“More American Idle than American Idol” is how The Economist (January 3-9, 2009) described the current generation of young adults born in the 1980’s and 1990’s, known as Generation Y. Is this a fair assessment?
Of course, any broad generalization is not going to describe every individual. However, we often hear parents’ commenting that their children–these same Generation Y individuals The Economist describes–as being fundamentally different than themselves, in the pressures and activities they take on from a young age. Parents believe their children are challenged academically to learn academic subjects earlier in school; their children are competing in sports and completing community service at a greater rate and younger than they did; parents sometimes lament that a “carefree” childhood has been taken over by play dates and (over-)scheduled activities each evening and weekend. These developments seem in contrast to The Economist’s assertions about a generation of youth unwilling to work.
Perhaps, an effect of all this activity and academic challenge is an understanding of one’s values sooner in life, since a variety of experiences has accumulated at a younger age than previous generations of maturing youth. Perhaps, Generation Y has less inclination to sacrifice their individual desires and values for a collective institution or corporation, instead wanting to influence its direction. Or perhaps, Generation Y is less willing to have a separation between personal and professional. Whatever the explanation(s), perhaps we should pay attention, since they’re also going to be the workforce who’ll be contributing to Social Security and paying healthcare premiums, as we age, eventually supporting us. What can we learn from today’s youth?
