We are the millennial generation… born between 1982 and 1995. We are a generation that has been misperceived and doubted among the generations before us. We are people who are determined to make a difference in this world, stubborn about our goals, and have more confidence than ever.
Most of the world likes to refer to us as the “lazy and entitled” generation, but their reasoning for this is quite funny to me. So who are we? What do we want? And why are we so important to the world?
As a child of the millennial generation, I have grown up watching technology unfold and the world beginning to take a new kind of ‘order’. As children we were told that we needed to go to school, get good grades, graduate high school, attend college, and to graduate with a decent degree in order to make a living. We were taught this by our parents who, at our age, needed to complete this process in order to have a safe and successful life. This cycle does still work and can still be useful, but in today’s world, we have found other ways to become equally as successful while still having our time and freedom. As millennials we crave knowledge, but we crave more knowledge than one could learn in a classroom. We would rather seek out information informally than to pick a major and we don’t like the idea of tying ourselves down to only one job for the rest of our lives. Because of this, many millennials don’t want to attend college, and if they do, they go for the shortest amount of time possible. It’s been proven that our generation only likes to stay at a job for a maximum of three years, and this is because of our constant craving to learn and grow. We will work 15-20 different jobs in our working life because ultimately, working a job doesn’t suffice for us, we always want more. We want to boost our resume, achieve short-term goals, gain recognition, earn awards, gain more experience, and keep learning. We love working with people of older generations, but like to be treated with the same amount of respect and as an equal. For us, it’s all about exchanging knowledge no matter the age, we can always learn more and that is our ultimate goal.
I find that in my generation there is something within us that pushes us to fight for what we want and what we don’t want. If we don’t want to do something, no matter how much we are told, we wont do it. We tend to be more of the exploring type and try to find other more creative ways to achieve greatness or to become something. We like building our own future in the way that we want it and how we want it. For us success doesn’t always mean the amount of money that we have in our bank accounts, success is more about the pleasure that we have gotten from achieving a goal, and the journey that it took to get there. We have a grip on technology because we grew up watching it evolve and now we are helping it grow even more. Therefore, we have become somewhat impatient when it comes to working and growing in a company because for us, the speed at which we connect with the world sets the base for our work relations. The faster that we can spread the word on something and the more people we can reach out too, the more of a success the business will be and that’s where social media comes into play.
Yes, we are a generation plugged into our phones and are more worried about likes and followers than what’s going on in the world around us, but this is because it is our way of working. We have transformed the standard way of working from going to work 9-5 in a cubicle and someday maybe growing in the company, to working whenever we want and wherever we want. As millennials, we constantly live in the present with no illusion that the future can be controlled. Therefore, we tend to adapt more easily and we evolve with the changes. Because of this, we don’t like waiting very long to see something become a success, and we become very impatient when we don’t receive instant gratification. As a generation we want to make a difference in the world and to help as many people as we can and see positive change. We believe in life, not work-life balance. Along with this, you will find that most millennials are not religious and tend to be more liberal. We accept gay marriage, women’s rights, and we are fighting against racism because to us, these are ways to allow everyone to be equal and to be happy. We don’t like to be judged for expressing ourselves with tattoos and piercings and being denied jobs because of this. We are determined to be a generation that is makes a difference in the way humans are perceived in the world.
For us millennials, we realize that life is short and that we have to take every opportunity handed to us. We refuse to do anything, whether it’s a job or college, that doesn’t make us 100% happy. We are a generation of acceptance and change, and the most crucial part of the world today. We are determined to see the world as a happy and accepting place and we will do whatever it takes to get it there. Do not judge us, or underestimate us. Just be patient and time will reveal our purpose on this planet. Instead of judging and hating us, learn form us and help make this world a better place for not only yourself, but for everyone else.
So I just have one question left for you… are you doing what you love to do, or are you doing what you have to do? The clock is ticking and your life is passing by quickly.
The Clarity Of Mind 