Now, I know this is a daunting subject that no one really wants to broach, but it needs to be done. The Millennial Generation is bigger than any other modern American generation and we’re the largest population to enter into a workforce, ever. There were more 22 year old Americans than any other age group last year (CNN Money).
It’s time to put us to work, effectively. There are many stereotypes fluttering around the social-sphere about my generation, and even if they are true for some of us, there are equally as many solutions as there are rumors.
Many people argue that we are the most self-centered, “me” generation, and although that might be true (I mean, I’m talking about MY generation right now) that doesn’t have to be a negative thing. Once we set aside our narcissistic-selfie obsession, I’m sure you’ll realize that this “me” craze is a huge driving force in everything we do. Millennials realize that our names are attached to everything, maybe because of that little tag box that pops up on Facebook. That means we strive to impress with our projects. I might not be able to control who tags me in what picture, but I can definitely control how much time and effort goes into my work. So let us take the lead occasionally. We’ll take ownership of our work and you might be impressed with what we have to “share.” We want to continue growing and excelling.
As a generation, Millennials are more likely to wait on marriage and a family (Pew Research). Some people attribute this to many things, such as: too self-centered, lack of morals, or even just a poor attention span. But it’s none of that. We’d just rather search out our career first.This is actually a good thing! This means you get even more of us. I know that this thought scares some of you more than it should, but this means we can work those late nights and the random national holiday everyone else takes off. Columbus Day? It’s yours. President’s Day? Who needs it? National Donut Day? We can negotiate.This means that we’re very career driven and work-oriented. We’re able to devote the time that other generations pour into the family (thanks Mom and Dad!) into our work.
Everyone seems to think that we only care about money. Now, who wouldn’t love to be paid more? If you answered ‘no’ to that, please find your closest medical professional. Now. Once again, this isn’t really a problem. We’re not trying to skip the corporate ladder and just start at the top: we don’t expect that. The Millennial generation is just an optimistic generation who was raised to go after what we want. Our aim for luxury and a higher pay grade just means that we’re optimistic on where we WILL be, one day. So what, we’ve got a plan: we’re more than willing to work our butts off to get there.
We’re looking to improve and to build ourselves up as employees. And we’re also looking for the next adventure. Give us that odd job project that everyone else is weary of tackling. Millennials might be searching for ways to a bigger paycheck, but who says that means we’re heading out the door? Keep us moving. Keep the novelties coming. We can handle it. I’m hoping that I’ve persuaded some of you to look past some of the clichés to see the roles that Millennials can play and the value we can bring to the company. We can devote the hours. We can devote the effort. And we will impress. - Drew the Intern