Quit
making excuses for the young adult generation.
It feels
like my generation has full time lobbyists who are busy clarifying to the world
as to why we do not have jobs, have not reached the American pinnacle of
success, are not financially prosperous, still live in our parents' basements
and just overall have an air of irresponsibility. Whether via voices in the
media, academia, marketplace or local neighborhood, these lines have become oh
too familiar: "The economy is so bad to be looking for a job right now
and jobless rates are so high! College graduates can't find jobs in their
fields. This is a tough time to be starting a career and a family." Please, stop making excuses
for my generation.
Now,
don't mis-understand me. In no way am I highlighting those of my peers who are
working to find a job and the doors keep closing. I applaud them for their
fortitude and perseverance! Instead, I'm highlighting a general cultural
mindset of older adult role models
to the Millennials.
A wise
man once said "Children
will rise to the level of expectation."
Have you considered what expectations you have of us?
Even
among our own peer group, an assumption is perpetuated that those with college
degrees absolutely cannot work at the jobs obtainable without a degree. My
question is: Why not? Since when did we become too proud to work a less than
ideal job, so to have income? Where did we miss the lesson to love working in
general, and recognize the reward of it? How did we meld into this mindset that
working two jobs, getting our hands dirty and humbling ourselves to work
outside our trained field – is impossible?
Instead
of focusing on the “poverty” of what we face as a generation, we should be
looking at this hour in our culture as opportunity!!
Check out these young people in history who did not sit
back and let circumstances dictate their success:
