Here are the clues I’m using to draw my conclusion: comments about “unreliable” Xer “slob” parents (judgmental); about how Millennials’ value is in their new ideas (doesn’t jibe with an emphasis on ACTION… and assumes that all Boomers and Xers are stuck in the mud, a stereotype that is dispelled PDQ with a quick look at who’s behind most of the technology we swear by); implying that olds are the villains behind crappy ed. systems and overhyped alternatives like The Secret… while Millennials are mere victims (this one’s subtle: I agree with your point, it’s the way you phrase it that gives me the victim vibe… someone truly attuned to personal responsibility would likely reference current struggles or continued political support for the broken systems, instead of damning the system in hindsight).

For every clue that you haven’t totally internalized the message, there are also other clues that suggest you are well on your way. And that’s great. I really like this comment—I think it captures the frustration inherent in seeing the path, knowing it’s right, and not yet fully believing it’ll work.

And boy, I think there are a whole lot of people right now who can relate to that!

There’s a lot more here than I can get into at the moment… I’ll have to devote another post or two to the topic later this week!

I believe things were just too easy for too long, explaining your ‘political’ complication. It’s just as much our fault we’re lazy, unreliable slobs as the Gen X’ers that raised us.

From what I’ve seen in my short span of life – lack of “common sense” transcends ALL generations. As was mentioned in a previous post. However, I do agree there is a fundamental lack of knowing how life “really” works with our generation.

Basic competence: an issue, yes. What are the underlying factors of this? What has our culture been preaching? Education? Or ‘The Secret’? Again – not entirely the fault of the millennials.

I do believe there will only be one remedy – which you touched on in your last comment. We have to go out and DO. But don’t knock someone for TRYING to be a ‘life-coach’ – even with their limited experience, at least they’re trying to do SOMETHING.

Through failure, and mistakes – and a high turnover rate – the millennials will realize what it takes to succeed in the life. The same thing the older generation was raised upon – perseverance, hard work – and yes, more common sense. These values WILL be realized again – as the the next decade rolls around, people will be forced to get more creative (entrepreneurship), enhance their productivity in all areas to be indespensable to whatever entry level position they’ll be getting into.

We need new ideas – fresh ideas – technologically adaptable businesses – and that’s where we come in.

I firmly believe millennials will learn these lessons the hard way – and get tired of the vicious cycle that our contemporary attitude towards the ‘work-force’ leads us to dead end after dead end.

Training is key. Improvement is key – but not ‘forced down the throat do it or else’ improvement – improvement based upon the idea that we must strive for excellence in order to achieve anything worthwhile (positivly) in this life. This generation will come around, and we will succeed.

So I do agree – it’s time to turn off the Xbox and DO something. But so many just aren’t in touch with reality yet. Life was too easy.

Building the fundamentals of strength in character, work ethic and determination to make a positive impact in society are the tools Gen Y needs. And they have to WANT to learn (stubbornness and selfishness are way to prevalent right now).

I could go on, but I’ll spare you and your readers the agony of yet another long-winded, excuse-filled millennial .

1. Your complaint about economics is echoed by many olds who did everything right and now have nothing to show for it… they are now in the same shoes as you and just as unhappy about it. The olds did not screw up the economy for the youngs; the short-sighted and selfish screwed it up… and selfishness knows no age limit. Plenty of Millennials were out there selling bad mortgage securities and not asking any questions about how/why the money was flowing so easy, right along with their older peers.

2. Managers need to take responsibility for fixing the problem of not engaging younger workers? You bet your ass you nailed that one. I help managers build and sustain maximum team productivity… and one of my key messages to them is: if you manage to the stereotype in your head, then you will not be able to sustain squat.

3. Millennials might as well pony up to their game console of choice because the rest of the world has boxed them out? I couldn’t agree… less. Look, Nick, you know this, but no one gives anything away. You remember the G’n'R song, “Welcome to the Jungle,” and the lyrics, “You can have anything you want/But you better not take it from me?” That’s life. Ever play sports? What would you think about a ball player saying, “I’m not even going to try on offense anymore… what’s the point, those guys playing defense are just going to box me out from getting a rebound/catch the ball I hit/tackle me!”

Life has an offense and defense too; when you’re young and new at the game, the defense can seem insurmountable, but that doesn’t make it wrong, doesn’t make it bad, and doesn’t make it OK to give up.

Catch my drift?

I’ve lived your frustrations. Still do. My wife and I had socked away a pretty penny by working our butts off for 14 years… and not so much on the pretty penny anymore. Do I get to quit? Blame my parents’ generation for screwing things up? Blame your generation for changing the game? Blame technology for forcing me to adapt? Sure, I could, but what does that buy me, other than heartache? I’d much prefer to skip the blame game, chalk it up to a hard foul that went uncalled (back to the sports analogy), and then keep playing so I can get my mortgage paid. And that’s exactly the same mentality I want to see you have, too. To hell with the problem: focus on what you want, not on the obstacles standing in your way.

(And then thank your lucky stars you didn’t just graduate in 1941 and discover that because of some Austrian meglomaniac’s delusions of grandeur, you have to put your career on hold and go carry a rifle through the muds of Calais… always be grateful for what you have. It’s a lot.)

Nick, I know people are frustrated, but they need to keep looking for a way to turn their anger into something productive… Which means taking more personal responsibility.

They need to become the solution. They need to get out of those basements and go DO.

For example, it would be highly unlikely that millennials were involved in the economic crash. The “powers that be” consist largely of older generations – whether we’re talking political, economic or career power.

This creates a major trust barrier. We’ve seen older generations systematically screw up our country with one brain-busting stupid move after the next. Fundamentally, we know we can do better. It’s naive and might very well prove a perfect real-world case of the Dunning Kruger Effect, but son-of-a-b*tch. I doubt even one millennial has taken a look at the country as it is today and says, “Well, this is as good as it gets.”

The fact is that employers are just as much to blame for “millennial issues” as millennials are. Between incompetent managers, clueless policies towards social media and an utter lack of trust, the young employee just can’t win. There’s a reason why only 20% of 2009’s college grads who looked for jobs actually got one.

That’s not self-destructing – 80% of an entire college graduating class cannot be incompetent fools. That’s 50% economic factors and 50% ageism.

The old people are quite content to “just go out there and earn that paycheck” – well, we’re fine with it too. Mario Kart in mom and dad’s basement while y’all run the world into the ground is about the only option you’ve left us besides entrepreneurship.

Employers -must- grow up and realize that business as usual is coming to an end. Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers are going to grow old and die sometime, and if you’ve utterly excluded millennials – if you’re not hiring us, and we’re not buying your stupid product, and the only sounds left in your cold, dark, lonely hallowed halls of business are the shuffling cane-aided footsteps of the Gen-X generation… well, I guess we’ll see who self-destructed after all.

Managers need to turn this cockamamie style of thinking around before they turn America into a 3rd world country.

-Nick Armstrong
PsychoticResumes.com

Career stages allows me to capture the attitudinal component.

I think your 5 factors are on the mark. And again, I challenge people to start thinking about individuals instead of generations when dealing with “generational” issues.