Entitled to their frustration…
June 30th, 2005 Stewart
pure luck touches on a lot of the more maddening aspects of the transition from higher ed to career, and these frustrations are entirely valid.
At age 18, I was basically let go. Mom and Dad raised me to be an independent thinker, and to achieve on my own terms, in my own way. I worked several minimum wage gigs through college, and I had scholarship money to make up the difference. Financial aid was actually available in the 1980s, and I took what was there while the first Bush administration whittled federal monies away to nothing. In four years, I graduated with a BA and about $1000 in credit card debt. It was hard, and I lived hand-to-mouth much of the time, but I did it myself.
I went to library school and followed the same process, working two different jobs, taking night classes, and eventually being awarded a one-year fellowship in science reference — again, the federal gov’t doesn’t have any such fellowship monies anymore. Two years later, I’d gotten my MLIS, and had about $2000 total in credit card debt. Jobs were available when I graduated — I took my first gig as a librarian for $21,000 a year, paid down the credit cards, and was on my way to slowly working up the professional ladder. In all seven years of my post-HS education, I can count the number of times I called Mom and asked for money on one hand.
Is our federal government doing even one-tenth what it should to support financial aid for undergrads? Not even. Did the Mils get screwed into thinking that $40K of student loans and a BA entitled them to a good, high-paying job? Yes, I really think a number of them did.
I think their parents didn’t do them any favors — Many of these kids have recieved more praise for minor achievements than is really good for them, and the “helicopter” attitude of parents on into the college years means many of the Mils have yet to truly have to live on their own. I think the quality of higher education has dropped significantly over the last decade. I think we’re shipping too many good jobs overseas. I think the Millennial population is too big, too competitive, and is going to find a very hostile, demanding, and unrewarding work environment. Those Mils who adopt an attitude of entitlement, where they either have their demands met or they leave, will find dozens of other Mils ready to take their jobs from them.
I do not for a moment question the smarts, the work ethic, or the abilities of these kids. But I do think that the world is a very harsh place, and I think that many, though by no means all, Millennials will find that they are not entitled to much out here.
What comes after graduation is always harder than what came before, and the rewards take time and experience as well as a positive attitude. I think the Mils are going to do amazing things in their lifetimes, but they will have to learn to be patient. They are entitled to their frustration, but really nothing else.
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