Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy

vegasgroom · September 2013

Pretty entertaining article, but I figured it would be even more so on here since the charts use rainbows, flowers and unicorns to represent utopia lol.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-but-why/generation-y-unhappy_b_3930620.html

ShesSoCold · September 2013

Someone posted this on Etiquette the other day. There is no way for me to possibly love this article more.

Grabows14 · September 2013

Seriously? I thought this article was way off base. If you graduated from college over 10 years ago then maybe you don't understand the plight of the younger generation Y. See article
http://aweinstein.kinja.com/fuck-you-im-gen-y-and-i-dont-feel-special-or-entitl-1333588443/1335055150@maxread?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_facebook&utm_source=gawker_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

KeptInStitches · September 2013

I'd love to just have green grass, as a member of Gen Y. Screw flowers and unicorns, just let me earn the green grass.

ShesSoCold · September 2013

Sure, everyone is different and the article in the OP doesn't apply to everyone, but I know at least a handful of people who have college degrees and are either sitting at their parents' house, unemployed, whining about how no one handed them a job in their field or going back to college to get another degree because no one handed them their dream job the day they graduated. Then they complain about student loans.

I never went to college at all, but I bust my ass and have a great job, where I make a pretty good amount of money. It's not a glamorous job and I don't wake up every morning excited to go there, but that's why it's a JOB. I make enough money to do most of the things I actually want to do and that's good enough for me. I moved out of my mom's house when I was 18 and the only debt I have is my car, but I'm a year ahead on the payments.

The people I mentioned above look at me like I'm a loser because I don't have a degree, but I'm already doing what they're looking forward to. I don't think I'm better than anyone (I apologize if I come across that way) but the sense of entitlement I sense from my peers is disgusting to me. I've worked several crap jobs and paying for everything I have has made me appreciate it so much more.

I know too many people like Jane in the OP article.

vegasgroom · September 2013

Grabows14 said:

Seriously? I thought this article was way off base. If you graduated from college over 10 years ago then maybe you don't understand the plight of the younger generation Y. See article http://aweinstein.kinja.com/fuck-you-im-gen-y-and-i-dont-feel-special-or-entitl-1333588443/1335055150@maxread?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_facebook&utm_source=gawker_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

I don't think it's off base at all actually. My company, amongst other things, hires a lot of people for helpdesk positions; i.e. $15-$20/hour range beginner jobs but with potential to advance slowly if you just let work experience be your only advancement tool, or much faster if you choose to work on a number of technologies in your own time that are in heavy use at our company, and which are easily tinkered with at home (linux operating system for example; free and easy to play with on any old computer).

We have hundreds of people in these positions. We have people in offices on both coasts, so my observations are not state-specific. The average age for these positions is in the early to mid 20's. The positions require either going to school or having completed at least a two year degree or trade school; so you'd think we'd get people who are at least somewhat motivated or they'd have not gone through that effort.

We make it very clear at the time of hiring that if you want to get ahead in the company, here is a long list of things you can focus on becoming proficient in on your own time and it will greatly expand your advancement options as well as your advancement schedule. The size of this group is large enough that people who have been there for longer than a year or two will invariably see some of their co-workers advance, so they know it's not bs that there are options available.

So, with that being said, some excel, some are horrible and are fired within a month or two, some show up to collect a check but need micro managing to keep on task, wasting manager time and money, some do great consistent work but just show no interest in anything more than their inflation-based annual raise.

I have hard stats from our HR person that those who were not particularly motivated or ambitious, and quit, give not enough advancement opportunity, not advancing fast enough, or dissatisfied with pay raises as the reason for leaving. In this economy, having a job approaching $20/hour is not exactly doing horrible, yet we still have people leave. They knew they had options to advance but wanted it handed to them; the good ones were already bumped up because they put in the effort. If there were no candidates to fit the higher positions at the time an opening was created, we'd hire outside, but always try to identify internal staff first.

In any case, I may be in some microcosm of technology companies and don't see the big picture, but I've been doing what I do for 15 years and over that long time, the number of high achievers has significantly decreased and the number of people expecting to get large raises for doing nothing has dramatically increased.

thisismynickname2 · September 2013

I'm Gen Y (30 years old) and never felt entitled or spoiled, but I do think the article is spot-on in its reasoning. Entitlement drives me up the WALL in my job and everywhere else. I worked my rear off to get promoted as high as I've gotten in 8 years in the "real world", but it's plainly obvious that I have tons more to learn to get to the levels of the superiors with whom I work.

And it's definitely a problem that we watch our peers achieving this, that or the other on social media. It's this constant sense of not measuring up.

For that matter, I can't read Glamour magazine anymore, and I used to love it. They feature all these amazing women 30 or 35 or younger that have accomplished so much, and it makes me feel like a failure. I know I'm not failure in any sense- but I'm not nearly as special as those women are. I'm by no means entitled to accomplish as much as they have (sounds exhausting, frankly), but still.... yeesh. Why haven't I solved world hunger yet!!?!?!?!

chibiyui · September 2013

I saw that article, and a few of the reaction articles. I think the truth lies somewhere between the 2. There are some obnoxious entitled ass gen Y'rs, yes. But I feel a lot of us, especially on the younger and lower middle class end got screwed by circumstances. If I'd have known before starting college that no one in the industry would be hiring unless you had 5 plus years of experience, I probably would have taken a different path. I imagine most people would. Heck, the only reason I'm comfortable now financially is my Fiance . And it sucks to be financially dependent on him, it sucks to be 25 and living with your parents because you can't swing both rent and student loan payments with the two jobs you're working, and it sucks to constantly hear that I must be entitled and spolied because obviously if I'm having trouble in this job market I'm not working hard enough.
Sorry. I know I'm lucky not only for my FI bit also my current job pays decently above poverty levels. But I can certainly understand why many of my peers are unhappy. It isn't just about the damn unicorns either.

[Deleted User] · September 2013

This one makes me laugh harder.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/19/millennials-apologize-parody_n_3950696.html?ref=topbar

I always feel the need to defend Millenials/GenYs when I hear Boomers complain. I have many brilliant, ambitious, absurdly talented friends working 2-3 part-time jobs AND freelancing to try to "make it" so it ticks me off a little when people who reminisce about flipping burgers to pay for college call them lazy. Like, are you kidding? You clearly have no clue what higher education costs these days! And even then, if you are able to afford furthering your education, your degree does not equal a career! So usually when they make some bizarre offhand comment about how lazy "kids my age" are, I tend to reply "Yeah, you guys really screwed up raising us!" just to enjoy the reaction.

I don't think that the majority of Millenials are lazy, just that the people judging them have no concept of their circumstances. I count my blessings everyday that I found a job, and not just a job but a secure one that I enjoy in my field of study. I hit the Millenial jackpot. But I do text too much.

PrettyGirlLost · September 2013

thisismynickname said:

I'm Gen Y (30 years old) and never felt entitled or spoiled, but I do think the article is spot-on in its reasoning. Entitlement drives me up the WALL in my job and everywhere else. I worked my rear off to get promoted as high as I've gotten in 8 years in the "real world", but it's plainly obvious that I have tons more to learn to get to the levels of the superiors with whom I work.
And it's definitely a problem that we watch our peers achieving this, that or the other on social media. It's this constant sense of not measuring up.
For that matter, I can't read Glamour magazine anymore, and I used to love it. They feature all these amazing women 30 or 35 or younger that have accomplished so much, and it makes me feel like a failure. I know I'm not failure in any sense- but I'm not nearly as special as those women are. I'm by no means entitled to accomplish as much as they have (sounds exhausting, frankly), but still.... yeesh. Why haven't I solved world hunger yet!!?!?!?!

Yep, I had no idea I was a Gen Y until this article (I'm 32), and I'm definitely not a GYPSY. This is anecdotal, but in my experience it is the younger Y's, the under 30 crowd, that largely tend to act like the article describes. See @vegasgroom's post above, as he seems to have had a similar experience.

And before anyone tries to jump all over me, I'm not making a personal judgement about anyone posting here, nor I am saying all Gen Yers are this way. My comment was about my personal experience only.

Personally, I think it is ridiculous to even have generational labels, especially when they span like 2 decades.

Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy

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