A Working Millennial
“No one else knows exactly what the future holds for you, no one else knows what obstacles you’ve overcome to be where you are so don’t expect others to feel as passionate about your dreams as you do.” Germany Kent is an American print and television journalist as well as a businesswoman. In this quote, she is talking to Millennials. Being a Millennial in the business field, this speaks to me on a whole different level.
What is a Millennial you ask? Millennials are persons born from the years spanning from 1981-2001. These people are regarded as selfish, self-entitled, and lazy in the eyes of the “Baby Boomers” and “Generation X.” Millennials are called “trophy kids” for having received high praise for minimal efforts which then gives them an unrealistic idea of what working life is. Yet, as Millennials start venturing into the workforce, managers are finding that this is not the case at all.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, managers are finding that Millennials are, “open-minded […], confident, self-expressive, upbeat, and receptive to new ideas and ways of living.” Millennials have the dream to be independent and self-sustaining which in turn drives them to create successful careers. Because of this, we are extremely adaptable. We learn to be proactive, analytical, and continually motivated. We learn to ask questions. We learn how to work flawlessly with our coworkers. We learn to be better.
Personally, the most admirable quality I have found that Millennials possess is ownership. My generation has also had challenges and trauma like the Baby Boomers and the Gen X-ers. There is one huge lesson that we’ve learned from the past generations and that is to own your experiences, your pain, your grief, your losses, and your wars in order to be better. Millennials are constantly working hard to reinvent themselves to be the best version of themselves.
Especially with being so young, we are just starting to enter the working world. As a result, you will notice that the benefits of working with a Millennial is that you too can see their personal growth. With this mentality, you will also see that a Millennial will always yield some sort of positive outcome.
We are not expecting others to be as passionate about our dreams as we do because our dreams are mainly career and self-improvement driven. Millennials want to be the best they can be. If you work with a Millennial, you will see that they too will do anything to also give you the best they can.
~ Madeline Berthiaume