I agree

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Vivienne Dang

Thanks for reading and commenting.

My Response; you got to start somewhere.

Gen Y is coming to terms with this economy and it is not pretty. What is ludicrous is completely opting out of any work if the opportunities available do not meet the criteria desired. If someone is sending out hundreds of resumes without responses, they need to change their approach, and probably change their life in other ways to find work.

“How exactly does Generation Y “cross the line” by not wanting to work at unskilled jobs that are not fulfilling, do not utilize their skills, that pay minimum wage and provide no benefits?” Because millions if not billions of people around the world DO take that work when it is available and go on with their lives. They then find ways to improve and build from that work and experience if you believe that people have the power to make progress in their life.

Gen Y that grew up in middle class circumstances (What is actually Middle Class USA is another discussion) does not want to take the perceived step down into unskilled labor, further denigrating the value of it. But after completing a college degree, it’s easy to understand why someone feels above it. But they miss something with this line of thinking. For every failure we notice, there are people that take the work available and continue with respect and dignity in their lives as they pursue their own goals. Is work for work’s sake worth nothing in itself? I do not think so.

If things are not working with post college life, if plans are going unfulfilled, if that big job offer never comes your way, do you give up? I’d hope not. People find ways to work through the circumstances they were born into or acquired by way of this economy, and the world keeps going. It’s best to stay in step with this world by being able to provide some service or value every step of the way. Gen Y is not unique, they are not the first generation to deal with an economic depression. People FIND ways to deal with their circumstances and make them productive for themselves and others.

We can count all kinds of faults; the baby boomers running the economy to the ground is just one. But at the end of the day each individual needs to make the best of their life and this is how new opportunities and social change comes about. Think of where all the motivation comes from to create new businesses, meet new people and produce art and music. Gen Y can’t afford to sit on it’s hands hoping for a job equivalent to life expectations to come by. They need to work now to build a life going forward or there won’t be a worthy future. The only easy solutions to this are found in infomercials.

Employers in any industry are looking for relevant work experience. To use an example, members of Generation Y who were educated in the sciences but work in retail after graduation because that’s the only job they can find do not have the relevant work experience that employers in the scientific field are looking for. As a result, this creates a barrier for them to find a job that matches their education.

You also engage in victim blaming. The baby boomers ran the economy into the ground and outsourced many jobs to developing countries. However, you blame Generation Y for being self-absorbed slackers because many of them do not want to work at unskilled jobs with low wages and no benefits. The simple fact is, many Gen Y’ers want a career that pays well so they can buy their own place and move out of their parents house. Apparently having goals in life and spending 4 or more years completing 1 or more degrees is being a slacker.

The 23% of Generation Y you cited who are not looking for work have given up because they have sent out hundreds of applications with no responses. Generation Y have emotions. They are not robots. After spending months applying for hundreds of jobs and being unsuccessful, it adversely affects one’s confidence and emotional well-being.