Gen Y's Time
Older generations...
Our grandparents grew up when survival was all they could ask for. Large family, tight budgets, low wages, and long hours. They and the generation of babyboomers learned that hard work brings means of security, the key of course being money. Common are stories about long hours picking fruit or working the assembly line; saving every penny you find; less financial risk taking; and doing whatever it takes to earn that enchanted domain that is financial security. These generations have been made painfully aware of the hardships life can bring: stock market crashes, war, jobs that can not deliver instant rewards. As a result they have created the ideal middle-class lifestyle. They work everyday, but achieve comfort and provide all the necessities for their children.
The new generation...
As children of this largely middle-class generation, we have grown up sheltered from most of these large scale hardships. Instead, our fears stem from the personal experiences common to our generation: parents working one or more jobs, divorced parents, and after school care provided by the dead bolt and TV. The idea of marriage is something we think about even more carefully because of family experiences, and working every minute of the day to earn "a comfortable" life style does not seem worth the sacrifices. Additionally, we grew up with a consistently improving stock market, 23 year-old, technology whizkid, billionaires, and instant everything from oatmeal to messaging. All of this supports our belief that what we desire can be achieved and done faster than our parents believe. Sure we still want to be financially secure, but if there is a faster and easier way to achieve the same result all the better. We are not willing to sacrifice relationships, enjoyment of life, and most importantly our newly developing/ future families. For generation Y, time is the new money.
The consequences...
Though this perception is based on a truly ideal lifestyle (economic comfort AND time ), it has already lead to drawbacks as well. We the generation of instant everything have been described as impatient, impulsive, unfamiliar with the true value of a dollar. Soon enough we will learn if our ideals can be achieved or if these deficiencies are too big to overcome.
Our grandparents grew up when survival was all they could ask for. Large family, tight budgets, low wages, and long hours. They and the generation of babyboomers learned that hard work brings means of security, the key of course being money. Common are stories about long hours picking fruit or working the assembly line; saving every penny you find; less financial risk taking; and doing whatever it takes to earn that enchanted domain that is financial security. These generations have been made painfully aware of the hardships life can bring: stock market crashes, war, jobs that can not deliver instant rewards. As a result they have created the ideal middle-class lifestyle. They work everyday, but achieve comfort and provide all the necessities for their children.
The new generation...
As children of this largely middle-class generation, we have grown up sheltered from most of these large scale hardships. Instead, our fears stem from the personal experiences common to our generation: parents working one or more jobs, divorced parents, and after school care provided by the dead bolt and TV. The idea of marriage is something we think about even more carefully because of family experiences, and working every minute of the day to earn "a comfortable" life style does not seem worth the sacrifices. Additionally, we grew up with a consistently improving stock market, 23 year-old, technology whizkid, billionaires, and instant everything from oatmeal to messaging. All of this supports our belief that what we desire can be achieved and done faster than our parents believe. Sure we still want to be financially secure, but if there is a faster and easier way to achieve the same result all the better. We are not willing to sacrifice relationships, enjoyment of life, and most importantly our newly developing/ future families. For generation Y, time is the new money.
The consequences...
Though this perception is based on a truly ideal lifestyle (economic comfort AND time ), it has already lead to drawbacks as well. We the generation of instant everything have been described as impatient, impulsive, unfamiliar with the true value of a dollar. Soon enough we will learn if our ideals can be achieved or if these deficiencies are too big to overcome.