Home » Young Professionals

Take Your Generational Entitlement…

20 April 2010 14 Comments

…and shove it.

Yep, that’s right, I said it.

I listen again and again to older generations of folks (read, 35 and older, which sadly is NOT that much older) complain and grate on about how young professionals now-a-days are just whiny bratty little brats who don’t deserve the things they get and should “suffer the way they did.”

I saw this once as a Twitter convo unfolded and someone said something to the effect of:  “Do you think that the people working in factories 100 years ago loved doing it? No, but they had families to feed and lives to make so they did it.”

My mother’s family (seriously, almost all of them) worked in mills in Western Maine.  I would not be here without a lot of people before me working their fingers to the bone to make a better life for themselves and their families.  My Dad has worked in the same company for almost 30 years.  Started stocking in their warehouse on the night shift and is now on the management team for one of the most successful and popular programs in the company.

And you know what.  My Dad loves me.  A lot.

Because of that he has NEVER wanted me to have a job that I do just cause I need to make ends meet and get by.  He has always wanted better for my sister and I.  Cause that’s what parents and families do.  They want their children to be happy and fulfilled. They want them to have the life they always dreamed of for themselves.

The Boomers & Gen X parents have raised a generation of people that have been told to never settle and never accept what life doles out to you.

Now I’m not saying that young professionals should aspire to living in their parents basement for 15 years while desperately attempting to launch that flannel Rubik’s Cube empire they’ve been working at (this month.)  That’s not a life that’s better. And really, young folks, what are you doing leeching off your parents like that?

Furthermore, I have some news to pass on to my young professional peers.  We did not discover the notion of discussing work over drinks at happy hour.  We did not patent the phrase “work smarter, not harder.”  We are not the only innovators of product and industry.  We are not the only people who have spent sleepless nights conflicted with decisions for our future and questions about our past.

The truth is that each generation DOES have events that shape it’s thought and characteristics that separate us, the reality is that we have much more in common than we think.  In fact, it’s more than likely that a lot of the stuff we are going through, someone has gone through before.  So let’s put this in perspective.

And to the other generations – remember when you had that star in your eye thinking of your future?  Remember when you were 24 and looked at the things your company was doing and it made your brain hurt with it’s bureaucracy?  Remember when you thought you could make a difference just by being you?

I implore you to remember, because I know you did.  And I beg you to let us have it too. Reality will set in soon enough.  Let us believe as long as we can.

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  • http://www.screendoorslams.wordpress.com michaela

    Ooh, you lured me out of hiding on this one! As one of those 35+ professionals, I’ll admit to the occasional gripe about Gen Y’s entitlement. But I’ve realized that it’s not actually entitlement that bugs me – it’s the complete lack of knowledge about how to behave in the workplace (from a few specific younger workers – I don’t want to paint your whole generation with the same brush!). And the problem here isn’t the lack of knowledge – it’s the willingness to blithely forge ahead without realizing that there is knowledge they don’t have in the first place. It’s what Donald Rumsfeld (ick) described as the “unknown unknowns.”

    Call me a fuddy-duddy if you like, but business emails – to people who don’t know you – should use proper capitalization and grammar. I DON’T want to quash the energy and innovation that comes from so-called “fresh blood” in the workplace. But I’d also like at least a wee bit of respect for my experience–which was hard-won.

    So, umm, I’m rambling, but I think in large part we agree. And clearly I need more coffee.

    • http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa

      Michaela! I would agree with you on younger workers who refuse to listen to advice or wisdom out of some sort of entitlement or weird disrespect. My first job I had a boss who pulled me aside after my third misguided attempt at “business casual” and took an hour to teach me about it.

      I’m going to go out on a limb and say that was probably NOT an enjoyable conversation for her!

      That being said, a lot of it IS not knowing or understanding this big bad growned-up world of business. So kudos to you for caring enough about someone’s future to call them on it. Shame on them for not respecting you and understanding that you probably made similar faux-pas’ in your past, and that’s why you are sharing.

      It astounds me how many young professionals bitch about advice from older workers. I’m always flattered they believed in me enough (or, heck, knew who I was!) to offer it.

  • http://www.bflofutsal.com Ryan Knapp

    In the current state of things, it is extremely easy to broadcast out there things like; how hard we are working, what we are currently doing, how we didn’t get any sleep last night because of our big project.

    Whereas with our parents, they did the same things, but they couldn’t broadcast it to the world.

    Each generation has a new set of shiny toys to use, and we put those shiny tools to use to be the best we can be. I’m sure some of the older generation felt a sense of entitlement too, but ours definitely feels much more.

    Especially in college, where giving grades away and ‘extra credit’ assignments are the norm, and thinking for yourself isn’t.
    .-= Ryan Knapp´s last blog ..Talk Futsal Ep 4 – futsal cup, pros and positioning =-.

    • http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa

      Ryan – You are very right! It might not be any more “entitlement” (though I’d agree with you, ours definitely SEEMS to play it more often!) but we certainly hear about it more!

      And though I DO believe that every young professional has only themselves to blame for the choices they make in life, I reference Charlie & the Chocolate Factory a bit …
      “Who do you blame when your kid is a brat
      Pampered and spoiled like a Siamese cat?
      Blaming the kids is a lion of shame
      You know exactly who’s to blame:
      The mother and the father!”

      I love the story of helicopter parents. A rather large financial advising company actually hired HR professionals to deal with the “helicopter parents” of their young professional employees. As in Mom or Dad would call HR and bitch because little Timmy didn’t get the raise he was hoping for this year.

      CAN YOU IMAGINE!? I would be MORTIFIED at ANY AGE if my parents had called my company, let alone my supervisor to discuss my work/benefits/etc. Mortified!

  • Amy

    I really think that this is one of my favorite posts of yours! It’s so well written and voiced. I have the lovely stigma of being the youngest person in my office (24). And I “got” the job because my father works in the department. Two strikes against me from the beginning. The thing is, I can’t really blame these stigmas. There are many lovely people of my generation that act like they should get jobs because, “They would be stupid not to hire me” oh yes, I heard this from someone who was only a year older than me.

    The thing is, we are the stupid ones if we aren’t hired. Clearly, something with us didn’t sit well with that job. I remember asking my dad once if he ever just wanted to drive past the office and keep going. “Of course!” “What stopped you?” “I had a wife and two daughters to feed, clothe and keep sheltered”. *served*. While I don’t have a family just yet, I know what it means to work for what I have, want and need. Something I wish more people of my generation knew about. Because I learned that from the generation before me. Nothing is free and nothing is handed to you. Work for what you want and love what have.

    • http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa

      Amy – I love this line…it’s poetic in it’s truth:

      “Nothing is free and nothing is handed to you. Work for what you want and love what have.”

      And it is so very true! There is a sigma attached to the young professional generation…but have we aided in it’s creation? Sadly, I agree with you that yes, we probably have.

      You Dad sounds like a wise and brilliant man. I can only imagine how your older sister must have turned out. :)

    • Paul Doucette

      Amy
      Your dad may have gotten you the job and you may be the youngest person in your office, but you are still there because of you. Regardless of your father’s influence in the office (unless he is the president maybe), if you were a general screw up or goofed off all the time, you would be gone. And even though you are the youngest, your work ethic is such that you are treated as an adult.

  • http://doniree.com/ Doniree

    AMEN. I love this! I work my TAIL off, but just because it’s in an unconventional way (not that freelancing and contracting is THAT bizarre…) and just because I work on my terms doesn’t mean I don’t work hard. I think I work harder sometimes because I wanted something out-of-the-box, something more personally fulfilling than the corporate jobs I had. I’m interested to see how my perceptions about work change as I have other people I’m responsible for, but now while I’m responsible just for myself – I work hard to be able to play hard and do the things that are important to me now.
    .-= Doniree´s last blog ..“…and to new friends that feel like old.” =-.

    • http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa

      Doni – I know what you are saying. Sometimes the type of work we do (hello…writing blogs, “playing” on Twitter, updating on LinkedIn) doesn’t exactly SOUND like challenging work! And those aren’t really the lionshare of the tough stuff we take on.

      To be fair, though, there is a lot of coporate work and “in-the-box” careers that are equally challenging and personally fulfilling. I know you obviously aren’t saying that you think they aren’t, moreso that they weren’t a good fit for you.

      The young professionals creating the stigma of lazy workers probably aren’t going to be in our sphere of colleagues and peers anyways. But we still get associated with them. And that’s the part that sucks!

  • http://www.lionslinger.com Walter

    Every generation have a decision to accept. The important thing to consider is whether our decisions will enhance our well-being or not. Seeing the bigger picture means keeping an open mind and be flexible to the whims of time. :-)

    • http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa Doucette

      Walter – So very true. Each generation has it’s own decisions to make in the circumstances of their time. The important part is making decisions that will enhance not detract. Thanks for sharing!

  • Paul Doucette

    Elisa
    Thank you very much for making a father very proud of his daughter in many ways. You give me more credit than I am due. You have to have had to do things as an ‘adult’ to receive the respect and treatment that you do. I can take some credit for the way you are but most of it comes from you. There are many other ‘children’ out there who have had loving parents who nutured them as you were. Yet for whatever reason, they chose not to take it to heart. You are a great example of what a person can become and one that is not that Gen X or Y or Z person that the ‘older’ generation talks badly about. Also remember what Socrates said many years ago about the younger generation. Things haven’t really changed much in all these centuries.

    • http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa Doucette

      PDiddy – Well, you did play at least a TINY part in it. You know, with the whole raising and teaching me thing. :)

      But you are right, there are many great parents out there who have children that choose not to honor their upbringing by being snot-nosed little brats who think they know everything, respect no one and are so arrogant and obnoxious you want to bitch slap them. You know, if I were speculating.

      And I have totally been that brat, I’m quite sure of it. The difference is I’ve chosen to learn from it.

  • http://diamondkt.blogspot.com David

    Oooh, I like it! Your writing is getting more blunt and brutally honest like mine.

    You’ve brought up some good points, especially loved the closing 2 paragraphs.

    Yes, when we are in our early 20s we are a bit naive. And of course we don’t recognize that we are being naive – that’s the nature of naiveness. But give it time and slowly, but surely, the reality sets in that all your starry-eyed dreams need a bit of reshaping. Sure it’s great to have that “I’m going to change the world” attitude when you’re fresh out of college, but as you move into your late 20s you start to open your eyes more. You come to grips with the fact that while yes you may be leaving your mark on the world, chances are you aren’t changing it in some Earth shattering fashion that you thought you would at age 22.

    Does that mean Gen-Y should stop dreaming or give up on their dreams? No, of course not. But do tone all the starry-eyed bullshit down a notch or two. You’re embarrassing yourself and your older office peers are rolling their eyes at you.
    .-= David´s last blog ..Being You Is Enough =-.