A realistic outlook for Generation Y

The internet is abuzz with this viral article from Huffington Post about Generation Y. Not only is it great writing, but there is some real truth there and I have a feeling it was used in many sermon illustrations over the weekend.

I want you to read the article, but if you don’t want to, here is a synopsis. Generation Y (people in their 20’s) are unhappy because their lives are not turning out as well as expected. They have unreasonable expectations not only because of what they have seen their parents enjoy during a time of unprecedented economic prosperity but also because they have been brainwashed to believe that they are all exceptionally gifted bright stars.

The article lacks in that it fails to factor in how God fits into the equation. For example, it defines happiness with this formula:

Happiness = Reality – Expectations

From a purely secular standpoint, that formula is correct. I have been in many places in the world where people (Christian and non-Christian) are happy in the midst of a reality that we in the US would consider miserable. Why? Because their expectations are even lower. On the other hand, in general, US young people have very high expectations and reality is not keeping up. Hence, they are unhappy.

Ultimately of course, for Christians, this formula becomes irrelevant because the reality found in Christ and the hope of heaven trumps any temporary reality problems on earth. In other words, for a Christian, reality will always beat expectations.

That being said, I like the article and from a purely secular standpoint, I think it is very close to the truth. I am going to stick with the secular side of the equation for a few minutes and talk to Generation Y.

1) The generations in front of you DID let you down.
Yes we did. We did it by being irresponsible with finances and we did it by allowing our government to spiral into the dysfunctional state it is in today. We have not created a good framework for you to prosper.

We also did it by pretending you are more special than you are. To this day, we give young students grades that they do not deserve because we are scared to label them as average. (For several years, my children were in a school where basically everyone made either the A or A/B honor roll and it is my understanding that this is pretty typical procedure in schools today.) As a result, average students get an inflated view of their abilities.

To this day, we parents still arrange our lives around the activities and achievements of our children, making way more than we should of their successes in sports, education and the arts. We forget or ignore how insignificant those achievements will be in the big picture of life.

So yes, I admit that in general, we have artificially raised your expectations and then not given you the platform to achieve those expectations.

2) It doesn’t matter whose fault it is.
Yes, you have been dealt a bad hand but us admitting that does not really help you. Here is a bit of truth for you about people in life that are successful: they don’t spend their time trying to figure out who is to blame; they spend their time adapting and solving problems.

I remind you of a quote I wrote here a few weeks ago from Nick Saban: It is what it is.

Take that quote to heart; it will save you a lot of heartache. It is a waste of time to complain and assign blame; rather, you need to be focused on adjusting to the reality you find yourself in.

And that leads to my third point…

3) Things are probably much worse than you even think they are.
Six months ago, I gave a speech at a college on how globalization is affecting business and I remember struggling with how to present it in a way that did not make me sound like a gloom and doom prophet. I still don’t think the average person realizes what a grave threat globalization is to the US way of life and as you start to understand the ramifications, you can’t help but get a bit scared.

In a nutshell, people around the world are willing to work harder, smarter and at a much lower cost than people in the US. It has always been that way, but the difference is that now, it is actually possible for them to do our work. And of course they are doing more and more of our work in areas such as manufacturing, finance, engineering, design, and any number of other industries.

The thing you need to realize is that we really are still in the beginning of this trend. For many industries, the pressure on jobs and standard of living from globalization is not going to wane. It is rather going to get much worse.

Here is what that means for Generation Y: you guys are going to have to up your game. In the last century, the average person could get a middle class job and enjoy a long stable career. In the future, a mediocre/average employee is really going to struggle. For sure, they are not going enjoy what the average/mediocre employee enjoyed in the two generations in front of them.

4) Don’t despair. Just get to work.
In spite of the bleak picture I have painted, I almost always wake up an optimist about the work I do. That is important in itself; there is no energy in pessimism.

But let me be clear: I am not talking about the false, forced optimism like you hear at the pep rally of a 40-point underdog. I really believe that we live in a great time for economic prosperity. I believe that globalization opens a lot of new doors in business; yes the field is more competitive but that also means the customer base is much larger. From greghowlett.com for example, we collect and ship orders from all over the world.

And I still believe that those of you that are younger can have a great and fulfilling career in your chosen vocation if you work hard and work smart. Employers still value smart, humble, disciplined employees who are hungry to learn and hungry to make the businesses they work in as successful as possible.

Let’s face it: you Generation Y guys are going to struggle a bit. It is a very tough world right now and only the tough and disciplined are going to flourish in it from an economic perspective. You have to wake up and understand that the playing field has changed dramatically from what your parents enjoyed.

That being said, I think you can do it. You have tools and knowledge at your disposal that the generations in front of you did not have. Just get realistic, get serious and above all, get to work.