Disproving the "Everyone Wins" Generation

What I'm about to discuss is difficult for me to discuss as an aspiring educator, but there is a deeper value to the subject matter. Alright, so here it is...Will Ferrell's character in the film, Talladega Nights, offers a few invaluable insights regarding the current state of the Millennial generation.

There! I've said it!

Here are the top moments from the film that stand out in my mind as excellent depictions of the flaws in my generation.

1.) We're beyond soft when it comes to dealing with adversity.

I fail to recall more than a limited number of times throughout my primary and secondary school experience where everyone didn't receive some sort of formal award in one way or another for simply showing up. This is flat out wrong. While it is important to recognize individuals for their effort, it is equally important to prepare young minds for the real world where not everyone "wins" all the time. There are winners and losers in the world outside of school and not everyone gets a pat on the back and a pizza party afterwards. 

2.) We're far too dependent on our elders.

The terms, "Helicopter Parents" and "Lawnmower Parents" are far too common today. Sure, it's awesome for parents to see their kids do well early on with some help here and there, but there's a fine line between looking to one's parents for help or advice and flat-out asking/expecting them to do something for you. 

What happens when said parents aren't available to help? Will the child/student be able to accomplish the task at hand or will they fumble it and end up looking like a fool? When all is said and done, I'd much rather fall on my face and fail early on, which then provides an excellent opportunity to learn from the experience and improve for the next one that presents itself.

While parents may have the best intentions when it comes to helping their kids, their involvement can turn into a crutch that ultimately becomes a handicap down the road.

3.) We're used to getting things right away

Sadly, patience is no longer a virtue. Most everything today is instantaneous. Whether it's paying a few more dollars for next day shipping, facetime-ing with someone on the other side of the globe, or receiving praise for a mediocre job...my generation wants everything as soon as yesterday, if not faster.

We have lost the art of writing notes by hand, make up for poor preparation by spending a few extra dollars to speed things up, and we do all of this with the expectation that our educators and employers with bow to us as demigods the moment that we complete the job.

The Catch

While there are plenty of additional flaws that define my generation, Ricky Bobby's (Will Farrell's character in Talladega Nights) father offers a pearl of wisdom to his son that offers some solace and hope for the future...



While this is rather twisted on numerous levels, it is still worth while to keep this in mind as a potential personal mantra. Regardless of the countless Certificates of Participation and other formal acknowledgements that we have become accustomed to over the years, there will always be winners and losers in the real world.

How to Stand Out as a Millennial

The millennial generation is by far the most educated generation in history, yet we also top the charts when it comes to unemployment. Sadly, the days when  an undergraduate degree next to guaranteed employment are long gone and it is now necessary to possess a certain variable in order to stand out from the rest of the crowd.

I'm by no means an expert or scholar when it comes to offering advice to those hunting for employment. However, I have noticed a few traits that are worth refining and developing as a Millennial looking to catch the eye of potential employers...

Top 3 Skills/Traits to Thrive as a Millennial

1.) Flexibility 

Since it is next to impossible to land the job of your dreams right out of school, it is vital to make the most of the work you find. You may not find yourself doing exactly what you have dreamed of job wise, but work is work and we all have bills to pay. There is no such thing as a pointless job, unless you decide to make what you are doing meaningless. Every job you take on throughout the course of your career helps you prepare for your dream job later on down the road.

2.) Grit

Assuming that you're lucky enough to find a job right out of school, it is vital that you put your nose to the grindstone. Even though this is your first "real" job, your boss is going to watch you intently and look for any reason to correct your methods. Even though things will get a bit bumpy along the way, everything will fall into place with time if you go about your business with an invigorated sense of grit. No matter how exhausted and/or unhappy you are at first, you simply cannot give up or slow down. You have to attack each day and make the most of every experience you encounter...the pleasant and unpleasant alike.

3.) Open Mindedness 

Lastly, it is extremely beneficial to approach everything with an open mind and free of any preconceived notions. Though it may not seem true at the time, even the crummiest of jobs are beneficial to your overall experience base in some way, shape, or form. In short, make the most of what you have at any given moment. Who knows...you might develop your personal life mantra on a saying one of your first bosses said all the time and nobody ever knew what they meant by it.

Closing Thoughts
These are three key traits that separate those recent graduates who catch a break from those who do not. However, there a numerous other traits and characteristics that contribute to the overall "value" of a fresh graduate in the workforce. While it goes without saying that most everyone has a plethora of horror stories to share about their experiences as a recent graduate, every job, no matter how awful it may seem at the time, carries a great value that most tend to overlook.

The simple things that recent graduates pick up throughout the course of the jobs they take on between graduation and attaining their dream job are priceless for all intents and purposes. Take the current sales position I currently hold now, even though I'm more than a year out of school. While I may not have any direct experience in terms of nurturing my skills as an educator, I am more than confident that the array of small learning moments have gone well beyond anything I could have absorbed in a classroom, whether as a student or as an educator.

Life Skills from the Frat House

survivingcollege.com

There's plenty of room for debate as to whether or not joining a Greek organization (aka a fraternity or sorority) during your undergraduate career is worth in the long run. However, as a product of the Greek system at a small Liberal Arts college in rural Michigan, I've found that my experiences as a brother of "Triangle -T-Triangle" have paid endless dividends during my time in the "real world" so far.

survivingcollege.com

Here are a few ways that I have benefited from the time that I spent as part of the "Triangle-T-Triangle" house during my undergraduate career...

1.) Massive Support Network

There was always someone there to support me and offer advice throughout my time as an active. It didn't matter if the issue had to do with academics, athletics, social stuff, or personal dilemmas...I knew that one of my brothers, or possibly even an alum, would always be there to support me and help me find my bearings. The same rings true in the post-grad world, such that the co-owner of the company which currently pays my bills is an alum of my fraternity, albeit a different chapter in a distant region of the country.

2.) Time Management
It goes without saying that the typical Greek experience is not purely academic...at least I sure hope this is the case for my Greek comrades. Since my studies, athletic commitments, social schedule, on-campus job, and sleep schedule all demanded a lot from me, it was vital for me to develop a strong sense of time management. Looking back, incorporating the demands that came with Greek life into the rest of my commitments was a fine way to prepare for the intricate demands that I currently face in the real world today.

3.) Cleaning Skills
Now I'm not a domestic super star by any means whatsoever. However, I do my darn well best to keep my living area semi-presentable. Thanks to the four years that I lived in a house with 45+ other guys, I have a pretty solid idea of how to not only clean up any messes that I make, but also keep things in order so that said messes occur less frequently. In all honesty, my money is on a Greek alumnus (or alumnae!) over an independent in the event of a surprise ** cough ** inspection ** cough ** I mean visit from future in-laws.

Millennials: Insubordinate & Lazy?

ThinDifference.com

Sure, we may question authority, appear lazy, and lack a consistent paycheck each month. However, I can assure you that we - the Millennial generation - possess next to limitless potential and raw ability, regardless of what previous generations have to say on the matter.

Over Educated and Under Valued

It goes without saying that Millennials are the rookies in the workforce today. At the other end of the spectrum are the Gen X'ers and Baby Boomers, who currently control the workplace and carry the most say in the new hire process. Now I'm in no way pointing fingers here, but why are 16.3% of Millennials unemployed (Generation Opportunity) when we are by far the most educated generation in recorded history?

The following figures don't make a whole lot of sense and are rather disheartening...

Source: http://shirt.woot.com

Millennials
Average Salary: $44k
63% have a Bachelors Degree

Generation X
Average Salary: $64k
48% have a Bachelors Degree

Baby Boomers
Average Salary: $70k
44% have a Bachelors Degree
(PayScale)

We have the Best Intentions

Contrary to popular belief, Millennials are among the most caring and responsible people in society today. 

• 81% of Millennials have donated money, goods, or services (Walden University and Harris Interactive)
• 45% believe a decent paying job is a “privilege” (Telefonica) 

Closing Thoughts

My generation - the Millennials - defines our existence through our desire to learn, our sense of accountability as global citizens, and our overall gritty personalities. Yet, it seems that we have become stuck and unable to advance in the world. Regardless of your generation affiliation, what do you think Millennials need to do in order to "make it" in the world today?

Finding Your Passion and Chasing It Down

The Happiness of Pursuit 

by Chris Guillebeau

Chris Guillebeau's The Happiness of Pursuit is an excellent source of solace for those who feel as if they have strayed from their personal life path. Rather than highlighting the sought after glory that comes with achieving goals, Guillebeau opts to elaborate on the deeper value that countless souls find in the active pursuit of their goals in life. In closing, Guillebeau offers comfort to individuals who feel as if they always come up short when working to achieve a goal by emphasizing the beauty that stems from the ongoing quest to achieve ones goals.

Guillebeau's Blog | Twitter

Discovering and understanding your lifelong passion(s)

First and foremost, Matthew McConaughey is a fellow brother of Delta Tau Delta, so it goes without saying that he's a pretty awesome guy. However, his overall awesomeness goes well beyond his status as a Delt and his roles in Dazed and Confused (1993) and The Wolf on Wall Street (2013).

In his conversation with the University of Texas football team, which turned into a quasi-preach part way through, McConaughey brings up a stellar question about our purpose in life, as well as how we perceive and understand what we value in both the short-term and long-term. The question that McConaughey asks the Longhorns football team is this:

Why we do what we do?

In his conversation with the University of Texas football team, which turned into a quasi-preach part way through, McConaughey brings up a stellar question about our purpose in life, as well as how we perceive and understand what we value in both the short-term and long-term. The question that McConaughey asks the Longhorns football team is this:

Why we do what we do?

I frequently ask myself this very question. Sometimes I ask it without even knowing that I'm asking it. Yes, it's become the opposite of metacognition...chew on that one for a bit! Regardless, this is a superb question to keep in mind because no matter what you do, or how you spend your time, it is vital that you not only do so with a purpose, but that you enjoy what you do with your life.

McConaughey makes 2 clear points during his chat with the Longhorns that really stuck with me:

1. In order to achieve your best work, you must push yourself beyond your comfort zone.
2. No matter what you find yourself doing in life, you have to go about your business simply because you want to, not because you want to please someone else.

I've come to understand through my brief post-graduate life that the last thing I want to find myself doing is something that I do not enjoy. More importantly, I strive to always do things that I genuinely enjoy and avoid tasks that are only appealing because my involvement may influence how others perceive me as a human being and young professional.

Like all good things, there is no magic pill that will help you find your passion in life. These sort of things take quite a bit of time, so do not fret or freak out if you stumble a few times. In fact, I'm in the midst of a soft stumble in life right now. Marc Hanna, McConaughey's character in "The Wolf on Wall Street", sums up my approach to discovering my passion in life: "It's his first day on Wall Street. Give him time." 

Lastly, don't forget to have a good time and make sure to hum before you go into any potentially nerve wracking situation!

Pleasantly Surprised with CloudHQ

Okay, I've been using cloudHQ for few days now and it is flat out epic (plus it saves me a boatload of time on the regular). I use a handful of cloud services (Google Drive, Dropbox and Evernote just to name a few) and I dreaded the task of determining where I had saved a file, but this is no longer an issue.

Thanks to cloudHQ, everything I save to to either Google Drive or Evernote automatically goes into my Dropbox. This is huge for a blogger such as myself because since I use apps such as Skitch with Evernote to capture screenshots and images to post on my blog. This used to be a daunting task from start to finish, but CloudHQ does all of the legwork and makes my life just a tad bit easier.

All in all, give CloudHQ a shot and see if they can streamline your life like they did for me!