Zach Groth is a senior at Ball State University. On the post-graduation job search himself, Zach has job experience in corporate, government, nonprofit and student-run organizations. You can tweet him any questions, concerns or blog ideas on Twitter at @zgroth.
I am a lazy, narcissistic and entitled 22 year old. I am incredibly self-centered. I only do things for others when I know that I will receive something in return. I suck. I am, in fact, incredibly immature. I am sorry for being all of those things. I really am. Being let down is something you should learn to accept from me. Every idea of success that you have for me to adopt will be left orphaned. I’m sorry. According to past generations it is what I do. I’m a Millennial. Baby Boomers and Gen Xers are great! You’re…well, I would talk about how awesome you are, but this is all about me… You should know that.
I’m a Millennial. I am Zach Groth, and I’m lazy.
Here are three reasons why Millennials have, are and will continue to take the world by storm, and you, Gen Xers, should hate us.
Reason #1: Social Media
Our “face-spaces,” “chirpers” and “video site” give us instant access to anyone. Back in the day, when you were a kid, you had instant access to three… maybe four friends. They were called your next door neighbors. Today, I need 160 characters and will be at Starbucks drinking my overpriced black coffee with five friends in half an hour.
I can make an argument that that’s efficiency, not laziness. Here’s another example that’s less… narcissistic.
Generations before informed us that anything is possible. We are accomplishing “anything.” You just do not approve. We are using all forms of social media to form a society that is our version of “anything.”
Recently, I had a conversation with an esteemed vice president of a well-known company in California’s Bay Region. She told me that her daughter wanted a traditional Indian wedding. The bridal party was set to meet in India for a five-day planning trip. While they were in India they would buy, learn, observe and take picture of anything that she wanted in the wedding. Here’s the kicker; the entire trip was planned from six different locations on two American coasts and three countries… on Google Docs. No one in the party sent an email and no one certainly picked up a telephone. Ten years ago, hell, three years ago that would have been a laughable thought.
In humble efforts to sum up reason hashtag one; Gen Xers are jealous. We have the world at our fingertips – not our handlebars. Again, is that efficient or lazy?
Reason #2: I’m entitled.
According to TIME Magazine; I am a, “lazy entitled narcissist” and part of “The Me, Me, Me Generation.” Thankfully though, generations before taught Millennials that we don’t need anyone else to make us feel special for absolutely nothing. Thank you!
If you are shaking your head to that proposition please refer to the 20+ trophies that I received for simply existing on athletic teams. Thank you for those trophies… and everything for which they stand.
So now what?
Here we are – more than two decades later, and I’m here. I am proudly entering the worst economy since the Great Depression with more than $35,000 of student debt, as a member of the most educated generation in the history of the world. It is a privilege.
Seriously, I am eternally grateful for the education that I have received. Though it has not been easy; courses like Geopolitics, classes titled “Research” (cause that sounds like a blast) and how can I forget… math… My education was not handed to me; I was given the resources to earn it. The same resources that you, Gen Xers, had when it cost 600 percent less to attend college back in the day.
Is that entitlement? No. That is not entitlement. I earned that.
Here’s where I am entitled:
You told us that we can do anything we want when we grow up. That we are special just how we are, and that other people’s opinion of us did not matter. In fact, you should be happy. We took your advice. I am entitled to that dream because you gave it to me. Why would I give it back?
Reason #3: We have extended the “young adult” stage of life
This one is my most favorite! It’s so simple!
In 1960, 77 percent of women and 65 percent of men had finished school, got their own place to live, became fiscally independent, were married and had kids by 30 years old. #LOL #GoodJoke #Millennial4Lyfe
Half of a century later, those numbers have dwindled to a mere 13 percent of women and 10 percent of men.
WOAH! Why? Why are we (Millennials) so irresponsible with our lives? Why haven’t we settled down and started the American dream?
My answer is simple… This is our American dream. We are just doing what you told us. Anything.
So here’s to you, Millennials. We are creating a society that we can efficiently function in – it just so happens that we can function with our fingertips. An environment that does away with cliques and is moving toward a more inclusive and tolerant society. We have a culture that is not “play hard, work hard” but combines the two for workplaces that are statistically and consistently more productive than our parents’ companies. We have replaced mass media with personal media. I have become “friends” with people we haven’t met; “liked” something because the caption is witty and snapchatted our YOLOs.
I’m a Millennial, and I am lazy.
