More Than Apps and Iphones: Modern Millennials Take Center-Stage

As a thirty-something living, grinding, and trying to make it in this flip-flopped society 2019 has offered up, figuring out what success looks like and how to get there can be difficult. The perception of an ‘ideal’ American lifestyle, with the spouse, few animals, white picket fence and adherence to those played out gender roles, are concepts as outdated as the people that pander these societal biases.  Today, especially for millennial's, things are more expensive, career elevation is a lot less common, college debt is rising,  savings accounts are depleting and achieving that lifestyle we see on shows just aren’t as easily obtained as some would want you to believe.

Despite popular belief, we millennials do work, and we work hard! Although media paints us as lazy yet entitled entities that float through a cloud of continuous confusion seeking handouts and our mothers’ couches…. newsflash we account for a HUGE part of the workforce. 

Just to share again some more findings, nearly 68% of millennial women (aged 16–34) are in the workforce. So, don’t count us out! We have a purpose and we are anxiously waiting to share it with the world. If given the right opportunities, we can surely make an imprint on the future. 

With all that I say, today’s generation moved away from the Lucille Ricardo way of life, to more so the Clair Huxtable way of thinking. ** Disclaimer: if you are a younger reading this, these TV mom examples may be meaningless to you. Allow me to help: ‘I love Lucy’ and the ‘Cosby Show’ are two of the most epic shows of all time (Google it). Set in two different times in history, one shows a woman in the more “housewife” role and the other is more modern in her household dynamic. Sigh, history lessons are tough but hey, you’re welcome 😊). Point being, it’s possible to be the MATRIARCH of a family while holding down a career and a strong household, simultaneously. We are proving that more and more every day. Give us a chance and bet on the future. Bet on us and the future WILL thank you for it later.

While millennials account for the largest generation and the most educated generation let’s be transparent…. we are also the most underpaid, technologically dependent, instant gratification seeking, broke generation as well. Trust me, all cases can be true at the same time! We make less but spend more, so our savings account may not be as meaty as we want, yet oddly enough, most of us walk around with mini-computers in our pockets, drinking cleverly named overpriced coffees and racking up more student loans than most degrees are worth. However, our millennial mindset is what sets us apart from everybody else! Most of us agree that if given the proper support systems, a livable wage and a smidge of opportunity, collectively we can go further than we ever imagined. The sky really isn’t our limit. We actually often catch flack for doing the opposite, living like opportunities are instead limitless.  But how, right?

Today, being a millennial has become more about either proving or disproving the unfair typecasting that we often get lumped into. Most of us realize there is no how-to manual, no app and no one- size fits all approach to how millennials become successful. Now more than ever, we embrace the individuality in the term ‘success’.  No longer does success have to fit a specific mold. Instead, millennials are proving that ‘success’ is more than just a tax bracket. It’s cleaning up your credit, buying your first home before 35 (and that’s a modest age, late ’30s seems more accurate) and figuring out how to not pull your hair out when you pay over $200.00 + a week for childcare cost… yes WEEK, let that be your birth control. Let that idea sink on it….  (YIKES, right?).

Many generations don’t understand that statistically speaking, having kids, buying a home and getting married isn’t something we are rushing to do and that is perfectly fine… at least to us anyways! Millennials are starting families, buying their first homes, and getting married approximately 7-9 years LATER than previous generations. Why you ask? Well…. Again, we are doing more, getting paid less, and checking those societal expectations off our life checklist is handled more like a marathon instead of a sprint… we will get there eventually 😊

Our definition of success may not be that of our parents, we may not share the same political views as our coworkers, and our zest for change and progressive agendas may exhaust our mentors,  but at the end of the day, many millennials embrace uniqueness and reward individuality.

Today, that golden route doesn’t always open the doors to success that we desire, and good behavior doesn’t always warrant upward mobility and a career that allows for a lavish lifestyle… For most of us, breaking even is a much more accurate depiction. What happens then? In a workforce where people are staying employed longer, that means that a majority of top positions are being held for twice as long by baby boomers patiently buying time until retirement. With that said, being young in America isn’t always a net positive. Instead, you encounter a level of ageism in ways people outside of the generational age bracket wouldn’t understand. Too old for a low paying job, but too young for a great paying job? People wonder why millennials are so disoriented, we can’t seem to find our place! Are we waiting in line for opportunities? Or blazing the pathway forward for the future…. Hard to tell nowadays.

So fellow millennials, take this time to ask questions, evaluate historical outcomes, identify opportunities for advancement, invest your money, spend rationally and be vocal in your observations and visions for the future.  Don’t let age define your capabilities. Plant those seeds NOW and later down the road, it is sure to blossom into something phenomenal. Recognize that times have changed and now it's our turn to impact the future. We bring a renewed perspective and we should not be afraid to flaunt it. Make your observations known and collaborate with those young and old, seasoned and rookies, to learn what opportunities you can contribute most to. By finding that special sweet spot, the road toward your passion reveals itself to be much more obtainable than you would imagine.

Love,
A millennial with a purpose!

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