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With my 24th birthday approaching (THURSDAY!!!) and the end of the school year on its way, I cannot help but feel nostalgic. I am missing the thrill of end-of-the-year college parties, missing my displaced friends, and missing lost time. Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was tossing my graduation cap, dreaming of a super bright and successful future. While I have suppressed the urge to toss any hats recently, my dreams of a successful and bright future still remain. I thought that success and fortune would be immediate, I thought that dream careers came quickly: I thought wrong.
There is good news though! I am not alone. More 22-30 year olds are employed in jobs that do not utilize their degrees than ever before! Luckily for me, my job does challenge me intellectually and utilizes my love for technology, but alas, I remain a statistic. More recent college grads than ever are working part-time (if at all) at minimum wage (if that) than ever recorded. So when you hear statistics like “only 7% unemployment” that doesn’t factor in those people who are fresh out of school in this horrible job market. The 22-30 year olds are voiceless. We cannot collect unemployment, we cannot pay our loans, and we cannot ignite change because we are “too young.”
A friend of mine was dating a girl significantly younger than he was (he was 21, she was 16) and he told me, “Age is just a number.” My response? “Yeah, and jail is just a room.” In some instances, of COURSE age matters. When the girl I nanny wants to drive my car, age matters. When the 16 year old tries to buy beer, age matters. But when it comes to hiring this generation? Age should not matter. “Generation Y” or “Millennials” are constantly criticized for our vanity (ie. Selfies. #enoughsaid), our obsession with the internet (hello: you’re reading this on the internet) and our materialism (my fifth grade neighbor has an iPhone 5C #jealous.) I, of all people, should not dispute these qualities… but shouldn’t companies be fiercely hiring for these same reasons? Vanity comes in handy when you want someone well-dressed to deliver a presentation. Millennials wouldn’t be caught dead not looking their best just in case someone is snapping photos for Facebook. Newsflash business world: pretty sells. As for our obsession with the internet? Social media sells too. Who better to have manning your social media statuses and keep your customers in contact with the company than the social media experts: Generation Y. Finally, the famous millennial materialism. We know quality. At church a few weeks ago, a friend of mine pointed out the fine cut Armani suit a fellow churchgoer was wearing, cited the approximate cost, and whether it was custom or not. Millennials can spot a knockoff from a mile away, why? Because we have grown up in the greatest generation of counterfeiters ever. Everything from fake UGG boots, to bootlegged DVD’s, to Chanel purses, to Northface jackets. We have seen (and owned) the real thing, and know what a fake looks like. You want to know if something is quality? Ask a 18-30 year old.
So, while some of us mourn the loss of another year without our dream job, some of you lucky bastards are out there living the dream. Keep fighting my fellow millennials, we are destined to break these people soon enough and earn our rightful places in the working world.