Generation Y work?

[Uniquely]

I saw a report yesterday that said the percentage of 16-17 year olds who have a job is at it's lowest in 60 years! Youth remain under represented in the work force until you get all the way up to age 24. The report said that more parents want their children to focus solely on school and extra-curricular to get into better colleges. The report posited that this will make this generation weaklings in the real world who won't know how to handle real responsibility when they finally do enter the work force. The report renamed "Generation Y" to "Generation Y work."

Any thoughts? Will this focus strictly on education make Generation Y smarter and more successful, or will it make them weak? Would a more balanced focus between education and a good work ethic be better for today's youth?

[Awesome McCool]

Its 50/50, imo. They'll be smarter, but they won't be that successful if they have no prior work experience. Lack of responsibility isn't a great idea nowadays. I've been working since I was 16 and knew what responsibility was in regards to paying bills and whatnot.

Obviously, this report was referring to the rich kids and not the poor ones living in the ghettos of America. I saw this on CNN last night as well.

[Septimus Prime]

Sounds like it's just going to make college more pointless for them, since bottom tier jobs will have to be filled regardless, and their college degrees aren't really going to give them a step up on their competition in the future.

[Uniquely]

Originally Posted by Awesome McCool

Its 50/50, imo. They'll be smarter, but they won't be that successful if they have no prior work experience. Lack of responsibility isn't a great idea nowadays. I've been working since I was 16 and knew what responsibility was in regards to paying bills and whatnot.

Obviously, this report was referring to the rich kids and not the poor ones living in the ghettos of America. I saw this on CNN last night as well.

It said the percentage of 16-17 year olds... without specifying any particular demographics..... so I would think it applies to all kids.

[Clark Kent]

They are getting squeezed out of the workforce simply because most work now requires a certain intellectual skill and experience that few Gen Y'ers possess at 16 to 18. Fifty years ago there were many more jobs that simply required manual labor which obviously most 16 to 18 year-olds could handle without training.

[Teabaggins]

it's retarded because higher education is not for everyone so some kids need to develop strong work skills. the "everyone needs to go to college" scam needs to stop but it won't so they can keep charging you $800+ for new edition textbooks every semester even though the content is exactly the same but the cover has been changed.

some kids need to learn a trade, no shame in that. the shame is when some poor kid thinks he's getting ahead with a bachelors in psychology because his uneducated parents didn't know any better then he gets stuck with 50k of debt and no job to show for it.

disclaimer: I attended a prep school and then graduated from a four year accredited university with a lot of "tradition" and other bs. no school loans either but I saw plenty of it

[camper]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

They are getting squeezed out of the workforce simply because most work now requires a certain intellectual skill and experience that few Gen Y'ers possess at 16 to 18. Fifty years ago there were many more jobs that simply required manual labor which obviously most 16 to 18 year-olds could handle without training.

That's crap. Fact is, most are lazy and don't WANT to work. A job at McDonalds or Best Buy or something that doesn't earn them $15 an hour minimum and without them having experience is beneath them. My friends and I used to be dishwashers, mow lawns, shovel snow, work at fast food...whatever it took to earn some money to save up for a car or whatever it was. We wanted 'stuff' we had to work for it to get it, plain and simple. Not anymore, my neice had a blackberry 4 years ago when she was 12.

My wife and I have nieces/nephews/cousins that are in the 15-24 year old range, and all but 4 out of the 14 are worth a crap...and NONE of their friends are either; except maybe half of the good 4's friends.

I agree with Teabaggins too, college is REALLY only for about 1/3rd of the population. Unfortunately, the true and legitimate stance of 'always continue your education' is immediately assumed to mean college by those who lack the ability to think critically. Education should never end, even a master carpenter with 40+ years can learn something new...but college isn't always the answer. Funny how colleges & universities are offering plumbing & carpentry degrees, too. It's cheapening the entire educational system, which now caters to the lowest common denominator with lax requirements rather than making a student feel bad if they can't pass muster.

camper

[Uniquely]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

They are getting squeezed out of the workforce simply because most work now requires a certain intellectual skill and experience that few Gen Y'ers possess at 16 to 18. Fifty years ago there were many more jobs that simply required manual labor which obviously most 16 to 18 year-olds could handle without training.

I have to disagree with that one. I mean the 80's when I was a working kid wasn't exactly a manual labor stone age. There were plently of jobs scooping ice cream, flippin burgers, running a cash register... and there still are.

I just think that a lot of todays' parents have the attitude that they don't want their kids to have to work as hard as they did when they were kids. I can totally understand that thinking... but do wonder if it in the end it does more harm than good.

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by Septimus Prime

Sounds like it's just going to make college more pointless for them, since bottom tier jobs will have to be filled regardless, and their college degrees aren't really going to give them a step up on their competition in the future.

This.

I did a traditional academic subject at uni, but there were a million and one people doing all sorts of other media/business/management subjects that aren't worth the paper they're written on. These people then leave uni with the idea they will become rich/powerful, but the real world is already chock full of these graduates.

Unfortunately, they all end up in the civil service in the UK, I would rather they were unemployed tbh, that way they would only collect unemployment benefits rather than £40k/y salary at the taxpayer's expense.

I'm not sure if the situation is the same across the pond, but it sure sounds like it...

[toef]

I tend to agree with Robin. Or Tami? Or both?

I think this has far more to do with the pressures of getting ahead than it is with laziness. Sure, there are some lazy people out there who don't want to work, but that's nothing new.

Maybe this will come out sounding wrong (or elitist) but despite more people going to college these days than ever before, I don't think people are really getting smarter. So how does that work? Colleges must be lowering their standards.

I'm sure there was a genius somewhere who realized that a college can be run like a business: more students = more tuition = more money for the college. The consequence of this is that a college degree today, in general, is equivalent to a high school diploma 30 years ago.

This can become a huge problem for more prestigious schools, because they have to balance making money with maintaining their reputation. If they let too many people in, the school may lose some of its prestige. If they don't let enough in, they may fall behind financially (less research, less faculty retention, etc).

The university I attended is consistently ranked among the top 3 public universities in the country, and one of the "Public Ivy" schools, (hint: it's the oldest one), but I fear that it's reputation will start to go down, as they seem to be focusing heavily on expanding. Essentially, the value of my degree is at stake.

Every time I see commercials for Kaplan's new online university, I cringe a little. Schools have gotten to the point where they are basically selling degrees, and I feel that the purpose of going to school wasn't (and shouldn't be) to just end up with a degree. It's about the experiences you have, and the people/connections you meet/make. You can't replicate that online.

I don't understand why people generally understand that their chances of being a superstar athlete, or Hollywood movie star are very small. Small enough that it's not even really worth trying. You have to be lucky.

Yet at the same time, during undergrad, nearly everyone in my class had dreams of being a CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Last time I checked, there are exactly 500 of those jobs. The top 10 business schools in the country pump out thousands of graduates per year. Do the math. You have to be lucky. (Though if you fail your ethics course, you probably have a better chance than most to succeed in business).

This got a little off-topic, but oh well.

[Septimus Prime]

Here's the thing, though: today's world of information has so much knowledge and so many career niches that it's pretty much impossible to have any individual be an expert in much more than his own field of study. Just take a glance at, say, Wikipedia; it only scratches the surface on each subject, but look at the breadth of its information. There's way too much for any individual or group to handle, so the job market expands and creates new niches.

For example, let's look at the videogame industry, since it's my industry. Back in the day, some 20 years ago, any small group or team could handle just about every aspect of creating and selling a game. Look at guys like Sakaguchi or Miyamoto. They were producers, programmers (not Miyamoto), art directors, artists, QA, and other jobs all rolled into one guy back when they started. There's absolutely no way anyone could do that now, which is why jobs like mine exist. The market grew and matured and developed more niches.

The same thing is probably happening in many other fields, but it's just invisible to most of us because we aren't in them. The job market will always be able to sustain the number of college grads, as long as the economy doesn't completely fall apart.

At the same time, though, the bottom tier jobs will always exist and will always require people. Food services, sanitation, retail, and things like that will always be needed, but with everyone having a college degree in the future, the relative values of their degrees will drop because someone has to full these job niches too.

Most people are going to school because they don't want this kind of career and want to earn something to give them a leg up on their competition (some are true academics, but I suspect they are few). It's pretty sad, then, to come to the realization that their hard work isn't going to earn them as much as it would have in the past.

[ThePhantomOak]

Red haring.

This is not a real problem, it is selective reporting.

First, there are several economic reasons for not working at a young age. When people were living to 40, 50 or 60 starting young was a huge deal. Not only do your folks die early, but so do you, and you better start building that future for your family.

There is also the kind of labor that kids can do. The US is mostly suburban and urban, and therefore there are not a lot of jobs available to youths. Even 30 years (or 15) you could work in a field that was 20 minutes from your house. Most available jobs now are for service, and they don’t teach you a whole lot, other than to get in the way of getting to a real job (even a real job in that sector).

Then there is the statistic that only 2 out of 10 Americans hold a college diploma (in Nevada it is 1 of 10). There is little chance that these 20% are affecting the number of non working teens so greatly that this is the driving force as claimed. I would have to see MUCH stronger data than is available to even start thinking about a link between the two, let alone causation.



There was a time when kids would work in fields as soon as they could. People would get hitched in the early teens. The situation changes as we moved from agriculture to industry and now we act amazed that it changed from industry to service?

The only thing we know for sure is the older generation will always claim the newer is a bunch of slackers who have it easy.

The first Marine on November 10, 1775 was told to wait outside Tun Tavern until a squad could be formed. Five minutes later the second Marine walks out of Tun Tavern and the first says, "Marine huh? Let me tell you what the 'old Corps' was like!"

[toef]

Originally Posted by Septimus Prime

The same thing is probably happening in many other fields, but it's just invisible to most of us because we aren't in them. The job market will always be able to sustain the number of college grads, as long as the economy doesn't completely fall apart.

At the same time, though, the bottom tier jobs will always exist and will always require people. Food services, sanitation, retail, and things like that will always be needed, but with everyone having a college degree in the future, the relative values of their degrees will drop because someone has to full these job niches too.

You bring up some good points, but on others I don't agree completely.

The job market will technically be able to sustain the number of college grads, but that doesn't mean they will be doing the jobs they wanted to do, or make what they thought they'd be making. Certain professions (like law and medicine) do a good job of protecting their job markets. It makes sense though. If you expect someone to pay $50k a year to go to a top law or med school for 3-4 years, you'd better assure them it's going to be worth it in the future. By limiting the amount of fish that ultimately get to swim in the pond, you're making sure everyone gets their space and food to eat.

Other fields, of which there are many, don't do this. They may not be as prestigious, but things like advertising/journalism, chiropractic, etc., are pumping out graduates in far greater numbers than the world actually needs or can sustain.

UNC has one of the top (if not the top) journalism schools in the country, yet that doesn't mean you can count on a job when you finish your journalism degree. Fortunately that wasn't my major, but I did take a sports marketing class as an elective, and I remember talking with some of my classmates about how they were struggling to find any sort of job. Most people that could find jobs found them in advertising, and they were lucky if they were getting $25k a year.

So yes, some things like video games might be expanding, creating more jobs, but that's not indicative of all job industries. Even before the recession hit, there was a lot of talk about how expensive games were getting, and how one bad game could bankrupt a company. I'm sure at some point the game industry will start constricting intself a bit, especially if casual games (which require much smaller teams of people, or maybe even just a single person, and much less money, to make) become much more of the norm. Big budget games, with story crews, art teams, etc., might be a thing of the past one day.

And then there's always technology, which has, and will continue to, make many jobs/careers, performed by actual humans, obsolete. I saw a report on the news a year or two ago about a robot doctor. It's scary, but what's stopping that from being the future? If they can replace doctors with robots, I'm sure they can do the same with lawyers, and then nobody's safe.

So I recommend everyone just go live their life, and try to enjoy it before the robots get here.

[ZackL]

I am in university and I don't have a job... because I am a bum, and because I have no work ethic whatsoever.

Probably has a lot to do with the fact that I always end up working at fast food joints where I couldn't care less and don't want to listen to the 40 year old manager with a grade ten education lecture me about the quality of my double cheeseburger production.

Yes, my generation is a bit of a plague.

[Marquoz]

A good education and the hard work required for some of the more exotic careers will pay off in the long run. I'm not talking about physical education (the ones football players get, etc.) or a history major where it's pretty much remembering stuff. I am talking chemistry, biotech, computer science. Any good university will have job fairs where during school the person can take an internship during the summer. If they do take those internships, they will land a very good job after they get out of school. Those that don't take these internships are the ones that aren't trying to succeed.

Having a job at 17 really doesn't teach any responsibilities because the child still doesn't have any bills or responsibility to be frugal with their money. To them it is just an extension of pocket money. Having that internship will teach them more about the field they plan to be in then being a stock boy at a grocery store for 4 hours a night.

I don't see how a child at 16 or 17 not having a job will affect them in the long run. Once they get out into the real world and have to hold down a job to be able to pay rent, buy food, they will learn REAL quick that they HAVE to keep that job, or else starve or have to move back home. That does a lot to force somebody to grow up fast and learn to be responsible. Flipping burgers doesn't teach any form of responsibility.

[DrinkMore]

Originally Posted by camper

That's crap. Fact is, most are lazy and don't WANT to work. A job at McDonalds or Best Buy or something that doesn't earn them $15 an hour minimum and without them having experience is beneath them. My friends and I used to be dishwashers, mow lawns, shovel snow, work at fast food...whatever it took to earn some money to save up for a car or whatever it was. We wanted 'stuff' we had to work for it to get it, plain and simple. Not anymore, my neice had a blackberry 4 years ago when she was 12.

My wife and I have nieces/nephews/cousins that are in the 15-24 year old range, and all but 4 out of the 14 are worth a crap...and NONE of their friends are either; except maybe half of the good 4's friends.

I agree with Teabaggins too, college is REALLY only for about 1/3rd of the population. Unfortunately, the true and legitimate stance of 'always continue your education' is immediately assumed to mean college by those who lack the ability to think critically. Education should never end, even a master carpenter with 40+ years can learn something new...but college isn't always the answer. Funny how colleges & universities are offering plumbing & carpentry degrees, too. It's cheapening the entire educational system, which now caters to the lowest common denominator with lax requirements rather than making a student feel bad if they can't pass muster.

camper

I disagree. If someone thinks working at McDonalds and Best Buy is beneath them, there is nothing wrong with that. I am one of those people that will not work there. I don't care how bad things get. Those types of jobs are not something that support people or families. They don't pay enough. Anyone that is overqualified for work at such places should not be working there. Even young people. What's wrong with wanting more pay?

People also fail to realize that not EVERYONE needs to be taught how to do things or needs fancy educations. There are people out there that are ABOVE AVERAGE when it comes to intelligence. Problem is, a lot of these business think everyone are idiots and don't give them a chance. You would be amazed at how many smart, good people business pass up all to save a buck. It's pretty sad.

I wouldn't work for $13 an hour. You can't live off that, sorry.

As for the educational system being cheapened, you can thank the same people who decided to make the country PC and cater to EVERY single, itty bitty difference there is. Thank them.

[opterasis]

All I can think of is my 17 year old sister who's a senior and working at Taco Bell. She was a straight A student with ease. Now shes really busting her ass and you can tell it's wearing her out. I don't think it's worth it, she can worry about that after she graduates. I think the whole "I did it when I was that age and I'm a stronger person because of it" theory is a load of crap.

[opterasis]

Originally Posted by DrinkMore

I disagree. If someone thinks working at McDonalds and Best Buy is beneath them, there is nothing wrong with that. I am one of those people that will not work there. I don't care how bad things get. Those types of jobs are not something that support people or families. They don't pay enough. Anyone that is overqualified for work at such places should not be working there. Even young people. What's wrong with wanting more pay?

People also fail to realize that not EVERYONE needs to be taught how to do things or needs fancy educations. There are people out there that are ABOVE AVERAGE when it comes to intelligence. Problem is, a lot of these business think everyone are idiots and don't give them a chance. You would be amazed at how many smart, good people business pass up all to save a buck. It's pretty sad.

I wouldn't work for $13 an hour. You can't live off that, sorry.

As for the educational system being cheapened, you can thank the same people who decided to make the country PC and cater to EVERY single, itty bitty difference there is. Thank them.

I'd love to know what kind of jobs people can snag in this economy for over $13 that don't require a hire education. I think some people need to suck up their pride and do what they need to to get by.

[jadedeath]

Let us also not forget that Supposedly Generation Y {which isn't really Generation Y, Generation X was my brother's generation and he's 5 years older than I am... I'm 30... do the math}

Is part of the generation that nobody loses, and they all win when they play T-ball, it's politically incorrect to call the little bastards losers in this day and age if they lose everything because that's negative re-enforcement.

Poppycock.

Logan

[DrinkMore]

Originally Posted by opterasis

I'd love to know what kind of jobs people can snag in this economy for over $13 that don't require a hire education. I think some people need to suck up their pride and do what they need to to get by.

BS. How can ANYONE survive on $13 an hour in this period of time? Let alone minimum wage? Be honest now. NOBODY. If $13 an hour can support someone, they must not have ANY bills.