ThePhamSpam: Am I a Millennial?

First of all what is a Millennial? Millennials are Americans who were born between 1980 and 1995 an there are about 81 million of them (Littman, 2008). They are a new bread of adults who are taking over the current workplace with new views about the workplace and most have no idea of what an office is like. Millennials have some advantages since they are very tech savvy, which every gadget on the market (Safer, 2007). CBS news reports that you have to talk to them like they are children and you cannot tell them you’re disappointed in them. They are raised by parents who tell them they are special and that they shouldn’t take no for an answer. Millennials are the new work force of the future.

Now am I a Millennial? I am in the age group and I do have some of the characteristics of a Millennial. Millennials have to be coached and baby talked. That is a characteristic that I certainly do not have. I believe in some ways I fit in with the Millennial group but in some ways I don’t. I think the word Millennial was made up by older people who are not part of the Millennial generation. Many people my age don’t take summer jobs cutting grass or working at retail stores anymore because the world is more competitive when it comes to careers. We would rather find internships and jobs that would further our education and experience rather than make a couple bucks. Jason Dorsey from the CBS news segment “Here come the Millennials” says that our parents really took from us the opportunity to fall down on our face and learn how to stand up. This is not with everyone within the age group. I think its just certain parents that do that because my parents certainly did not, as well as parents of my friends. Just because some of them feel like that doesn’t mean it happened to all of us in the same generation. Some of the words used the CBS segment such as us being “epidemic” or “extraterrestrials” was just offensive. It makes us seem like a disease that is spreading. 87% of millennials regularly fast forward through commercials with their DVR (Boomers, millenials watch TV differently, study reveals.(survey)(brief article)2008) . I know that this is not only for millennials but people of all ages! As technology grows we can grasp what it offers and use it to our advantage. It is not as easy for people that are older who aren’t so tech savvy. We as young adults consume more media than most. Because of new technology we can consume them on the internet, TV, and mobile electronics, it’s almost everywhere.

So am I a Millennial? If a Millennial has to be babied or coached throughout the work field I don’t think so! I am a person of the new generation who is tech savvy and very non-chalant about life. But I believe that is the way of the new generation. Every generation people change and things have to be adjusted, and it will happen almost every generation. It was the baby boomer generation and now it’s the new generation coming into the work field changing things. I would rather not be labeled in a group but as an individual who is a part of the new moving generation.