didn’t even know it. We simply evolved with it.
I was born and raised in Orange County in upstate New York, and in my house I was the one (not my parents) who would try to fix the PC, wait on hold for 25 minutes and then speak to an Indian providing Dell tech support. I’d write an essay and ‘chat’ with 7 friends at once on Instant Messenger while my parents would tie up the house line for hours to speak to seven of theirs. When my family bought a cell phone I was 15, and it quickly became all mine because I was the one using it all the time. Ask any Gen-Yer and chances are they will relate through similar experiences.
This is the key disconnect behind employers’ inability to engage (and retain) Gen-Y. We grew up in a world completely unlike that of our bosses or older co-workers.
Sure, there are boomers out there that are 100 times more technically savvy than I will ever be – Bill Gates is not a bad example – but that isn’t the point. The point is that our ENTIRE generation grew up when technology was ubiquitous, not just some of us.
Exceptional boomers and Gen-Xers led the technology revolution, but Gen-Y has come to define it – Generation Y evolved with the flat world, every other generation just reacted to it. Until Generation Y began entering the workforce, the same thing was true of Corporate America – there was plenty of reaction and very little evolution.
The truth is that our generation has the greatest appreciation for the nature of today’s working world; ironically, my support for this lies in the assertion that we are the least aware of how dramatically the world has changed over the last twenty years. We didn’t notice and react to these changes – we grew up and evolved with them.
While older generations have continually adjusted, the application of technology in a millennial’s everyday life is intrinsic; it is second nature for us to look for ways to ‘work smarter.’ Ours is the first generation that has had the opportunity to grow up with technology, and we are making the most of it. This is why we are currently smack dab in the middle of an ‘Employee Evolution.’
Furthermore, we were never a part of the way things were before technology took over and a global workforce emerged, so don’t expect us to behave the way past generations have. If a company can outsource our job or get a computer to do it, they eventually will, and we know it. Therefore, as boomers retire and tens of millions of millennials pour into the workforce, the status quo will continue to rapidly change and we will continue to job hop, network, emphasize ‘work/life balance’, move home for a time after college, work smarter (not harder), be entrepreneurial and all-in-all further decentralize Corporate America.
The fact is that this instability simply doesn’t bother us as much as it does the older generations, and it isn’t going to change – Corporate America is.
With that said, let’s once and for all dispel this “I was the same way when I was your age” mentality. If the sentiments found on Employee Evolution sound similar to sentiments of past generations of young adults that is because they inevitably are, but there is certainly far more to the story than youthful rebellion.
Without a doubt, it is true that we ‘have it easier’ than any of the previous generations to enter the workforce. Such is the baggage of progress – rarely do the main beneficiaries fully appreciate how it ‘used to be.’
What is important to note this time around, however, is the extent of the recent progress. Generation Y has grown up in a flat world, where technology has revolutionized the fundamental ways in which we interact and communicate with the people around us. It is the only world we have ever known.
As we enter the workforce, of course concessions will be made – we’ll do work we don’t like, adjust to management that doesn’t relate well with us and ‘tolerate’ the working world in general. But at the end of the day, nobody will be able to change the fundamental ways in which we learned to interact with the world around us. Nothing will change the way we were socialized.
Therefore, as past generations have done, we will continue to innovate and progress, continue trying to improve Corporate America and the world in which we live, but the only difference this time is that we have far more power to affect change than any generation before us (thanks, technology).
We lucked out, and were born at a time when high-tech innovation leveled the playing field. As a result, there should be no resentment towards older/younger individuals, no matter what generation you are a part of. This is an age of opportunity for all of us.
Ten years ago there was no ‘blogosphere’, and people such as Ryan Paugh and Ryan Healy didn’t have a place to make their voices heard to the world. Today they do, and they are taking full advantage. They are perfect examples of what is going on with our generation as a whole, and eventually we will all, from the associate to the CEO, benefit from the changes happening in today’s working world.
We, Generation Y, are products of our environment. Technology has empowered us, but it has also empowered us all. We can, and are, changing the working world for the better. Let’s embrace this power and together, continue to push the Employee Evolution forward.
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Thanks MoJay for the refreshing course. I am right there with you. My pops would chat all day on the home phone, while I chatted on AIM, joined chat groups and head out on the town with his celly connecting with classmates and grabbing the numbers of girls in the car in the far lane.
When I entered the workforce I was given the unique opportunity to take technology and use it to the advantage of my company’s business. It was through this that senior and upper management were able to notice how behind the times they actually are. Corporate America does have to play catch up to our generation. It is why they try to market to us, and how certain companies have been successful in their pitch. There is a reason that Google is a premier place to work. There is a reason that Red Bull and others have built their business working with and for Gen-Y. Corporate America will adjust, probably not today or tomorrow, but as Gen-Y becomes a real powerhouse in the office, the technology change will come. Great post!
Orange County = Upstate NY
Sorry, but being a Rochester, NY girl I had a good laugh over that one.
Anyways, we’re so focused on the now that we don’t think about the fact the technological advances are made with every generation. I actually wrote my blog today on 80s technology. Each generation will eventually become somewhat behind the times and think the younger generation is more technologically advanced. It happens.
Sounds like someone grew-up spoiled and hasn’t learned how to play well with others.
You didn’t invent the wheel, you may have grown up with in depth knowledge of certain spokes, but that doesn’t mean that you understand the big picture. There’s much more to the world than PC, cell phone, and IM chat knowledge.
This has become the typical mindset of “Gen Y” and I’m not sure I like placing myself in it. There are a few obvious things, such as “we’re more technologically advanced” but I really think that only get’s you so far. I’m not convinced anything is fundamentally changing.
For example, I’m the only Gen Y in my department, and I was apparently the first person to ask if we could get 2-3 department wireless cards to use when we’re on the go. As I said, we have ability to work from home, that was great 3 years ago…(even though most don’t use it). Now lets get a few wireless cards to shell out for those who don’t have wifi at home, or wont realistically spend all day in a few hot spot. It didn’t take long, propose it in a way that conveys the added value/benefit to my superiors, and it was done.
I agree with the premise that technology is second nature because we grew up with it, but I don’t think it really matters in the ways that are continually referenced. We have intraoffice IM, everyone uses it. The “emergency contact” list is about 50/50 cell phone/land line. Everyone is comfortable taking their laptop home and logging into the VPN to work from home. These are the things you’re talking about, and I’m not in a very “Gen Y” friendly environment. I’m in a huge Fortune 100 (Fortune 10 really) machine that’s slow to change.
I’d also challenge the thought that Gen Y is, on the whole, that much ahead of the game technologically. Spending my first couple years a comp sci major, managing computer labs, and conducting training on a variety of software/hardware subjects, I don’t think Gen Y is as far ahead as they’d like to think. They might be quicker to turn to it to solve their problems, but that doesn’t mean they actually are any more efficient at using it to find their solution…
Some of the “I was the same way when i was your age” stuff makes sense, but it’s true that much of it does not.
Stuff that makes sense: When people write it about whatever Jackie is writing, because she’s writing about the process of learning to work, and to go to work everyday and adjust her ideas about what that means. Young people are always going to have an adjustment period, they’re always going to be uncertain about why they aren’t working every second they’re in the office. They’re frequently going to be unhappy and considering entreprenuership.
Stuff that doesn’t make sense: Older generations really don’t get what it means to not just be plugged in, but to have your entire world plugged in. The difference is that a Boomer or Gen Xer don’t expect everything to be online, and we do.
If I buy a pair of shoes, I expect to be able to go to that brand’s website and get information about that brand of shoes - where’s it’s made, where’s it’s sold, how the owner decided to go into making shoes, who designed it, when it started, etc, etc. When I can’t find one, I consider calling the company up to see if their SEO hasn’t been done or if they just don’t have a website, because the company I work for makes websites, and I might make a sale. I also decide to write to the authors of one of my favorite shoe blogs to see if they know anything about this brand - which will either make them aware of its existence or get me the information I’m looking for. I also email the store where I bought the shoes, as I’ve discovered that the clerk threw away the replacement heel parts, which I’m going to eventually need, so I ask the CEO if there’s any way of getting another set, and by the way, why can’t they have a little shoe-repair counter in their stores, because there’s nothing more obnoxious than buying a pair of shoes, having the heel wear down over the weekend and discovering on Monday that they’re out of stock on the shoe. Also, why don’t they carry minisocks?
Wow. This is getting predictable. Someone writes a post thats purposely intended to be a little inflammatory or a little over the top and the same 2 or 3 people jump all over it every time in the same way. I personally think that instead of writing long and cynical comments why not channel those efforts and write a post that offers a countering position and send it to Ryan and Ryan to put up. It’d be more fun to see things go down that way than to have every post and comment stream take the exact same format.
-Brad, I think that’s a great idea. Maybe the Ryan’s could make something like this available. I know I’d be happy to offer a counter-point post, I’m sure others would as well.
Btw, if you post in order to be inflammatory, then you shouldn’t be surprised if you get some heated responses.
Boomers are saying the same things.
www.boomernet.com/pn/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=37
Brad, I think it’s because there are a lot of Gen X and Boomers on the board and the powers that be won’t let them post articles.
Well they do offer the opportunity to contribute posts, it would be interesting though if there was a way for someone to post a rebuttal
I agree that we are less susceptible to instability in the working world. I don’t think we were ever promised anything from Corporate America in the beginning, and we have Enron as our role model. This will only make us stronger, and we’ll continue to frustrate older generations with our lack of loyalty to a company. The fact is that we will go to the company that wants us most. It’s capitalism at it’s finest!
Thanks to all for the comments and interest and my sincere apologies for not responding more quickly… I had been traveling and had very limited connectivity.
@Greg- I comletely agree and am glad to hear you’ve had an opportunity to make a real imact on your organization. I certainly think experiences such as yours will become more and more common as we continue to pour into the workforce.
@Rachel- Always happy to hear when someone knows where Orange County is! I agree with your point, one day (not too far out) we’ll sit around telling stories of “back in my day we paid for the internet and had to ‘email’ people”…
@Scott- I think being insulting and lashing out hurts any counter points you want to put forward… careful. I’m into web 2.0 actually, I was just pointing to examples of my childhood with the PC and IM stuff… and I do agree, the big picture is sometimes lost on our generation.
@Nathan- I see where you are coming from and agree to an extent… for one, I think in future attempts at posts I’ll be more careful to not come off as flippant, but I do feel that at a more fundamental level than cell phones or wireless cards, we are a unique generation… the ways that we apply technology to solve problems, as you mentioned, is one of the main patterns I’d point to in supporting this thought. Of course at a high level, boomers have led the tech revolution, but I feel that young entrepreneurship and GenY entering the workforce will bring an an entirely new wave of solutions, due to the fact that we have grown in the age of a global workforce and complete interconnectivity. Cell phones, wireless, IM, I see them as sort of basic ‘come to the party’ technologies in today’s workforce…
@Kristen- I don’t know about the minisocks, but thanks for the comments. The part about older generations not completely appreciating having “their entire world plugged in” is exactly where I am coming from.
@A Different Scott- Thanks for the link, it is good for everyone to see other points of view. It is human nature to be ethnocentric, especially amongst young people.
@Erik- I completely agree, and intend to write about the loyalty topic shortly…
@Brad- Thanks, Brad, I agree with you about rebuttals. Responses with substance that disagree would certainly be apreciated, this is a discussion, not an argument. The above is my first blog post or editorial piece of any variety, I understand why you say it was intended to purposely be a little inflammatory, but in all honesty that wasn’t my intent.
With that said, to all- in hindsight I see now why there is a perspective that this post was ‘intentionally inflammatory’. I feel that any Xers or boomers reading this blog are more likely than not especially in touch with technology, and to a large extent, exceptions to any of the generalizations I put forward. A fraction of a percentage of the boomers and Xers in the world read this blog, and I think they are the ones most likely to disagree. Additionally, as oposed to heated responses, even if you cannot post a counter point, post it in the comments sections. I have long been a lurker on this site and always read the comments… they provide diverse perspectives and often are just as interesting as the post itself. Additionally, the authors of the posts almost always engage any commenters, so there is an opportunity to have a dialogue of substance whether one agrees or utterly disagrees. Thanks for the interest everyone, I look forwarding to continuing the dialogue.
-Ray