It was the worst of times, it was the best of times in these cities to which we, Gen-Y, are living.
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the Baby Boomers were described as flower children. They were radical, they wanted world peace, heck, they wanted to change the world. They were obsessed with the environment and hugged trees. This was a generation that felt they were entitled. Most of all, what was up with the fashions: bare bellies, shaggy hair and Twiggy eyes.
Whoa.
But wait a minute, does any of that sound familiar to you? Are the Boomers describing themselves when they describe us? I mean I don’t think my parents are so bad… I don’t know what they were like before I was born, but I think they turned out okay. So why can’t I?
On that note, while the recession is a hindering factor in the job hunt for so many Millennials (80 Million Strong anyone?), maybe it isn’t such a bad thing?
Someone told me that I sounded more than frustrated recently and that maybe my hurt for the current state of affairs ran deeper that just frustration. I cannot say that they were right, but I cannot say they were wrong either. I feel like we have choices, and we make them the best that we can given our circumstances.
Karma has a funny way of going full circle and life has an even funnier way of working out. Go on a outlandish philosophical thought with me for a minute here…
The recession is trying us: our pockets, our freedom, our livelihood, our day-to-day activities; you name it.
Efficiency
We cannot be left behind or we will stay behind. Therefore we have to be efficient. A lot of 20-somethings in the work place are efficient. When it comes to technology we’ve pretty much got it “down.” I know I’m ready and I’m more than willing to automate and tech-create everything in front of me…including grocery shopping (not a fan of those carts, sorry future-husband.)
But here’s the thing, it isn’t laziness – it’s a new level of efficiency. If it’s one less thing to do, imagine how much more you could get done. That is how we think; this is how I think.
If you left it up to me, I’d colour-code everything, organize and make my day efficient, playful and oh so worthwhile.
There is a balance, I believe it’s there … no, I know it’s there.
The Learning Curve
Spend enough time with us, get to know us or just pay attention to us and you’ll soon realize, that like each generation, we’re no different — we want information and we want to learn. But there are some stereotypes that still hold true. I once wrote a piece called “Welcome to the Age of Geek” and I meant it. But little did I know when I wrote it, how much I really reinforced what the ‘experts’ are saying about my generation; myself.
We want information instantly, we crave it and treat Twitter like a pseudo-RSS feed. We spend at least two-thirds of our time connected to something – anything: a Blackberry, an iPhone, our laptops.
We crave information. We want it. We’re willing to help you get.
Work. Play. Work. Play. Play. Work. Play. Work.
We were forced to multi-task as children and trained from a young age to battle multiple projects and extracurricular activities. This is something our parents didn’t have the luxury (or curse, depending on your POV) of participating in when they were our age. We did all these things, while, maintaining an ‘A’ average in school. I think our parents did more than just turn a lot of us into a generation filled with a good chunk of overachievers.
I think that they created kids, that are now adults, who can really get that work-life balance down. Technology, especially, is a driving factor behind this. But it’s something we are comfortable with.
It breaks down to efficiency, but not the old Ford model. No, I’m talking about a new hybrid, optimistic efficiency, where people are people and work is work, but they can meet happily in the middle.
I’m ready, are you?
Being that we are a generation of information seekers, a lot of us, including myself, as not settling for Plan A and Plan B anymore. We’ve move on to Plan C.
I network on Twitter, I follow-up on LinkedIn, I blog, I Facebook – I’m getting creative and trying everything in my power to land “the job.”
Maybe someone will see me? Maybe they won’t? But at the end of the day, I’m trying. I’ve gained this new, hybrid glass of perspective.
I once said, “creativity squashes risk” and you know what? I still believe that. I still believe that even in the worst of times, these best of times we live in – we can do it, I can do it.
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Not everyone is the same, and I get that, we should hire based on talent, rather than age — but generally speaking…
…is the recession actually beneficial to Gen-Y?
We had to be efficient and come up with a “Plan C,” considering “B” hasn’t worked. This “Plan C” is forcing us to learn and push ourselves harder. By being our toughest critics we’re trying to make our way in the world.
I don’t want to be the exception to the rule, I want to be part of the rule. Maybe it’s rose coloured lenses that I’m gazing out from underneath and that’s so Millennial of me. But I want to be a Muskateer, “all for one and one for all.”
We’re asking questions, so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. Most of all, we’re trying to be 20-something while taking on responsibilities that are supposed to come at a later age. We’re starting businesses at 19 and marketing ourselves on a whole new level…
That being said, this is September 2009 and I’m featured in Business Week for all of the above.
The hope is one day, sooner rather than later, someone will answer the question, “Hi, my name is Gen-Y, will you hire me?” with a “yes.”
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Sasha Muradali runs the ‘Little Pink Book’ . She holds a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida (’07) and an M.A. in International Administration from the University of Miami(’08). She loves Twitter and all things social media, so you should find her @SashaHalima.
Copyright © 2009 Sasha H. Muradali. All Rights Reserved.
