Generation ni-ni, generation ME-ME-ME, or the lost generation, are some of the negative names that appeal to the generation born between 1980 and 2000, also known as Millennials or generation Y.
Uncertainty, fear for an undetermined future … I’m sure you also once felt a little lost when in your last year of college you thought “So … what now?” But are we really the lost generation?
To understand a little more about how Millennials are , we must analyze what made us be and what surrounded us when we were born, grew up and went out into the world. Here are five characteristics of Generation Y:
We are interconnected
We are the first generation of digital natives and we prefer the internet to television. The Millennials spend much of our time connected to
social networks with our laptop or Smartphone which allows us access to virtually everyone and it makes it easy to access time to us with few resources.
We are critical and demanding
We grew up in a time of prosperity, but with our departure to the world to work, the greatest economic crisis in contemporary history broke out. That made us critical, especially of the financial system and banking, and demanding. Therefore, as consumers we are much more versatile and less loyal to brands.
We are entrepreneurs and we want to risk
We prefer a job we like to a stable job, we prefer mobility and flexibility over security and more than 60% of Millennials admit that they want to open their own business in the future. As workers, we have little loyalty and loyalty to our jobs. And, increasingly, we prefer jobs that are tied to our passions over better pay.
We aspire to make a difference in the world
More than 60% declare having participated in charitable or volunteer causes. The Millennials want to change things and are generally unhappy with the system. Although we do not always find a way to do it, we are active participating in movements and associations for social purposes.
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Furthermore, we are the most diverse, global, and most prepared generation in history . But, despite this, we are also the generation of scholarships, internships, unpaid opportunities here and there, precarious work … And if you’ve ever spent hours (or days, like me) arguing with your parents about your future, don’t worry, you are not the only one. Surely your parents belong to generation X or the BabyBoom generation, characterized by seeking a stable life and a job for “life”.
“Oposita, hija” my father repeats to me every time I return home. And you keep quiet thinking and trusting in that moment that things will change, because in fact, they are already beginning to change, although not everyone realizes it. And you, you want to decide your future.
We, the generation of scholarships and unemployment, will be the consumers, managers, CEOs, politicians, entrepreneurs, workers and leaders of the future in 10 years. In 2030, Millennials will occupy 75% of the global workforce and decide the course of things. What the world will be like in 2030 depends on us.
Let’s make that moment come and until then let’s get ready, let’s get ready to be ready: let’s fail, let’s take risks, let’s travel, let’s read, let’s develop, and let’s learn.
Here come the Millennials, but are we really the lost generation? I believe that we are the generation that has begun to meet.
Ana Rubido, Santiago de Compostela