My oldset kids are technically Y's and I'm thrilled for them (according to Fortune article I read last weekend — 1995 and 93). I, am by nature a Y but by DOB I'm an X. I can whip out a few hours of work in the morning and be done for the day with my job. I can do it at Beaners or at 6am in my jammies. As the manager of a mortgage company, and with your information sometimes as a guide or reinforement, we are placing ourselves in a position to attract Y's now and in the future. We're virtual (we all love), we're technology driven (we all love), we don't work 60 hour weeks (we all love), we're fast as heck (we all love)… on and on. Thank you Y's :)

Whom are you kidding with this? Generation Y used to be called the slacker generation but somehow now they have become the saviors of the American way, baseball and apple pie. You are feeding into their feeling of entitlement. "I deserve $150,000 a year out of school and I don't have to actually earn it." Who is going to be doing all the paperwork for these gifted wonders? Heaven forbid they have to book their own travel arrangements.

Everyone learned in the 80's that company loyalty was a no-win game for the employee. What hurt a lot of boomers was the failure to upgrade their skills and processes. The ones that did are now ordering their $4.00 Starbucks from that Gen Yer behind the counter.

Boomers had to do the face time thing because, SURPRISE, that was where the work actually was. How many accountants were taking ledgers home with them in the 70s? Who was logging in to update their project plans in the 80s? The technology did not exist to support anything else but actually showing up.

I don't care when someone was born or if they can use the latest web fad thingy. I care if they can get the job they were hired to do done. If they are too much of a prima donna to make copies if that is what it takes to accomplish that then they qualify as a jerk. And they are gone.

* * * * * * *

Hi. I understand that it's annoying that gen Y is not putting up with all the BS that older generations put up with. But the truth is that Gen Y probably doesn't need a job from you. The unemplyment rate among college grads is less than 2% right now, and 70% of human resource exectutives say they have to convince people to take their jobs.

Here is a post about how gen Y is in the drivers seat when it comes to hiring:

http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/07/08/in-todays-workplace-young-job-seekers-hold-the-advantage/
–Penelope

I think there are people who are slackers in every generation just as there are those in very generation who can and will work hard. It is smart for businesses to make adjustments to attact and retain employees in general. If most of those are from Generation Y, adjust accordingly.

That test was fun. I am 46 but tested out as (barely) Generation X.

"What’s the point of baby boomers complaining about Generation Y at work?…it’s a cliché, because people over 40 have been complaining about “young people” since forever."

It is like soooo easy to turn the tables on that one. Young people might as well stop criticizing the the baby boomers. First of all, we know that they are just trying to take shots at their parents. It's also well known that young people are inclined to make pompous statements based on a lack of experience.

But it's not a generational thing. When we see secular and religious leaders make pompous statements on the world stage and we want to take shots at them too. It doesn't matter how old they are. And it's never going to change.

* * * * * * * * * *

Hm. This is an interesting point. I have to think about it. Here is what I think of first: That it's not a generational thing, it's a pomposity thing. I think you're saying that if someone thinks they know what's right for everyone then people get angry. I have to think about this. My first thing I think of is that I am really happy that I write about all the problems I have in my career on this blog because people who dish out advice as if they are perfect annoy me, too. But I think it's different one person making pompous statements and a whole generation doing it.

-Penelope

I see a lot of concerning similarities between todays rush for Gen Y workers and the demand for tech workers in the dot-com era. When demand outstripped supply, the techies were getting all kinds of perks; taking pets to work, crazy stock options (okay, those were mostly worthless), 25-year-olds C-level execs, etc. Once the bubble burst, however, many of those workers were suddenly in a "don't call us – we'll call you" position. (I know, I was one of them)

Will something similar happen to Gen Y? I don't know. A big part of the answer will rest on how much value they can bring to the workplace. Their technical savvy and creative thinking will be an asset here. Another piece of it will be the alternatives that companies have. If there's someone in Bangalore who is just as talented and is willing to play by the company rules, then that could be a problem for the Gen Y worker who wants to define their career their own way.

My guess: Gen Y will cause the workplace to drift toward a more lifestyle-friendly approach, but not quite as radically as some people are predicting.

Disclaimer – I fall dead-center of the X generation in temperament and age.

* * * * * * *
Here's the difference between the boom that X-ers lived through and what's going on now. X-ers could charge a lot of money for their services becasue so few people knew what they were doing on the Internet. But X-ers always worked for baby boomers and generally had to starve if they didn't want to work for baby boomers. On top of that, if X-ers who started Internet companies needed a lot of funding, an that came from boomers, so even the X-er entrepreneurs were working for boomers.

–Penelope

Not to be annoying but where are you getting the 2% college unemployment rate from? Can you tell me what percentage of Gen Y is going to and graduating from college? What is the percentage of unemployment for Gen X college graduates? Does that 2% figure mean that they are employed in their field or just at any job that will pay their bills?

I don't find it annoying that Gen Y is not putting up with the stuff Boomers put up with. I do find it annoying that there is an expectation for everyone to bow down to them. Playing WOW for 12 hours straight in your parents' basement does not qualify someone to be the network administrator for a fortune 500 company yet they often seem shocked to find out they are not entitled to that.
Some things have to be earned, they are not a birthright. Most people of any generation realize that. The ones that don't are the ones we all consider to be jerks.

* * * * * * *
You can search the Bureau of Labor site for the 2% statistic.
But it doesn't matter how many gen y college grads there are, it matters that if you want to hire one, they are not desperate for your job.
Gen Y is not playing video games in the basement. They're starting companies. Gen-y is, on the whole, incredibly productive in ways that other generations could not dream of. That research comes from Deloitte – in the study I link to here:
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/07/11/blogger-frustration-deloittes-great-data-that-i-cant-link-to/

–Penelope

Hey Penelope,

I'm curious where you fall on the spectrum: What generation were you born into and what do you test out as? I'm a tail end Boomer by birth, but from the test I'm right in the middle of the Gen X.

At this time, I think the test is an indicator more of whether or not you have embraced technology yet (internet, wireless, etc). Many previous generations defined themselves more by their music. I find it interesting that my kids, aged 10 – 19, all find a great interest in the music from my high school and college days (please, don't mention disco). Although many my age may avoid technology, there as just as many who embrace it.

* * * * * * * *

GT, the reason that testing people by the technology they use works is that it reflects the choices they make, the people they associate with, and the opportunities they have had. Even someone who is 20 and "not that into technology" will test as gen Y. But a boomer who is "really into technology" would probably not test as gen Y by dint of not having enough free time. I like how all that works out.

He said, "Yeah. But I would if I could. The test isn't fair."
–Penelope

Penelope, another great post. I think you've been hitting them right out of the park lately.

Gen X should own the culture, both within the workplace and out of it. It is their time, frankly.

I'm almost always amazed when I read the comments on your blog because I don't think you say anything that should engender such defensiveness, particularly on the part of my fellow boomers (or Gen Jonesers).

Oops, broken link. Sorry, Penelope. For those interested, http://www.ihateyourjob.com/your-work-is-about-20-of-your-life/

Regarding 'suck work' – it's not that younger people refuse to do any, they just don't want to be stuck doing everyone else's, to the point where it's their entire job.

Penelope's example about e-mail was perfect.

An executive should be able to sit down, using Word or e-mail, and type his own correspondence. In the time it would take for him to dictate a letter, or write something down on paper for someone else to type, he could type up his own letter and send it out yesterday. Typing pools are a thing of the past. The work doesn't go away, but everyone does his own.

Another example – budget monitoring. A budget manager should be able to sit down at his computer and pull up a report showing his actual vs. budgeted expenses, current month and year-to-date, and explain any large variances. There is no reason for someone in the accounting department to go through this tedious process for all the departments, and they are not the people responsible for what goes into the budgets anyway. The only thing standing in the way is an old-school mentality among some managers which says that such work is beneath them, and they can't be bothered to spend fifteen minutes learning how to run a simple Crystal report.

Personally, I like to be given a project and then have responsibility for the whole thing, top to bottom – the high-level analysis as well as the grassroots grunt work. I despise the idea of carving the grunt work out of all the projects and shoveling it all onto a young person.

At my first job out of college, I worked for a mortgage company in the area that set up trust accounts for new loans. There was a department of about fifteen of us, and at first we were each responsible for all the branch office activity in our assigned states. We did the dull things like deposit the checks and pay invoices, but sometimes unusual things came along, too, and those were opportunities to research a problem and learn more about how the process worked.

Then some great geniuses decided to stratify all the work. So some of us had to sit and prepare check deposits all day, some of us had to sit and pay invoices all day, etc. There was no longer any variety to our jobs whatsoever. We hated it, and we hated the bosses who did it to us. Even the people who did more of the research-type stuff were totally burned out and hated their jobs, too.

We had started out feeling some ownership toward the branches we worked with. We got to know the employees who worked in them, and there was some commitment to providing them with good service. With all those relationships taken away, all ownership taken away, and our jobs reduced to as much monotony as they could possibly be, the only thing anyone wanted to do was leave.

Now that I think about it, our managers' goal seems to have been to turn ALL the work into grunt work.

In response to the above comment, Gen-Y is concerend with money, just like anyone else, but in different ways.

First, money is not the most important thing. I'd stay in a non-profit, making non-profit level money if I felt like I was doing something meaningful that I could be passionate about, even though I could do corporate work for probably twice the salary.

Second, we don't want to be paid little today with promise of more in the future when we've put in our time. We don't plan on being around that long, because we don't trust the company that much. We've seen others before us be screwed too many times.

Pirate Jo makes some good points. The company I work for is a small to medium size company. I think because of our size, many of us must assume multiple roles for the company to thrive. Most larger companies get stuck in the bureaucracy of layers and therefore subscribe to the my job – your job attiutude. I have been criticized for not delegating enough work even though I get all my work done on time. I refuse to pass along correspondence for anyone else to type for me because I am constantly editing myself as I go along. It would take more total time for me to write, have it typed by someone, read and edit, retyped by someone, re-read again… The skills of the modern worker I believe demand each be able to do more of the "grunt" work themselves. What is the possible backlash? Fewer secretaries? Maybe those fewer secretaries will be able to do more themselves for the company than be stuck in a position that may be leading them nowhere. Have fewer workers and train them to take on more responsibility (not hours).

About Gen Y hopping jobs more. It's actually good for the individual as well as the companies they work for. Too much turnover is an indication of a poorly run organization (or a fast food restaurant). As long as the company is successful, I'm not sure if there is a "too little turnover". Turnover brings in new ideas, a different way of looking at things. The key is to treat and train your employees well so they will be good contributors to the bottom line, now and in the future. You may lose a few, but as I heard Zig Ziglar once say: "I'd rather train an employee and risk losing them than to not train the employee and keep them."

Penelope: what a hideous pile of "feel good" crap. I would love to see Gen Y negotiating with the mullahs in 15-20 years, talaking about self-esteem and quality of life.

I find it fortunate that we are able to have such a conversation about the work world. Only one hundred years ago, people were breaking their backs working the fields and factories, children were laboring in sweatshops, and only a small percent of workers were in "safe" jobs (clerical, lawyers, etc.) People worked 6 days a week. And health benefits, social security, etc — no such thing. It's due to technology and a few beneficial government policies we can sit around today fiddling with our Blackberries and moan we don't have any time.

It's not so much about the personal qualities of Gen Y (sorry) that are shaping this generation, rather it is the availability and usage of communications technology that is shaping them in the workforce. As you said, now everyone has to do some "suck" work — because of the ease of use of technology — which means that everyone can also do non-suck work. And so, of course, that's what Gen Y wants to do. Who wouldn't? And that's why they can be in the basement setting up their companies without Boomer venture capital. Technology makes it possible — hence the gen quiz.

I was looking for a quote from John Adams in which he says how his generation had to fight the revolutionary war in order for its sons and daughters to be able to have lives that allowed for arts and architecture. I couldn't find it — probably it was some other forefather. But I did find the following that I liked, and seems applicable to the discussion:

There are two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live. — John Adams

P.S. Why do the people who call your observations "feel good crap" always make so many spelling and grammar errors in their posts? Are they so angered they can't hit the right keys? Maybe they should out-source their hate mail to someone in the developing world who has studied English.

“But I think its different one person making pompous statements and a whole generation doing it.” What a gross generalization. Penelope, I love your blog but your intergenerational warfare undercuts your credibility.

Is your goal to create a true dialog, highlighting the contributions of Gen X and Y, or merely to reinforce a group’s self indulgent perception of itself?

Each Generation thinks that it is unique, that it has somehow overcome the faults and limitations of prior generations. But your gains are made on top of the gains boomers made and on top of the gains that prior generations have made. This is an evolving process. No one group is going to get it right. Our children will make further improvement. Too often you reduce your narrative to Gen X = good; Boomers = evil.

You points can be made without the hostility to boomers that frequently accompany them. You are only alienating those you are attempting to convince.

* * * * * * *

Thank you for your comment. I want you to know that I hear you. I walk a fine line. There are very few voices in mainstream media expressing the frustrations of gen-x besides me. So I feel like that’s really important to do. Most baby boomers who read my blog assume that they are more open minded than the baby boomers I complain about. And, in a large part, I think that’s true. I also have a large baby boomer management contingency that reads the blog to understand what is going on in young peoples’ minds. This cannot be a blog for everyone in the workplace – no blog can be that. So I have to be a blog for people with a certain mindset. And in fact, I think that mindset is independent of how old someone might be – anyone can be open minded, curious, willing to toss out old rules, and passionate about really honest with themselves about what they want and what they need to do to get it.

Penelope

I really don't understand all this "I'm better than you are." "No, I am." We all are just trying to do the best we can (I hope.) I was born 2 years into the boomer generation (1950) and when I was growing up there were no computer, no calculators, cell phones, digital camera or caller ID. And since there was nothing we could do about that, we just worked with what we had at the time.
Now, the Gen Y kids are coming into the workforce. Most of them have never known life without the above mentioned technology. I always knew that Gen Y would do amazing things because we all know that this technology has transformed our lives beyond our wildest dreams and Gen Y would be the generation to really bring it into the workplace and make it perform to the max.
But to insinuate that Boomers lived their lives all wrong because they worked long hours – something you had to do to get the job done when there was no technology to work with, or that Gen Y is going to work miracles because they are somehow extraordinary when it is really because they have all this technology at their disposal, is to overlook the fact that we are all products of the times we were born into.
The Boomers are getting old and will start to retire out of the workplace. Then it will be Gen X and Gen Y's turn. They will change the workplace because of the technology they will employ, and then they too will get old. Remember this conversation when your kids enter the workforce and ask how you ever managed with the "primitive" technology you had to work with.

Gen Y is more uneducated than any previous generation in personal finance. Ramit Sethi realized this and began a hugely successful personal finance blog. It’s true that we’ve had our parents managing our money our entire lives – and I will admit that many times we take it for granted… Our entire lives we witnessed “money growing on trees”, despite what our parents told us every time we asked for a new toy. Two points here:
a. Point 1: We need a “life skills” class to be taught to all college Seniors. It should be a mandatory class offered by all universities teaching personal finance, benefits and insurance, time management, networking/relationship management, etc.
b. Point 2: There is an upside to Gen Y taking money for granted – they focus on the more important things in life. As always, the 80/20 rule applies. There will be 80% of Gen Y that will sit back and enjoy life, family and friends with less career ambition. That’s fine. The remaining 20% will comprise Gen Y’s achievers, and it is this 20% that will make unprecedented contributions to global society, the advancement of technology, and US economy and quality of life in the workplace.

How are we so sure that Gen Y’s contributions will be so significantly different than other generations? Well, many people mention the computer and it’s influence on us. Clearly, that is true. But there is a much more powerful invention that has truly changed the face of the entire world – and Generation Y controls it. You guessed it! Al Gore’s bastard son: The Internet.

Generation Y (in my humble opinion those born 1982 – 20??) is the first generation to have the computer and the Internet seamlessly integrated into our daily lives during our primary developmental period – psychologically, emotionally and cognitively speaking. It is part of us. If the technology existed, we’d be fucking cyborgs. THIS IS THE INHERENT DIFFERENCE THAT IS WORTHY OF ALL OF THE HYPE. I could go on for years about the implications of this, but if you’re looking for an answer to “what makes this generation so special?”, there you go.

Are we more sheltered than previous generations? Yes. We haven’t directly felt the trials and tribulations of other generations. What we did experience was our Baby Boomer parents being laid off from their jobs, coming home after a hard days work and spending all their time with us (sometimes in leiu of each other), constant coddling, empty nest syndrome, and the emergence of the nuclear family (and a higher divorce rate as our parents’ affair with their careers took over their marriage). This is just the way it was. We didn’t ask for it. So to all you haters, get over yourselves.

If you couldn’t give a shit about these generational issues and have not experienced any conflicts or hardships due to the influx of new and dissonant values that the Next Generation brings with it, then that’s totally cool, but to be honest you probably shouldn’t be wasting your time reading this blog entry. On the other hand, if you have any feelings of angst, aggression or frustration with Generation Y, chances are that you are envious of what they have and what they seek to achieve.

Baby Boomers: You are the product of the Great Depression-stricken Veteran generation. You were taught to climb the corporate ladder and be fiscally conservative. You know how to manage money and you play by the rules. Aside from technology, you are the primary influencers on Gen Y’s values. So,

1. Take a step back
2. Think about it
3. “A Ha!”
4. Think about your own kids
5. Return to work tomorrow treating every Gen Yer like your child (teach them how to develop into the great person they want to be, don’t reprimand them for being bratty)

Gen X: You tried, you failed. It’s OK. Yes, Gen Y is actually achieving everything you wanted to – embrace it! It doesn’t mean you are any less competent, only much smaller in numbers. I warn you: DO NOT BECOME DICKHEAD MANAGERS. You fought hard against the old school Corporate Culture of conservative and impersonal values, inflexibility and unnecessary facetime… do not undermine the further advancement of your cause. Every time you find yourself thinking, saying or feeling, “I didn’t have the same opportunities as this kid – he should BE so lucky to be here! For the amount he’s being paid he should be doing whatever is asked of him. When I was his age…” Whooooooa, Nelly! Step back, get out your iPod, turn on your 3 favorite songs. Listen to the lyrics. Apply them to this situation. Repeat as needed.

The truth is that this situation is not going away – every single summer more and more college graduates will enter businesses. You can’t stop this powerful tide. What you can do, is learn how to flow with the tide and by understanding it’s characteristics you can shape it, direct it, and make it work in favor of your company. Ever minute you try to fight it you are one minute closer to drowning. Need some more proof?

The most important thing for Baby Boomers and Gen Xers to keep in mind is this:

DON’T KILL DREAMS. What are you trying to prove?

Ryan,

I agree with Point 1: We need a “life skills” class to be taught to all college seniors… however, the skills with how to use credit and manage debt is something that needs to be taught to high school seniors.

Why?? The moment they set foot on college campuses for orientation, they are bombarded with credit card offers. I can’t find the exact number to reference, but the average credit card debt now held by college students hovers above $3,000… that’s in addition to their student loans. They need coping skills before they arrive on campus.

Here’s an interesting article filled with scary examples: Generation Y Seeks Financial Freedom
http://www.youngmoney.com/credit_debt/get_out_of_debt/060401

As a kid (I am 44, tail-end of Boomers) I heard a preacher talk to the Silent Generation that the typical goal of retirement (stop working or being productive, sit in a rocking chair and do nothing) was why many kids became hippies and dropouts. Life’s goal is to sit around and do nothing? Why wait until 65? Hang out, smoke dope, and be useless at 18 instead.

The Y-ers seem to be doing the same thing. Life’s goal is to have meaningful work and make a difference? Why wait until 65? Get work, waste not time, and find meaning at 18 instead.

I am a Gen x'er (born in 79) but am close enough to the Gen y'ers that I feel the same things at times. I still think you have to pay dues but I don't think you need to spend 10 years in the same position to prove yourself. If you can't prove yourself in 2-3 years than either your boss doesn't understand you or you are not in the right fit. The biggest complaint i've had about Boomers i've worked with (all relative here) is that they tend not to give up too much information for fear that they will not be the only one who knows something. I like spreading the knowledge to get a more well rounded solution for a problem. I think the biggest problem is the fact that people close their mind to different work cultures. People do twice as much in half the time now days and I believe it angers people of the older generation that didn't keep up with skills. They see people "slacking" when in actuality they are working smarter, not harder. I like the saying "Work hard to hardly work". Improve in your job to do it effectively allowing yourself the extra time to take on extra things.

I think it would be healthy for boomers, GenXers, and GenYers to step back and say "It's not about me" a few times instead of getting caught up in some imagined generational conflict. I know it is helpful, when you don't understand why people are behaving the way you want/expect them to, to have a theory you can apply, but there is no vast boomer conspiracy to thwart the ambitions of the young.

Who has time to worry about all these people issues? Adapt until it works.

For all you Gen-Yers,
I have started two businesses – if you are contemplating starting one, understand you will be doing tons of "suck" work for a long time until it (hopefully!) gets off the ground. Much more than you will ever do at a company – maybe because it is your "suck" work it will not seem so heinous. Don't let fooled by how easy Penelope and Ryan Paugh make starting a business sound – it isn't.

There is a terrific article-great insight–in the July-August issue of the Harvard Business Review: The Next 20 Years: How Customer and Workforce Attitudes Will Evolve.

Penelope, this line really bugged me:
"Gen Y isn’t going anywhere, and it’s not like they’re about to conform to baby boomer demands."

One of the biggest complaints I hear from employers is how Gen Y's seem not to want any insight/advice from Boomers or Gen X'rs. Not good.
We're all in this together–we need to learn to work together.

Harsh Truth: it's not about Boomers vs other generations; it's about learning how to work effectively with your boss and them learning how to develop young employees to become their best.

Success doesn't come easy. If you don't act like you want to learn to become a great employee, no one is going to go out of their way to help you.

I like diversity of ideas in the workplace. It makes better companies, work spaces, and products.

But Y's do need to realize there's a ton to learn about business. When you're starting out in your career you don't even know what you don't know.
Once you realize that, you'll be on your way.

Adaptation from all sides will take place–it may take a tad longer than you'd like, but it will happen.

I do wish, I as I stated on a different topic, that more companies would adapt employee mentor programs. This would be a great way for all generations to learn about each other and avoid those nasty stereotypes that do no one any good.

Actually, Baby Boomers were the first to come-up with, and use, flex-time. They were also the first to come up with telecommuting–using technology–though the technology wasn't that great.

Why did they come up with it? Career women had children later in life. They still wanted to work and lobbied management–which may or may not have been baby boomers (could it have been the Greatest Generation that first adapted it for the boomers?) to allow them to work from home. Also, men, too, wanted and got paternity leave. It may not have happened in great numbers, but it paved the way for your generation.

Many baby boomers went into careers that attempted to make the world better–they said "no" to traditional corporate life. What do you think the sixties were all about? Not everyone from that generation sold-out. They also takled about and worked for corporate responsibility.

What Color is your Parachute was a boomer career bible. It was all about finding your purpose, passion, etc. and tying that to your career.

In the meantime, don't worry about your generation and all the misguided praise or over-praise other generations get. Screw them all–Blaze your own trail!

* * * * * * *
I actually think people have been asking for some version flex time forever. People have wanted it forever. Baby boomers may have named it, but they did not quit when they didn't get it. When Get X had kids, they started quitting when they didn't get flex time. Gen Y gets credit for forcing massive flex time because unlike the baby boomers, they won't take No for an answer on flex time. And unlike gen X, gen y has the demographic power to move mountains, quickly.

Penelope

Penelope,

Boomers didn't just name it, they created it.
It was established because they demanded it.

Most forward thinking companies back in the early 80's were starting to grant flex-time as policy to keep good workers. Job sharing, too, was initiated back then. Baby Boomers pushed for legislation for better maternity and paternity leave.
(and who were these boomers taking off time for:
yes, to raise gen x and gen y kids)

Flex time also started coming to be because it actually could save the company money–shared office space, parking costs, and in So. Cal., a way to comply with the AQMD policies. Companies were beginning to see technology as a way to save costs. I think this is less a generational thing–though I admit generation is part of it–and more of a way business–apart from keeping workers–as a means to save the company money.

Boomers are more willing to grant it now to their employees because it was granted to them when they needed it. And to those who may have been denied it back in the 80's, they are probably more willing to grant it now because they wish they were able to get it back then.

hi penelope,

you state that unemployment among college grads is 2%. How much of that is under-employment. Generally the under-employed are disengaged from their work and prefer their time outside of work. They do whatever they can to 'get by' and quit jobs at the drop of a hat.

this would explain many career aspirations of gen y.

* * * * * * *

That's a good question. You could argue, in some wierd way, that half gen x and gen y are underemployed.

-Penelope

David,

How many Gen-Y are in Iraq and Afghanistan? How many of these vets do you see on the news protesting?

-Greg (44, married to a SAHM, 2 preschool boys)

David,

I do not really follow. Are you saying that the only good Gen-Y is in the military? Also, to the best of my recollection, the generation born between 1957 and 1983 has not fought protracted or insurgent war. And unlike previous generations (with the exception of Gulf War I), every one volunteered to go over there. They do not have to reenlist. They can game the system and get a ticket home. Unlike previous wars, nobody was drafted or compelled.

But that aside, you know what your experiences are first-hand, I do not. However, my experience has been vastly different. The young people I know and interact with are responsible, hardworking, and loyal. I trust them to watch my boys (which I trust to few people, adult or ten). I like being around and working with young people. I hope you get the opportunity to interact with the kind of young people I see every day.

Keke said:

"They also have no respect and think they can do whatever they want. I’m a Gen Xer and at least I gave my parents respect and listened to them. If I didn’t I got a spanking. I think we need to start spanking our kids again too. That puts things back into perspective. Yea I know I sound angry and I am because things have gotten way out of control."

I'm a Gen Yer, I got abused, I mean spanked, MOST PEOPLE TODAY SPANK. MAYBE WE SHOULD REALLY Stop spanking and we'll see a positive change. moron.

Gen Y has a tough road ahead of them, and I neither envy nor despise them. Being an Xer, I never went to school having to worry about terrorism or school shootings. Never feared expulsion or jail for "politically incorrect" speech. Never had to worry that someone would take a pic of me in a private moment doing something I'd later be ashamed of and plaster it on the internet for posterity. I was taught that although the older generation didn't "get" what we were into, it wasn't ok to be rude or disrespectful and dismiss them as useless wastes of skin. I did not grow up in a perpetually negative environment where people ran each other off the road in anger, or where common courtesy (and common sense) were the exception, rather than the rule. Gen Y is coming of age in a world where security and courtesy and many freedoms are now things of the past. Gen Y has advantages, too, brought to them by their boomer parents, and by some of the actions of their senior X colleagues. They will no doubt in turn make their contributions to the future. Each generation has its drawbacks. The Boomers got to see their affluence fade and realized that youthful idealism doesn't work well in practice. Gen X learned that prosperity would elude them and they would have to put up with more and work harder to have the same things their parents did. Gen Y as an aggregate will potentially face a bleaker future than Gen X, due to the social/economic problems begun in the 60s that are finally coming home to roost. My two nephews are Gen Y…courteous, hard working, and yes, tech savvy. I feel confident they will succeed and do amazing things in their lives. But I fear for this generation too, because they have a much more dangerous world to deal with than I did at their age. Enough with the generation wars. I personally don't care if my generation (X) gets credit for things we achieved that are positive…as long as the world benefits from what we have left behind, that is all that matters. The Boomers are checking out. The rest of us need to get off our butts and make things better.

Truth be told, we are already and I am just 21. We bitch about the behavior of the new generation of kids after us. We can't relate to people born in the mid 1990s and beyond as friends as well as we do to those born in the 1970s (and even late 1960s).