Your take/ experience with millenials...

[Elite Engineer]

I'm a millenial. I have very mixed feelings about my generation.

 

Positives:

 

- More aware of the "self" and human equality (i.e. transgender, gay marriage, increased privacy, voting, etc.)

 

- More educated (generation with the highest college attendance)

 

- Tech savy

 

- More accepting of others

 

- More politically involved

 

Negatives:

- Everyone wants to go viral

 

- Obsessed with fame and becoming famous

 

- Heavily dependent on technology

 

- Narcissistic

 

- Unfamiliar with conventional workforce

 

- Entitled

 

 

 

 

your thoughts and experiences!

 

~EE

 

[John Cuthber]

Sounds rather like the 60s.

[Strange]

Sounds rather like the 60s.

 

And, mutatis mutandis, the 1860s, the 1760s, the ...

[Elite Engineer]

Sounds rather like the 60s.

I think the positives are very similar to the 60's. However, the negatives I believe, are much worse than previous generations. The 60's counter-culture fell into the same workforce mentality as their parents when

 

they aged. I dont see the millenials doing that at all.

[Acme]

I think the positives are very similar to the 60's. However, the negatives I believe, are much worse than previous generations. The 60's counter-culture fell into the same workforce mentality as their parents when they aged. I dont see the millenials doing that at all.

Maybe that's because the manufacturing jobs went overseas.

[CharonY]

I am not even sure about the tech savvy part. Similar to earlier generations it is true for a certain sub groups (which may or may not be larger than the last generation), but what I noticed is that many are rather used to simple tech solutions (simplified software, googling answers etc.).

I think tech actually got easier and people have to deal less with workarounds or need to know less about certain fundamentals to get things to run. As a consequence, it seems to me that younger people actually give up faster when trying to troubleshoot or solving tech-related problems. Of course there are still coders and real tech-fanatics, but I am not sure that I see more of them.

But maybe it is indeed me getting old.

 

I should add that there is the added of issue that job prospects are pretty bad for the last years so those entering the work force likely have to work harder for the same result. I think that in at least some cases being overwhelmed by this task can be misunderstood as entitlement.

Edited September 30, 2015 by CharonY

[Delta1212]

I agree on the tech savvy part. Perhaps a slightly higher comfort level when it comes to interfacing with consumer computing devices, but most people I know are actually quite bad at computers beyond a bare bones "able to navigate to and interact on social media" level of engagement.

 

I get people coming to me asking them to solve their computer problems despite the fact that 9 times out of 10 I'm just going on Google and poking around until I figure out what the problem is and what the potential solutions were.

 

And inevitably, I ask if they tried googling it first to figure out what was wrong and the answer is either "Yes" which I interpret to mean "I typed 'my computer isn't working' into the search bar and nothing in the first three results solved my problem" or "No, I don't even know what to search for."

 

Actually, I've found that people are amazingly bad at using Google in general, but that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

 

 

I also don't think that Millenials are particularly more fame obsessed than other recent generations, either.

[Strange]

What defines a millennial? Shouldn't it just be people who are 15 years old (or 14, if you are being pedantic)?

[Elite Engineer]

What defines a millennial? Shouldn't it just be people who are 15 years old (or 14, if you are being pedantic)?

MOST journals and sources I've seen say, millenials are frm 1980-2000. Sociolgists are already talking about Generation Z (post-2000)

I agree on the tech savvy part. Perhaps a slightly higher comfort level when it comes to interfacing with consumer computing devices, but most people I know are actually quite bad at computers beyond a bare bones "able to navigate to and interact on social media" level of engagement.

 

I get people coming to me asking them to solve their computer problems despite the fact that 9 times out of 10 I'm just going on Google and poking around until I figure out what the problem is and what the potential solutions were.

 

And inevitably, I ask if they tried googling it first to figure out what was wrong and the answer is either "Yes" which I interpret to mean "I typed 'my computer isn't working' into the search bar and nothing in the first three results solved my problem" or "No, I don't even know what to search for."

 

Actually, I've found that people are amazingly bad at using Google in general, but that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

 

 

I also don't think that Millenials are particularly more fame obsessed than other recent generations, either.

I have to agree on this. Maybe tech savy isn't a completely accurate description. After all, it doesn't take writing code to post a facebook status . I should have changed it to "dependent on the most simple computer friendly programs available".

[Ragnarr Lodbrok]

Wonder how will the newest generation look like? My nephew is 2.5 years old and he's alreadya more proficient in the use of internet (he's got a tablet and can browse YT on his own) than most people aged 65-70+... Who knows? Maybe they won't be able to go to school without a computer displaying the route...

[hypervalent_iodine]

I think the positives are very similar to the 60's. However, the negatives I believe, are much worse than previous generations. The 60's counter-culture fell into the same workforce mentality as their parents when

 

they aged. I dont see the millenials doing that at all.

 

 

Are they actually worse or is it just that it's more visible by virtue of the space in which they get to express themselves? My youngest sister, 15 years my junior and a currently a pre-teen, probably fits most of the points listed in the OP, but I think most people would be the same given access to the same platforms at her age.

 

 

What defines a millennial? Shouldn't it just be people who are 15 years old (or 14, if you are being pedantic)?

 

I thought this too, but it turns out I'm just as much a millennial as my kid sister. The horror.

[CharonY]

Actually one of the negative aspects that I noticed could be a reduced attention span. It appears to me that students now tend to fail time-critical, lengthy lab procedures more often than they used to. Often it is because they had trouble memorizing multiple steps so they have to stop and check more often, which can fail the experiment. Or sometimes they completely forget elements. Worst case is that some randomly stop in order to check things on their phones.

 

Related to that is that there are more complaints once they fail. I am not sure whether I would call that entitlement, but it seems that the willingness to redo boring tasks is lower than it used to. Not all of the students, obviously. But while a decade or so ago I had at most 1-2 complaining (typically "that guy") now the situation is pretty much reversed.

I think it has something to do with a lower frustration resistance paired with a higher expectation if short-term gratification. I feel it may be connected to having almost constant feedback (via phone social media etc.). Being out of a cocooned environment and having to deal with troubleshooting without googling the answer, or getting other immediate feedback probably stresses them out more.

Edited October 7, 2015 by CharonY

[Sensei]

Actually one of the negative aspects that I noticed could be a reduced attention span. It appears to me that students now tend to fail time-critical, lengthy lab procedures more often than they used to. Often it is because they had trouble memorizing multiple steps so they have to stop and check more often, which can fail the experiment. Or sometimes they completely forget elements. Worst case is that some randomly stop in order to check things on their phones.

It might be correlated with fact that in the past it was harder to get to noble degree course, than now.

People who would fail to be accepted, now pass through.

[overtone]

They seem better at doing five things quick and dirty simultaneously, and worse at doing five things well one after the other.

 

They lack initiative at work, compared with a probably biased but specifically illustrated memory. The need more detailed and continual direction and push - they don't look for a chance and jump in, they don't "take on" the job. This can get irritating.

 

They fear losing their phones.

 

Here's a question, if you are a millenial: do you guys actually dream about losing your phone?

[StringJunky]

...

Here's a question, if you are a millenial: do you guys actually dream about losing your phone?

This is probably the definitive question.

[CharonY]

 

 

They fear losing their phones.

 

 

Ha! When working with bacteria I tell them to put their phones away in order not to cover them with bacteria or other infectious material. You can smell the panic rising. Almost like Sophie's choice. And still I have to shout at people not to put it on the bench/use phones while wearing protective gloves/putting it under the frigging biosafety bench!

[Delta1212]

They seem better at doing five things quick and dirty simultaneously, and worse at doing five things well one after the other.

 

They lack initiative at work, compared with a probably biased but specifically illustrated memory. The need more detailed and continual direction and push - they don't look for a chance and jump in, they don't "take on" the job. This can get irritating.

 

They fear losing their phones.

 

Here's a question, if you are a millenial: do you guys actually dream about losing your phone?

No. Do you dream about losing your frontal lobe?