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[Name redacted], coming off of tours in Iraq and/or Afghanistan with PTSD, now struggling to make a living among a bunch of civilians, and largely unable to connect with them, because their idea of a "safe space" doesn't mean that the area has been cleared of IEDs. There are a surprising number of young people who fit this description.
There are also a surprising number of young people who feel alienated by a society that constantly mocks their need for "safe spaces" and "trigger warnings" without bothering to understand where the need comes from. For that matter, the majority of millennials I know (and this does not include myself) have had to cope with some form of mental illness or ill-understood minority status, like being on the LGBT spectrum, that has alienated them from the "mainstream society" established and defined by previous generations.
And they are generally lumped into the first group, and used to prove how "spoiled, self-absorbed, [and] entitled" millennials are.
I think this is why a lot of millennials hate the term "millennial", and why many people like me feel a need to "reclaim" it.
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I'm seeing at least three different groups of "Millenials." Let's look at some people who might currently be in their mid '20s.
1. ** spoiler omitted **
2. ** spoiler omitted **
3. ** spoiler omitted **
Trying to lump those three into a homogeneous "generational" group is an exercise in futility.
EDIT: I myself am an early Gen X-er, if that matters.
All 3 of these "types" of generational examples exist for Baby Boomers and Gen Xers as well.
S*%@, my old man is a Baby Boomer that fits the first example to a T, without the submersion in social media. One of my former friends fits the first example as well, he is immersed in a fantasy social media bubble where he tries to make the world believe he is just so awesome, he is like a living breathing Cartmen and he is a Gen Xer.
I am sure that I can think of examples of Boomers and Xers that fit the other two fact patterns as well but I am short on time...
Anyway, that is why these massive generalizations based on clusters of birth dates don't really have much meaning IMHO.
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All 3 of these "types" of generational examples exist for Baby Boomers and Gen Xers as well.
Totally agree. People's life experiences, and their subsequent approach to life, are a lot more important than their chronological age.
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There are also a surprising number of young people who feel alienated by a society that constantly mocks their need for "safe spaces" and "trigger warnings" without bothering to understand where the need comes from.
One can understand where the desire comes from. Believe it or not, lots of non-Millenials grew up feeling outcast, disenfranchised, and hated by mainstream society as well. However:
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Because I know people who rely on both methods to function in society, I have a pretty strong—sometimes excessively so—reaction to what I see as the standard mockery. I get a lot of it at my gaming group every week. So I might have gone off on you a bit without explaining myself very well.
Of course, there is a disenfranchisement element when people with PTSD and mental illness are not offered the accommodations they need to get an education or a job. Sort of like what happens to people with physical disabilities when businesses don't include, say, ramps in their construction.
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I think the importance of the whole "generation" labeling is to create a shorthand for shared experiences, rather then predictor of beliefs.
It seems that in many ways the categories themselves peeked in relevance during WWII - when everyone's life was substantially affected by the war years. Since then, shared experiences across the spectrum of society have been more intermittent, and less immersive. I think we are entering a period where experiences will be shared very deeply by a small group, but not broadly across society.
If you take media as an example, there was a time when a surprisingly large percentage of people listened to Amos and Andy. You could walk from one end of town to the other, and hear a whole episode, because every single house was tuning in. Radio was replaced by TV, and finale episodes or big reveals would draw a huge percentage of the audience. Likewise when news broke, virtually everyone would tune in to CBS or NBC and watch the same report. I suspect this peaked in the early 80's when TV had become the default home entertainment option, and cable and home video were not yet common. For example, the final episode of M*A*S*H in 1983 had about 125 million viewers, or about three quarters of all potential viewers. I also suspect 9/11 was the last major event when the majority of people share the same media experiences.
These days, niche communities can share important events, very deeply, but the days of broadly shared, simultaneous experiences are waning. Whether it is news or entertainment, people are getting specific experiences on their own schedule, not tuning in to the same source. This past election was the first one in my lifetime that was not dictated by television news, for better and worse.
I've long held the opinions that these so-called "generational" cultures are mainly viewpoints from a California suburban mindset. My experience as a Jersey urbanite is far different from any of those stereotypes.
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Safe spaces are nothing new. Remember when ethnic clubs were the rage? How about the Masons? Private clubs and/or themed bars?
Every generation has had places they retreat to in order to ignore the stresses and pressures of life. This one is just being honest about it.
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All 3 of these "types" of generational examples exist for Baby Boomers and Gen Xers as well.Totally agree. People's life experiences, and their subsequent approach to life, are a lot more important than their chronological age.Yes, but there are broad patterns. The age you live through affects your life experiences - growing up in the 90s is different than growing up in the 70s. Two people who both grew up in the 90s may have had very different lives, but they still share some of the same history.
The generations are broad categories with lots of variation within them, but there are still broad trends that are visible.
Do they have a shared history? Having had divorced parents since I was 4 I can attest to the fact that life was VERY different from one household to the next. Interpretation of the news was different just right there history becomes different because of the prism it is viewed through and this was before the advent of the world wide web.
So I imagine that people who are my age but lived in different areas of my state much less different states had a much different experience and interpretation of said experiences! Thus even though it may be "shared history " because it is viewed so differently it might as well not be the same. I think that those differing experiences by definition will shatter any sort of notion of broad trends.
Details matter. We might both believe in Justice but our sense of Justice and what we perceive as just and unjust can be vastly different.
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This whole concept is stupid.
Ever since the "baby boomers" got lumped into a one big monolithic social and political group, people have stumbling over themselves to define other generations as such.
It's a flawed concept from the beginning because the "boomer" generation doesn't vote as one block nor do they have the same social morals, viewpoints, tastes, abilities, or preferences.
If it were true, there would be no liberal and conservative sides. There wouldn't be people that are 65 that are brilliant computer engineers and 65-year olds that can't operate a smart phone.
The Lost Generation, The Greatest Generation, The Baby Boomers, The Disco Generation, Generation X, Gen Y, Millennials, etc. are just arbitrary labels that tell you as much about a person as their horoscope. There's not even a set definition of what a generation is.
In describing the individual, I agree with you. Just like if we combined the most common statistics for an individual, you'd rarely find someone who ticks off all the boxes, they'd be different in some way.
Looking at generations you do see societal shifts though. The Greatest Generation is notable for the hardships they endured and often you can see trends of valuing a life/career/endeavor/etc by the sacrifices throughout. With the Baby Boomers there's less focus on the sacrifice and more about personal achievement through skill (deservedly or not).
I think defining GenX or Millenial's this early is pretty silly as most of these people haven't even lived half their lives. It's like writing a book on the history of 2011-2020 right now. While Baby Boomers still have time left to do some things, there's more history than future left at least. Whoever the next 2 term president after Trump is will likely be the last baby boomer president.
People get shaped partially by the events in the world around them. It doesn't make everyone the same, but it's hard not to be influenced. For example, people who entered the workforce for the first time during the Great Recession will see lower lifetime incomes than those who are joining right now, or those who joined just prior.
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I don't know, but I'm middle aged which, according to some wit, occurs when you stop criticising the generation that came before you and start criticising the generation that came after.
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Well, as far as experiences go, there's a couple of things for Millennials that seem pretty solid to me.
1) They're not very happy about the Great Recession, which rather clearly wasn't their fault but has caused them an immense amount of trouble. Blowing things out from under their feet the moment they're on their own isn't exactly encouraging, and may be a part of why many of them are happy to keep living with their families. (Or rather, they wonder why they shouldn't do that. That is, who has the right to say they're "wrong" for not moving out on the same timetable as previous generations, as if that's some kind of sacred thing people aren't allowed to change?)
2) They're experiencing something that's been going on for several decades now - general wage stagnation, even as the cost of things continues to rise. You pretty much can't work your way through college anymore, for example, and student loan debt is quite probably one of the worst things previous generations have done to them. Many are still having trouble finding decent jobs, and it's not always for lack of trying, especially because just getting to a job can be more expensive than many think. The Cost of Opportunity is a thing. However, the wage stagnation affects them more than those who came before because costs are continuing to rise.
3) They're social. Many of them like cooperating to get things done, and their online lives are just as 'real' as the offline stuff. Also, quite a lot of them are probably addicted to their phones.
4) They're pretty cynical about companies and advertising. Growing up, they got to experience all the crazy marketing tactics on the internet - including intrusive things like pop-ups that most of them learned to just ignore (or outright block, with some newer tech). A lot of them seem to feel that most businesses are just in it for the money, and that basically anything they say or do should be interpreted in that light.
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and student loan debt is quite probably one of the worst things previous generations have done to them
This is compounded by the fact that all we ever heard growing up was, "Go to college. People who don't go to college are irresponsible flakes with no ambition. Go to college and you're sure to get a job!" The anger over student loan debts probably wouldn't be half as severe if many millennials didn't feel like they'd been pushed into it by their parents and public school teachers.
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and student loan debt is quite probably one of the worst things previous generations have done to themThis is compounded by the fact that all we ever heard growing up was, "Go to college. People who don't go to college are irresponsible flakes with no ambition. Go to college and you're sure to get a job!" The anger over student loan debts probably wouldn't be half as severe if many millennials didn't feel like they'd been pushed into it by their parents and public school teachers.
I got to experience that Joy and Wonder firsthand... nothing like getting your liberal arts BA that everyone said you HAD TO GET in 2004... and not being able to find a job that required ANY sort of qualifications until about 2009.
Five years of slinging pizza and loading trucks to try to pay off a useless BA... I had some nice earners in those years, but I couldn't keep any of it.
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Maybe my message as a gen xer was a little different then y'all, but I dont recall any go to college and get good job message. What I was told was have a plan because college isnt something you want to stumble in clueless. Thats ten times more true today with all the easy financing thats finally drying up for all the rip off "universities" out there. I was always told college would be key but you need to do more than just go and graduate. Im not sure when that all started?
I can say for certain though degree sadly trumps experience 9/10 in the corporate world.....
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I don't know about the whole Boomer vs. Gen-X vs. Millennials thing. But about two weeks ago, I was dragged moved out of the 18-35 demographic... and psychologically, it really sucks.
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Too old to rock'nroll, too young to die.
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I was born in the year Thatch-Ra came in, i.e. 1979. Personally, I'm having a better time now than I did in my teens and twenties, despite the state of the country in general; people younger than me are having a noticeably harder time of it, and I don't envy them.
If they could all learn to spell, things would be just about perfect.
EDIT: The cost of higher education seems to be lower in the UK compared to the US (although I doubt that'll last); I was one of the last people to get a (very small) grant, as opposed to having to rely wholly on loans, so I was definitely one of the lucky ones.
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This has been on my mind lately, perhaps its due to my age and some sort of a mild midlife crisis or something. As an early GenXer born in 71 I am in my mid 40s. In the last year or so I have changed and it seems to be an involuntary change. I feel like I have lost the "magic" of imagination and wonder. Perhaps its political burnout after the election year, It may be the lack of a regular social game (Havent played Pathfinder in a few years), it could be all my friends are younger than me and have all had children and I havent seen them in a while. No matter the reason(s) its happening and I am sad for it.
I look for that magic and wonder in things that still interest me but something is missing something is off. I want the magic back. Compounding this may be my personality type. According to the Myers-Briggs table I am a true introvert. I enjoy my personal time and being alone but the last few years it has taken a toll I guess. I have a few sanctuaries left for day dreaming or visiting the fantasy realm. I have a home brew world I have been working on for several years. Building, refining, adding to and growing. I return to it from time to time when I need an escape the most but I want to share it with a social group. I want to see others help it grow and enjoy it the same way I do. In the end I find it difficult because of age groups. I am so far removed from the younger generation I just dont connect for what ever reason. No matter the reasons my age group has been on my mind lately.
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Maybe my message as a gen xer was a little different then y'all, but I dont recall any go to college and get good job message. What I was told was have a plan because college isnt something you want to stumble in clueless. Thats ten times more true today with all the easy financing thats finally drying up for all the rip off "universities" out there. I was always told college would be key but you need to do more than just go and graduate. Im not sure when that all started?
I can say for certain though degree sadly trumps experience 9/10 in the corporate world.....
Interesting, maybe it's just the school that you went to. I graduated in 1994 and if you were not going to College it was like the sky was falling down. I really committed to College after my Sophomore year when I realized I was just terrible at construction (destruction I am pretty good at but that's a very small portion of the construction business), did not much like working in factories (not that there are many left today mind you), and manual labor makes you as tired as it appears to at the end of the day (12 hours at a desk or 12 hours loading wood guess which one you can do for more years).
As for the second paragraph, agreed and it's ridiculous. Somehow employers value someone with a piece of paper (no offense to anyone who is just out of school) over someone with many years of experience without a piece of paper...
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@Limey: Right now, the average cost for higher education in the US is about $10,000 for in-state residents, $25,000 for out-of-state residents, and $33,000 for a good private university per-year. Compared to about $2000 at the start of the 70's for that last one, adjusted for inflation and all.
I can tell you with great confidence that most people from our shrinking middle class (and growing poor class) do not have $40,000-$120,000+ on hand the moment they get out of high school and are ready to go to college, especially if they're moving out on their own and need to pay a lot of living expenses. If they're very lucky, their parents saved up a bunch of money for them. If not... well, loans are the only option many people have. Currently, about 70% of graduates have student loan debt.
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I don't know about the whole Boomer vs. Gen-X vs. Millennials thing. But about two weeks ago, Iwas draggedmoved out of the 18-35 demographic... and psychologically, it really sucks.
Why is that? I might have had a better time with it myself since my oldest friends say I was always 18 going on 38.
(Which also might explain my outlook on college and career. A lot of folks don't know what to do so just go by the numbers. I've always explored every option and listened to older folks who have been through things. I'm often a person folks go to for a myriad of advice topics because if I don't know i'll point them in the right direction.)
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I am part of Generation Y (millenials), so let's compare to the traits section of the (German) wikipedia:
Well educated: check
Technology oriented: check
Teams over hierarchies: check
Enjoy work & quest for meaning over status & prestige: check
Want freedom, individual fulfilment, more time for family and hobby: check
More generally, want balance between work and free time: check
Optimistic, self-confident: check
Little trust into government: check
Politically active: to some extent
Accept an uncertain life: check
Improvised CV (and enjoying the freedom about it): check
Willing to work, but not to risk burn-out: check
Stay without children if life situation doesn't support them: check
Being online as central concept in free time: check
Don't fight for (radically) new political system: check
Few compromises at life style: check
So, despite all limits of such a label for so many people, Generation Y fits pretty well.
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I am part of Generation Y (millenials), so let's compare to the traits section of the (German) wikipedia:
Well educated: check
Technology oriented: check
Teams over hierarchies: check
Enjoy work & quest for meaning over status & prestige: check
Want freedom, individual fulfilment, more time for family and hobby: check
More generally, want balance between work and free time: check
Optimistic, self-confident: check
Little trust into government: check
Politically active: to some extentAccept an uncertain life: check
Improvised CV (and enjoying the freedom about it): check
Willing to work, but not to risk burn-out: check
Stay without children if life situation doesn't support them: check
Being online as central concept in free time: check
Don't fight for (radically) new political system: check
Few compromises at life style: checkSo, despite all limits of such a label for so many people, Generation Y fits pretty well.
Depending on who you ask that seems like a generally positive list of traits. I suppose it comes down to individual levels as moderation in all that is great, but too much or too little could be problematic.
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So you claim, I bet Death would disagree!I just hate getting old...It beats the only available alternative.
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Being born in 1967, I don't exist. The "Baby Boomers" are generally accepted as being up until 1964 or 1965, while "Gen X" starts around 1970.
That explains why NobodysHome. Nobody exists to be home. A human-shaped void, a blot of nonexistence noticeable only by not being there.
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I don't know about the whole Boomer vs. Gen-X vs. Millennials thing. But about two weeks ago, Iwas draggedmoved out of the 18-35 demographic... and psychologically, it really sucks.
I am getting 37 next month, with various related thoughts occupying my brain tonight (or rather early morning)...
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Depending on who you ask that seems like a generally positive list of traits. I suppose it comes down to individual levels as moderation in all that is great, but too much or too little could be problematic.
You know they have a similar check list for guys my age
You both have a point here, it's a list easy to agree to. But still I find some points about Generation Y to be new and specific, especially the ever-changing work life (including embracing that), nearly pervasive digital technology and not seeing own children as a matter of course. These three things apply to me and set me significantly apart from my parents. Further, there is at least one difference to the follow-up Generation Z: They spend even more time with digital technology, for good and bad.
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You both have a point here, it's a list easy to agree to.
"Millenials want more time for hobbies and better work-life balance." Well, no kidding, pretty much everyone wants that. This isn't unique to any generation. What may differ is whether the respondent views these as things they're actually likely to get.
The only items on the list I don't "want" are
- Being online as central concept in free time
- Don't fight for (radically) new political system
But again, stuff like "Few compromises at life style" is pie-in-the-sky unless you're a trust fund baby or are otherwise very lucky.
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I've heard it said that the reason millennials don't relate to RENT as well as GenXers is that we're more concerned about involuntary poverty than the sort of "stylistic poverty" that RENT argues for, and "selling out" just doesn't matter as much to us because its definitions feel arbitrary.
But yeah, I have to admit, I don't see a ton in that list. Though Pan is right—polls have been conducted that show that millennials emphasize different priorities more heavily, even though obviously everybody wants that stuff to some extent.
Don't fight for (radically) new political system
Well, most millennials I know don't bother to fight at all, so I guess that's fair. Then again, I have a lot of young socialist and communist friends who are desperately fighting, so...
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One thing that some people tend to ignore when they are told to go to College is to earn a degree that will actually lead to if not a good job. A decent enough one that allows one to pay their bills and have some money for themselves. Going to College than getting a degree in Ancient Chinese languages is not the fault of those who told one to go to College. It's the person fault who decided to waste time on a degree not worth the paper. Doing one own thing is all well and good. Taking a subject they will have fun with at College the same. Not realizing that their chocie was a poor one because of "reasons" it's on them. In the end a person is responsible for one own choices good or bad. So the whole "but they told me to go to College" is just a excuse and a poor one for people terrible life choices imo.
I made a poor choice when going to College and ended up having a student loan. I paid it off but I'm not blaming friends or family because they told me to go to College. It's my fault and mine alone for making the wrong choice.
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One thing that some people tend to ignore when they are told to go to College is to earn a degree that will actually lead to if not a good job. A decent enough one that allows one to pay their bills and have some money for themselves. Going to College than getting a degree in Ancient Chinese languages is not the fault of those who told one to go to College. It's the person fault who decided to waste time on a degree not worth the paper. Doing one own thing is all well and good. Taking a subject they will have fun with at College the same. Not realizing that their chocie was a poor one because of "reasons" it's on them. In the end a person is responsible for one own choices good or bad. So the whole "but they told me to go to College" is just a excuse and a poor one for people terrible life choices imo.
I made a poor choice when going to College and ended up having a student loan. I paid it off but I'm not blaming friends or family because they told me to go to College. It's my fault and mine alone for making the wrong choice.
Yeah, my B.A. was in Math/Physics, and my M.S. and Ph.D. were in Pure Mathematics.
You'd be surprised how many computer companies come knocking at your door with a set of degrees like that.
My friend got a B.A. in English Literature, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Mythology.
He's having trouble finding a job that pays even $15/hour.
One of the things I notice the younger generation ISN'T being taught is, "Choose a degree that's marketable."
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Don't fight for (radically) new political systemWell, most millennials I know don't bother to fight at all, so I guess that's fair. Then again, I have a lot of young socialist and communist friends who are desperately fighting, so...
MOST people don't fight for a radically different political system. They might argue that one is needed (this includes me mind you) but don't actively fight for it (also includes me).
That fight requires something most people don't have - time and desperation. We are kept very busy just trying to live life which prevents us from embracing and supporting radical changes. Likely it is because enough of the masses are not cold, hungry and thirsty enough to become radicalized. The New Deal was essentially designed to accomplish the goal of ensuring that the masses receive enough breadcrumbs to NOT fight for a "better" world.
FDR Saved Capitalism. Just as an example, there is plenty written on this.
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The trouble is that there are skills which more-or-less require college education that aren't marketable. To really get philosophy, for instance, you need to take more than one or two low-level classes in it. It's similar for writing. Of course, you can also learn that stuff on your own time. Unfortunately, this means that many people go to college to learn the skills they're interested in—which is what they think college is theoretically for—only to learn that they have spent money to learn something difficult and important and interesting that nobody wants.
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"Choose a degree that's marketable" is good advice, but I think it discounts a lot of degree options. I prefer "know your options" before getting a degree. A lot of folks just sign up for what sounds interesting without looking into the prospects. Often, certain degrees are reasonable but you have to make sacrifices like moving away from home. I hear a lot of stories about people living in places too expensive or being unwilling to leave rural areas to get good jobs. Of course, they could simply have junk degrees which is highly possibly these days.
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People are told to do what they love and follow their hearts, and that if they don't go to college they'll be flipping burgers their entire life.
I think there's some perception that people that don't go for STEM degrees are lazy and don't want to work harder on a difficult subject, but is that what they should do if they won't enjoy a second of it?
People look at a list of the top paying jobs that have high demand and low supply, but then that's something they'll have to do for the next 50 years of their life. And even if they train for that job, they'll definitely be less competitive, less likely to advance, than someone who actually loves the subject matter.
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And if everyone followed that advice, there'd be a huge boom and bust cycle with 4 year lag time. Whatever needed people when you started college would be glutted with new graduates when you got out because everyone would be aiming for that field.People are told to do what they love and follow their hearts, and that if they don't go to college they'll be flipping burgers their entire life.
I think there's some perception that people that don't go for STEM degrees are lazy and don't want to work harder on a difficult subject, but is that what they should do if they won't enjoy a second of it?
People look at a list of the top paying jobs that have high demand and low supply, but then that's something they'll have to do for the next 50 years of their life. And even if they train for that job, they'll definitely be less competitive, less likely to advance, than someone who actually loves the subject matter.
Agreed. The real visionaries figure out what will be marketable before everyone else figures it out and get in on the ground floor or build the ground floor.
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File me under Generation X.
Read a Douglas Coupland book once, back in the day. Don't really remember it much.
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One thing that some people tend to ignore when they are told to go to College is to earn a degree that will actually lead to if not a good job. A decent enough one that allows one to pay their bills and have some money for themselves. Going to College than getting a degree in Ancient Chinese languages is not the fault of those who told one to go to College. It's the person fault who decided to waste time on a degree not worth the paper. Doing one own thing is all well and good. Taking a subject they will have fun with at College the same. Not realizing that their chocie was a poor one because of "reasons" it's on them. In the end a person is responsible for one own choices good or bad. So the whole "but they told me to go to College" is just a excuse and a poor one for people terrible life choices imo.
I made a poor choice when going to College and ended up having a student loan. I paid it off but I'm not blaming friends or family because they told me to go to College. It's my fault and mine alone for making the wrong choice.
Yeah, my B.A. was in Math/Physics, and my M.S. and Ph.D. were in Pure Mathematics.
You'd be surprised how many computer companies come knocking at your door with a set of degrees like that.
My friend got a B.A. in English Literature, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Mythology.
He's having trouble finding a job that pays even $15/hour.
One of the things I notice the younger generation ISN'T being taught is, "Choose a degree that's marketable."
PhD in any field qualifies him for many jobs in academia. Tell him to look into being an instructional designer. Entry level starts around $50k in major university systems. Advancement opportunities go all the way up into the top levels of administration. Also puts him in a preferred position to adjunct.
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PhD in any field qualifies him for many jobs in academia. Tell him to look into being an instructional designer. Entry level starts around $50k in major university systems. Advancement opportunities go all the way up into the top levels of administration. Also puts him in a preferred position to adjunct.One thing that some people tend to ignore when they are told to go to College is to earn a degree that will actually lead to if not a good job. A decent enough one that allows one to pay their bills and have some money for themselves. Going to College than getting a degree in Ancient Chinese languages is not the fault of those who told one to go to College. It's the person fault who decided to waste time on a degree not worth the paper. Doing one own thing is all well and good. Taking a subject they will have fun with at College the same. Not realizing that their chocie was a poor one because of "reasons" it's on them. In the end a person is responsible for one own choices good or bad. So the whole "but they told me to go to College" is just a excuse and a poor one for people terrible life choices imo.
I made a poor choice when going to College and ended up having a student loan. I paid it off but I'm not blaming friends or family because they told me to go to College. It's my fault and mine alone for making the wrong choice.
Yeah, my B.A. was in Math/Physics, and my M.S. and Ph.D. were in Pure Mathematics.
You'd be surprised how many computer companies come knocking at your door with a set of degrees like that.
My friend got a B.A. in English Literature, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Mythology.
He's having trouble finding a job that pays even $15/hour.
One of the things I notice the younger generation ISN'T being taught is, "Choose a degree that's marketable."
Interesting... academia is the first place he looked, of course.
I'll suggest he re-check.
May just be the job market in the Bay Area, of course...
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One thing that some people tend to ignore when they are told to go to College is to earn a degree that will actually lead to if not a good job. A decent enough one that allows one to pay their bills and have some money for themselves. Going to College than getting a degree in Ancient Chinese languages is not the fault of those who told one to go to College. It's the person fault who decided to waste time on a degree not worth the paper. Doing one own thing is all well and good. Taking a subject they will have fun with at College the same. Not realizing that their chocie was a poor one because of "reasons" it's on them. In the end a person is responsible for one own choices good or bad. So the whole "but they told me to go to College" is just a excuse and a poor one for people terrible life choices imo.
I made a poor choice when going to College and ended up having a student loan. I paid it off but I'm not blaming friends or family because they told me to go to College. It's my fault and mine alone for making the wrong choice.
Unfortunately we aren't preparing 18 year olds to be critical thinkers, and certainly not on the level required to challenge what every authoritative adult in their sphere of influence is telling them.
I went to high school in the late 90s/early 2000s and there was only a very marginal amount of discussion about how to choose a successful path. Many many counselors and advisors would tell my peers to just go to college and not declare a major if they were unsure of what to do. Just get a degree. That was the mantra.
I fell into that trap. But I was lucky enough to make some good connections and got a few years of high-income earnings from consumer electronics sales, enough to start my own business. I will add though that my liberal arts education prepared me with the soft skills and non-construct critical thinking I needed to be successful in those positions, so it is not a useless degree. But a liberal arts degree is definitely one that you have to invent your own job/path because there won't be someone on the other side to give you one.
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PhD in any field qualifies him for many jobs in academia. Tell him to look into being an instructional designer. Entry level starts around $50k in major university systems. Advancement opportunities go all the way up into the top levels of administration. Also puts him in a preferred position to adjunct.One thing that some people tend to ignore when they are told to go to College is to earn a degree that will actually lead to if not a good job. A decent enough one that allows one to pay their bills and have some money for themselves. Going to College than getting a degree in Ancient Chinese languages is not the fault of those who told one to go to College. It's the person fault who decided to waste time on a degree not worth the paper. Doing one own thing is all well and good. Taking a subject they will have fun with at College the same. Not realizing that their chocie was a poor one because of "reasons" it's on them. In the end a person is responsible for one own choices good or bad. So the whole "but they told me to go to College" is just a excuse and a poor one for people terrible life choices imo.
I made a poor choice when going to College and ended up having a student loan. I paid it off but I'm not blaming friends or family because they told me to go to College. It's my fault and mine alone for making the wrong choice.
Yeah, my B.A. was in Math/Physics, and my M.S. and Ph.D. were in Pure Mathematics.
You'd be surprised how many computer companies come knocking at your door with a set of degrees like that.
My friend got a B.A. in English Literature, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Mythology.
He's having trouble finding a job that pays even $15/hour.
One of the things I notice the younger generation ISN'T being taught is, "Choose a degree that's marketable."
Interesting... academia is the first place he looked, of course.
I'll suggest he re-check.
May just be the job market in the Bay Area, of...
Funny. Tuition keeps rising but finding a stable job at a University keeps getting harder and harder. Anyone have an explanation here?
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OK, here's one that baffles me, that seems to afflict Gen Xers and beyond:
We're interviewing people for a plush technical job: Pays roughly $80k/year, you get to work from home, good benefits, etc., etc.
So we get a candidate, and her resume has typos on it, and she shows up late to her own REMOTE interview! It's not like she can claim there were traffic issues, or she didn't know she'd need network connectivity, or whatever.
In my (non) generation, there were two simple rules of job-seeking:
(1) Typos in your resume? Into the trash it goes.
(2) Late for your interview? No deal.
I have absolutely noticed that candidates over 40 fall into the "no typos, right on time" variety, and those under 35 are definitely the, "Whatever. You know what I meant, and I was there no more than 10 minutes late. What's the big deal?" variety.
Really interesting when our job is for developing technical training, where a single typo can result in a massive system crash...
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Funny. Tuition keeps rising but finding a stable job at a University keeps getting harder and harder. Anyone have an explanation here? I know that many schools have transitioned into using adjuncts more than ever but they get paid dirt so that should not really increase tuitions...
True story: I taught at Saint Mary's College in Moraga from 1997-1999, back then it was one of the most expensive places in the U.S. to live.
My salary with a full Ph.D. and 5 years' experience? $33,000/year
Tution, room, and board for a single on-campus student? $40,000/year
And yet somehow most of the students (I want to say 80%) were on-campus, I was seeing over 150 students a day, yet my salary was what it was...
EDIT: On the other hand, it was one of the few places I've ever seen where an executive actually earned his salary. Our Dean was making $500k/year, plus a lot of speaking engagements, a show on NPR on Sundays, etc.
And in the two years I was there, he personally brought in $31 million in donations to the college.
THAT man was a bargain at twice the price!
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I'll suggest he re-check
An example of the kind of job I'm talking about. Not in his field but his credentials qualify him to skip the in-field experience.