Many Generation Y babies were taught that getting a higher level of education was a major key factor of life (specifically those born between 1980 and 1990). The message was instilled that obtaining a degree along with hard work would get you the career or job that you wanted, as well as the salary you desired.
Many people spent their hard earned money sending their children to school, refinancing home loans, and/or taking out student loans just to receive a formal education.
But what happened once those generation Y children graduated from college? They were greeted with the rejection line “you don’t have the experience.” I mean, did they not read your resume that states that you just graduated from a 4 year college program? Didn’t they realize that you couldn’t get experience if no one hired you? Those who were lucky enough to land jobs were offered jobs that didn’t pay them as much as a part time job paid them! How did they expect you to live?!
You see, many of Generation Y’s parents were not able to finish college. Some never had the opportunity to even start college. Some of them went straight into corporate America after high school and were often told they would be able to achieve higher positions or better jobs had they attained a college degree.
Naturally, parents want their children to do better than they did in life- especially as far as achievements go. What Generation Y and their parents weren’t prepared for was the change within the workforce. The same jobs that your parents worked are the jobs that those degrees get you now. Now having a degree is the bare minimum. Even with those degrees, annual salaries are still extremely low.
Did college prepare any of the generations for unfair treatment? Did college prepare you for being passed up on promotions because your boss’s friend wanted the job? Did college prepare you for the extent of office politics that actually take place? It seems that everything that you thought you knew about Corporate America has changed.
The rules for Corporate America are there are no rules. So how do we prepare our future children for the new Corporate America?
I’d say the best way to prepare someone for the future is for them to be adaptable and useful. We’ve lived through many changes and we can honestly say, things don’t stay the same.
I agree with that. They do not stay the same. I also think we should prepare for the future by trying to introduce as many scenarios snd situations that can occur as possible.