Meet Millennial. He is an attractive, laidback twentysomething with a million hobbies, a strange affinity for fiery senators from Vermont and thousands of followers on Instagram. He is charming, creative and a great networker. But he’s also a bit of a bad boy – he can’t get along with Baby Boomers and he insists on wearing his grungy jeans to the office. He’s a rising superstar and he’s going viral.
You adore Millennial. It’s worse than your childhood obsession with the Jonas Brothers. You and your girlfriends stalk his Twitter feed obsessively. You are convinced that you and he are meant to be.
As millennials enter adulthood and attempt to find their place in the world, the current “me” generation reads studies and profiles that define the millennial generation’s character and make alarming prophecies about its future in the workforce.
But is the hype true about millennials or is it just wishful thinking?
THE FACTS: You’re no bandwagon fan. You know all the hard facts about Millennial’s life.
There are some scary truths about the millennial generation. They are more educated than any other generation – with “the largest cohort size in history,” according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation – but their diplomas are buried under piles of student loan debt. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Among the college-educated, a staggering 81% have at least one source of long-term debt.”
They are also entering an economy that doesn’t offer as many entry level jobs as it used to, so it’s harder to get a job out of school without experience. “Millennials will contend with the effects of starting their careers during a historic downturn for years to come,” according to a 2014 report from the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers.
And once they do get a job, they don’t stay with the business and build a career, like the Baby Boomers did. According to a recent LinkedIn study, millennials average about four jobs in their first 10 years in the workforce.
They can expect to have multiple career changes throughout their lives – or even multiple careers at once, says a Freelancers Union study that found 34 percent of American workers freelancing instead of pursuing a single career.
THE OPINIONS: Millennial knows how to brand himself – but who’s the man behind the social media?
Statisticians and writers like to draw conclusions from these data – and they often end up with sweeping generalizations about the character traits of millennials or the millennial work ethic.
The U.S. Chamber Foundation characterizes the generation like this: “If each generation has a personality, you may say that the baby boomer is the idealist, shaped by Woodstock, JFK, RFK, and MLK. Generation X is the skeptical independent, shaped by latchkeys, Watergate, and the PC. Generation Y is the connected, diverse collaborator, shaped by 9/11, texting, and the recession.”
Millennial men and women are less likely to attend church, marry early or stay in a single job, according to the Pew Research Center. But they are also more tolerant, more tech-savvy, and better multitaskers than older generations.
In general, millennials are branded as creative, personable and more focused on personal fulfillment than material success. But what else is behind that flattering filter?
THE PROPAGANDA: Behind the hype and the fancy photo filters, Millennial is just a regular guy. Don’t let him tell you otherwise.
Though knowing the general trends in millennials’ habits is helpful, beware the hearsay. Not all stereotypes are true or helpful and conforming to them can keep millennials from reaching important personal goals.
Though millennials’ claim to be laid-back, creative and positive in collaborative projects, it can also lead to clashes with strict employers or an unwillingness to conform to reasonable standards (no, every day is not casual Friday).
Studies about social and moral trends like religious affiliations and voting habits can be self-reinforcing, as well. Statistics about millennials’ religious attendance, marriage habits or voter affiliation can discourage men and women from engaging in these important parts of life – they expect empty pews and empty ballot boxes, and that’s what they create.
And their freewheeling “fun now, finances later” attitude can keep millennials from pursuing a steady career path and from saving money that they will need when they want to buy homes and pay for retirement plans later in life.
The world still needs bankers and lawyers and people who wake up early on Sunday.
Don’t shape yourself to the person you imagine Millennial wants you to be. Millennial may not be the perfect match for you – and that’s perfectly okay.
