Hi, sir. I know you probably mean well, but you are being quite rude. First of all, assuming my generation is “bad” in all respects and everyone within that age range fits in that square hole is ignorant. Second, please consider all that we are doing well.

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I grew up in a lovely society, one where everyone wins and gets a fair chance. When I was 6 years old, my parents made me play soccer. I wasn’t very good at the sport, so I picked flowers. You know, the little white ones that are probably weeds and not flowers? Yeah, I liked to pick those, and when I picked all of those flowers I would move on to finding four-leaf clovers—all while a soccer game was going on around me. At the end of the season I got a trophy for participating, a job well done. Fifteen years later, I still have that trophy. It’s one of my biggest accomplishments.

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My parents made enough money to send me to a private high school and I was able to get a great education. Throughout my four years at high school, it was drilled into my head that if we did not go to college, we wouldn’t get a job. Everyone in my life was going to college, it was the new norm. So, senior year I applied to a few colleges and was faced with a decision to make. My parents wanted me to go to community college to save money, but I wanted to go to an accredited school to enhance my chances of getting a good job. In the end, I went with the latter.

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Fast forward to present time, 2018. I am over $100,000 in debt, studying Media and Professional Communications with my heart set on working in the nonprofit sector. Every person I talk to about my life tells me about how I won’t make any money working in nonprofit or that my major is a waste. I have worked my butt off to set myself apart from the rest. I have had internships, I work a part-time job during school breaks, I am involved in many clubs, I maintain good grades, I network with employers, yet I am labeled as a “lazy millennial”.  

My sister, who was born in 1985 and is technically a millennial herself, has complained about me on numerous occasions. She is annoyed that I do not work all year-round like she did. She thinks that since I chose not to learn how to drive until I was 20 years old was because I was lazy, when I did it to save on money. Are millennials lazy? Well, “there will be no innovation and entrepreneurship without impatience and laziness” (Barashari http://yfsmagazine.com/2014/08/11/op-ed-overconfident-entitled-and-lazy-millennials/)

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It feels like every week millennials are killing something. We spend too much money on avocados, we are killing real-estate, we are killing grocery and retail stores, you name it- we ruined it! However, saying we are killing things is a dramatic and negative way to word it. We are evolving our way of life, adjusting to technological advances. Not to mention, not every millennial is doing those things. Some millennials can afford to buy houses, shop in physical stores, and don’t eat avocados. Nevertheless, millennials “have been branded as being narcissistic and entitled” (Credo http://web.a.ebscohost.com.pitt.idm.oclc.org/ehost/command/detail?vid=21&sid=45da9d03-560f-4b10-8f0b-2486b6836080%40sessionmgr4006). Other generations need to look past this brand of being narcissistic and entitled, and start to see that millennials can do some good things in this world. Technological advancements, new leadership, a better understanding of mental health and diversity.

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Millennials are the most technologically advanced generation to date. “The millennial generation is the first generation to grow up with technology integrated into their lives- cell phones, i-pods, computers, the internet, instant messaging, texting, MySpace and Facebook accounts, computer and console video games and multimedia.” (Nikirk https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ840445.pdf) With this technology being integrated into our lives, we have learned to make some things in our lives easier, such as online shopping. While older generations complain that millennials are killing physical stores, we are helping online retail and making advances, so more people have access to products.

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Millennials have carried these stereotypes of being lazy, narcissistic, and entitled. However, we offer so much more than we are given credit for. To all other generations, please listen to us and give us a chance. After all, you do know what they say about making assumptions.

 

Works Cited

Barashari, Aria. “Op-Ed: Overconfident, Entitled, and Lazy Millennials Are Making Their Mark – Are You?” YFS Magazine, 11 Aug. 2014.

Credo, Keith. “Narcissism and Entitlement in Millennials: The Mediating Influence of Community Service Self Efficacy on Engagement.” EBSCOhost, Oct. 2016.

Nikirk, Martin. “Today’s Millennial Generation: A Look Ahead To the Future They Create.” The Future of CTE, May 2009.