When I came across Jenna Goudreau’s recent Forbes article, “Why We Need to Take 20-Somethings Seriously,” I expected to read a rebuttal of the negative stereotypes often tossed around to describe Gen Y.
That’s not what I got. Instead, I found myself reading a lecture aimed at 20-somethings themselves. While Goodreau admits that my generation has graduated college with mounds of student loan debt into one of the worst economies in decades, she also blames us for the fact that half of us are unemployed or underemployed. Stop being an indecisive wannabe rebel, she seems to be saying. Stop working at Starbucks, stop pushing back your career, and go get yourself a real job.
Here’s the thing though: We want to.
Yes, quite a few of us are sticking it out at unpaid internships while making ends meet as baristas, bartenders, and banktellers—hardly jobs that demand our advanced degrees. But that’s not by choice.
We know the types of careers we want, but getting there has proved far more difficult than we were led to believe. We were told that working hard in college would get us a good job; that student loans wouldn’t matter because we’d be able to pay them off. Today, neither of those statements is true.
It’s not for lack of experience or accolades. We’re Phi Beta Kappas, we’ve got Fulbright scholarships under our belts, we’ve published research, worked internships and part-time jobs on top of full class schedules and still graduated magna cum laude. And we didn’t accomplish all of that just to pad our resumes—it was work we found satisfying.
And now, we make $12 an hour while paying down $25,000 in loans. We’re still trying (and failing), over and over again, just to get a toe on the path to our dream jobs. We’re stuck moving back into our parents’ basements or crashing on more fortunate friends’ couches.
So, yeah, it’s demoralizing. And to be told that “not making a [career] choice is a choice?” Demeaning.
We make choices everyday. We get up and go to the jobs that hardly inspire us and barely pay our bills. We continue to build our portfolios in whatever way we can, continue to network, continue to send out our resumes. We haven’t bought anything in the past year that we couldn’t wear to an interview. New shoes? No way.
Believe me, if we could “choose” to get on the path to a “real” career, we’d do it. In a heartbeat.
Just last weekend during one of the teary breakdowns that have become increasingly common as I contemplate how far I am from where I wish I were, I admitted to my fiancé, between sobs, how terrified I am of becoming complacent.
“You’re not going to give up. You know exactly what you want. It’s going to get noticed,” he reassured me.
He’s right. So, my fellow 20-somethings: Hold on and keep going. It’s got to get better. The one thing Goodreau’s post got right? Real life does start now. Keep making something of it.
Little brings Emily more of a thrill than taking a so-so sentence and making it shine or giving an alright paragraph more of a punch. She’s a self proclaimed word-nerd whose penchant for language took her from barista-ing in a bookstore café during college to serving as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in a high school just outside of Madrid after graduating with a double major in English and Spanish. Since returning to the States over a year ago, Emily has worked as Associate Editor for The Daily Muse and established a Spanish language social media presence for one of Southwest Michigan’s leading credit unions. Recently married, she, her hubby, and their crazy cat, Angel, call the shores of Lake Michigan home. Follow her on twitter @EmENickerson.
Thank you so much. Finally we have a voice. I too am terrified of becoming complacent. Of working this crappy job day in and day out for the rest of eternity because the grad school student loans have to be paid. I know there is a better way. I will keep my head down and keep working until I find it.
Just came across this site whilst surfing the net sitting in the garden in sunny England. My youngest 21 year old son came out of college with a very good degree last year and sent out over a hundred job applications to all sorts of companies. He only got one rejection - all the others never replied to the applications and it was getting to the point in February this year that he was majorly depressed. I realised one day that I couldn't cope with all the paperwork that my new small business (just me) was developing so I emailed my son to ask if he wouild do it for me and the next day on the phone he was a different person. Why didn't I do this sooner? - because I was brought up to believe you need a job with a company to make your way in the world. OK so his other friends are anything from waitresses to bar-tenders and unhappy with their lives but my son is now self-employed and is developing his music career whilst he is earning money from doing my paperwork and graphics and other businesses now are asking him for help. He is now developing 'Multiple Profit Centres' to pay his way. He isn't yet fully financially independent but he's getting there. Just to say Good Luck to all the other 20 somethings - something will turn up - you don't know what direction your life will take!
thank you so much for writing this! i'm so SICK of hearing/reading about how lazy my whole generation is. i've been struggling to make something of myself ever since graduating from school (phi beta kappa, magna cum laude) two years ago. it is demeaning, demoralizing, and depressing to have baby boomers (who are, let's not forget, beneficiaries of one of the most robust economies in the history of the world) tell you that you are entitled and shiftless. it's like, don't talk that noise about the "real world" until you've had to choose whether your minimum wage check will go to food, or shampoo to wash the deep-fat fryer grease out of your hair. it's hard to stay motivated, for sure, but articles like this one offer exactly the kind of encouragement that can seem as hard to find as the job itself.
Great rebuttal!
I have heard that the HR folks frequently complain that millennials want everything "handed" to them and don't want to "pay their dues." I'm so over hearing that!
I saw my father work hard at a company for 30 yrs only to have his jobs disappear and see his 401k decimated as a result of the recession. The lesson I learned is that I need to pave my own way and not follow a pre-determined path and think that if I pay my dues I will see a reward. So excuse me if am not interested in climbing a "ladder"
Some of the greatest innovations of the last few years (Facebook etc.) were created by "rebellious" milenials who refused to play it safe.The Daily Muse is another great example of what millenials can accomplish with an entrepreneurial spirit and drive!
Great article, Emily. On the one hand, you're (we're) told (by the boomers, I guess) that working hard, getting multiple degrees and essentially paying out to take internships will erase the need to ever work at a Starbucks. But working at a Starbucks to get by (or even refusing to, in order to pursue one's career goals) earns their derision.
So many people seem to think that a career path follows a late 90's film narrative, where an underemployed slacker "decides" to grow up and get a real job, and suddenly works at a cool architecture or design firm managing a team of 12. If starting one's career was simply a choice, it'd be a different story. Anyway, keep it up.
Thanks for the advice, Emily! I'll admit, I'm terrified of leaving the college world for just those reasons--I don't know what's waiting for me. But I do think that not all of us have a clear path or goal in front of us. I don't think we should be looked down upon for this, but I think it makes the journey even scarier.
Excellent article, Emily. I've been there, and it was one of the most miserable points in my life. I felt like I wasn't trying hard enough, that I would never be good enough, and I'd just wasted the last 15 years doing well in school and internships for no reason at all. I finally found a job that puts me on a better path, but as has been written time and again, us 20-somethings may never catch up in terms of pay and experience. I agree with your fiancee.... you won't get complacent, and it WILL turn around. I appreciate your rebuttal to Jenna's article, thanks for putting some encouragement out there!
