# Why Gen Y Yuppies (born between late 1970s and mid 1990s) are unhappy



## Chilcotin (Sep 16, 2013)

Interesting article from the Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-...0620.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false


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## DaveNV (Sep 16, 2013)

Very insightful article.  Thank you!  I think I finally understand why my very smart, very could-have-done-anything, very manipulative son is an unhappy, unfulfilled, non-producing, under-performing, frustrated person.  I can't wait to let him see this.  Maybe he'll finally cop a clue that he's the reason he isn't where he wants to be.  :ignore:

Dave


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## Paumavista (Sep 16, 2013)

*Interesting*

My oldest son fits the description (and so do the son's of a number of my friends) - interesting though that in 3 cases our daughters are successful professionals.....not sure I can explain that.....I know my daughter is more likely to accept parenting advice than my son.

I also know that I will continue to be worried since I have 2 more sons...currently young teens who are showing no promising skills, interests, or ambition (unless video games & phone usage counts) and they seem more angry and depressed than I've ever been  (is that a guy thing??).....my husband tells me it's a phase.........


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## DaveNV (Sep 16, 2013)

Paumavista said:


> interesting though that in 3 cases our daughters are successful professionals.....not sure I can explain that.....I know my daughter is more likely to accept parenting advice than my son...



Are we related?   My daughter is a super-performer, not the best student, but has amazing dedication.  She took time out from a great career path to be a stay-at-home Mom, and who learned all the lessons her older brother ignored.  Hmm.  I think you may be on to something.  

Dave


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## siesta (Sep 16, 2013)

I am part of generation Y.

I envied my parents generation, "baby boomers", for a few reasons. First the ability to start a family at a young age, and actually be able to afford it.  Additionally, the job market seemed much better.  People out of high school could pick up a trade and get good middle class blue collar jobs (often in manufacturing).  People with bachelors degrees had great opportunities for upward mobility, and those that pursued graduate and post graduate degrees were more likely than not a shoe in for great success, or at the least a very comfortable living.

Now, good paying blue collar jobs are few and far between, a bachelors degree is a pre-requisite for an entry level position, and 50% of kids are still struggling to find those (and if your lucky, its in the field of your studies), and even having a masters degree doesnt mean what it used to.

Luckily for me, my parents instilled in me the notion of you get what you work for (not to say you parents didnt, but I actually listened).  And if there are less opportunities, that just means you need to work harder to ensure that you are one of the people that gets a slice of whats left of the ever shrinkng pie.

Thats why I busted my ass to get into a top university, and busted my ass even harder to get into a top law school.

I understand generation Y's frustration.  The bar has been set even higher for what it takes to achieve success, and even then, those opportunities are less than what they were for our parents generations, and definitely not a guarantee. However, that is no excuse for wilfull blindness of the reality of things early on when one can actually do something to improve your outlook, and it is certainly not an excuse for self-pity once the reality kicks in that "you are NOT special.  You get what you earn, and that means hard work is involved."


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## theo (Sep 17, 2013)

*Kudos to your parents (and to you) for a job well done...*



siesta said:


> I am part of generation Y. <snip>
> ...the reality kicks in that "you are NOT special.  You get what you earn, and that means hard work is involved."



IMnsHO, absorbing this basic, fundamental truth is *precisely* what separates the "special and entitled, but inevitably disappointed" Gen Y members from those "focused and accomplished, from actually working at it".

Congratulations to you (and to your parents) for comprehending the difference and choosing the latter.


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## BocaBum99 (Sep 17, 2013)

The article is a good summary.

I am at the very tail end of the baby boomers.  My oldest son is near the end of Gen Y.

I did make the mistake early on in labeling my son as special.  He has always demonstrated skills beyond what I have seen from his peer group, specifically in math and science.   It was a mistake because it enabled him to rely on his talent  alone to get by.   He didn't want to work hard.   It took me several years to undo that early damage by rewarding him not for results, but for hard work.   Now with my other kids, I have them on the right path from the start.

There is a very good book by Malcolm Gladwell entitled "Outliers: The Story of Success."   It was a very eye opening book for me.   It turns out that tremendous success is on having a minimum set of talent, a maximum amount of hard work and a little bit of luck.    For instance, to win a Nobel Prize in Physics, you don't need to have a 200 IQ.   140 IQ is enough.  It's far more important to work hard.   The person putting in twice the effort with a 140 IQ is more likely to win the Nobel Prize than the person with 200 IQ that dabbles i the science.   

In Outliers, it talks about the 10000 hour rule.  Basically, the 10000 rule states that you can become an expert in anything if you put 10000 hours into it.   So, following your passion is very important because if you are doing what you love, you are more likely to be driven to get to the 10000 hour mark.   So, in that regard, I disagree with the article.

Lastly, what is important in keeping the expectation gap positive, a kid really needs to understand reality.   I tell my kids the reality of today's job market is that there are no lifetime jobs.  You are accountable for creating your own future.  In my day, I just needed to have a degree and that would ensure me a nice career.  Now, those jobs are being taken by others overseas.  Even professional jobs will be / are going there.  They need to understand how they add value into the economy and stay competitive.

My oldest son is now a sophomore in college.   He had a nice summer internship near home, so he got to stay with us for the summer.   My parting words to him when he went back to college was "work hard and keep an eye open for your next opportunity"


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## kwindham (Sep 17, 2013)

Chilcotin said:


> Interesting article from the Huffington Post.
> 
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-...0620.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false



I loved the article and really loved this part:

1) Stay wildly ambitious. The current world is bubbling with opportunity for an ambitious person to find flowery, fulfilling success. The specific direction may be unclear, but it'll work itself out -- just dive in somewhere.

2) Stop thinking that you're special. The fact is, right now, you're not special. You're another completely inexperienced young person who doesn't have all that much to offer yet. You can become special by working really hard for a long time. 

3) Ignore everyone else. Other people's grass seeming greener is no new concept, but in today's image crafting world, other people's grass looks like a glorious meadow. The truth is that everyone else is just as indecisive, self-doubting, and frustrated as you are, and if you just do your thing, you'll never have any reason to envy others.


My oldest son started college 5 weeks ago.  Never been away from home, never had to fend for himself, always had mom there, etc.  It has really been a change for him, and a "secret" challenge to myself as mom to not jump in and "fix" things.  I have to admit as bad as I hate to, he is spoiled.  Totally my fault.  His dad left us when he was 7 months old and I totally over compensated for his dad not being in his life.

Finally realizing all that, I am now trying to slowly correct it.  The deal with college was I would pay ALL  his expenses, tuition books rent insurance, etc.  He had to get a job and pay his own gas money and spending money.  His recent response when I asked how was the job hunt coming?  Mom, you have NO idea how tired I am after going to school ALL day, im to tired to get a job.  :hysterical:    MY response to that?  little boy, (yes I called him little boy) do not tell me I don't understand, you may not remember, because you were 4 and your brother was 2.  But I went to college while working a full time job and raising 2 toddlers, and managed to obtain 2 college degrees by the time the youngest was in kindergarten.  Tired?  Oh yes, I know what that means,  You don't want to be called little boy?  then grow up and act like a man. 

Undoing the damage that I did is a lot harder than doing the damage.


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## DaveNV (Sep 17, 2013)

kwindham said:


> Undoing the damage that I did is a lot harder than doing the damage.



Good for you!  It's hard, definitely, since we all thought we were making the right decisions at the time.   As I keep reminding myself:  "Kids don't come with an Owner's Manual."

Dave


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## vacationhopeful (Sep 17, 2013)

My 2 sisters have kids. And they have sent their youngest child each to me - seems their youngest children have a "hard head".

The girl was 18, out of HS and in her 2nd year of community college. She was just driving her parents NUTS. I had her for 1 week in Pompano Beach and returned a different enough kid that my sister called me a week after her returned and ask, WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER? Asked her if she was still wearing the hoodie (the Greatful Dead hoodie) nonstop? My sister ask, YES and why would she ever had brought THAT? She just needed to figure out a path for herself and have the confidence to do what she wants. 

The other sister's 4yo son decided HE was staying with me - she left him and drove off. I got him almost every summer for 7+ days for the next 7 years. He at 14 is still, my buddy. My sister got to met up with our 1st cousins kids about 3 weeks ago - funeral - and asked if they knew who I was, "Yes, John's mom" and I said "No, she is John's mom; I am his aunt". It has been 3+ summers since they had seem him and they are around his age. 

Kids NEED to find out that they can be their own person to be happy and successful. Walk their own path. Be responsible. Make their own decisions. Sometimes, it just takes the parents LONGER to figure that out.


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## laurac260 (Sep 17, 2013)

When we let the psychologists take over education, that's when we lost our way.  I don't know where we go from here.  When we started telling our kids that "STUPID" was a bad word, that's when we lost our way.  I used to tell my firstborn that Stupid was a not nice word.  I stopped doing that with #2.  Sometimes kids need to hear "Well, that was stupid", or "That person was stupid for doing that."  Mean what you say, and say what you mean.  

There's a quote in the movie The Incredibles that sums this up perfectly.  It was spoken by young Dash Incredible, when his mom told him everyone is special.  

"Saying everyone is special means saying that no one is."

Unfortunately you don't get that lesson until you go out in the world and discover the truth.  Yes you ARE special, and so is the other 6,999,999,999+ people on the planet.


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## klpca (Sep 17, 2013)

siesta said:


> I am part of generation Y.
> 
> I envied my parents generation, "baby boomers", for a few reasons. First the ability to start a family at a young age, and actually be able to afford it.  Additionally, the job market seemed much better.  People out of high school could pick up a trade and get good middle class blue collar jobs (often in manufacturing).  People with bachelors degrees had great opportunities for upward mobility, and those that pursued graduate and post graduate degrees were more likely than not a shoe in for great success, or at the least a very comfortable living.
> 
> ...



I couldn't agree more with what you wrote. I think things are harder for this generation. Your strategy for dealing with the situation is spot on.

I too have girls and all are on their way to being successful in some way or shape. I'm weary of the entire "gen Y' group being called "entitled", lazy etc. I am sure that some are - but there are a lot of them working hard in a lot worse conditions than we endured fresh out of college. In our family, we valued hard work and perseverance above almost everything else (kindness was first), and we have a family of hard workers, but all have had to get advanced degrees just to get a job related to their field of study.

Not sure what's up with the boys though. I have a friend who has both boys and girls. She thinks that when we made opportunities available to girls, we took them away from the boys. (I don't agree). Hard work will trump almost everything, and if you want to be the winner, you had better be outworking your competition.


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## JudyH (Sep 17, 2013)

Then there's also the "don't get pregnant"-"don't get anyone pregnant" rule that my kids grew up with.


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## kwindham (Sep 18, 2013)

JudyH said:


> Then there's also the "don't get pregnant"-"don't get anyone pregnant" rule that my kids grew up with.



:rofl::hysterical::rofl:

This is NOT funny, it just sounded exactly like my mantra to my boys! 

 Although I have tried to teach them morals and ethics, I am not stupid enough to think that teenagers will not slip around and hanky panky.  I tell them both, you are to young to be parents, do not get anyone pregnant, and, I will not doctor infected private parts should you go and act stupid and get an std.  You will take yourself to the dr and treat it yourself.  I generally get rolled eyes but they know I am serious.  Pregnancy and STD's are not to be taken lightly.


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## Quadmaniac (Sep 18, 2013)

I don't know if this just describes Gen Y only. It is funny as it seems like I see so many people - older and younger than me (I am Gen X) who have that same attitude of entitlement. 

As an employer I see it all the time where they expect raises but don't feel like they have to even do their job that they are being paid for. I recently had an employee leave that is probably 50ish and knew that she was not doing quite a few things but figured out she did not do daily backups of our data after she left. 

I remember taking in a childhood friend who was a couple years older than me. He had been in trouble all his life. I took him in after he got into a physical fight at the pub he worked at and lost his job. He had moved to Calgary for a fresh start about 9 months earlier. I took him in and said ok, you can stay here but you pay $500 rent. He stayed at my home, basically ate all my food, paid the rent once or twice. He had to have his smokes and his cell phone which his pay cheque went to. His employer was going to give him an old car - I asked him how he was going to pay for insurance and gas when he can't pay me rent. He said he needed it for work when he could take the bus. In the end I had to kick him out as he just sponged off me and I even ended up lending him money - his attitude was that I make so much more money and it is so easy for me. I was livid - I said to him while he was not going to school, screwing around, living in Mexico for a while, dealing drugs, getting into trouble, I was in school working my ass off to graduate and then working hard to build my business. I didn't get what I have by sitting on my butt. I worked hard for everything. 

His father was prepared to leave their restaurant to him in our home town prior to moving to Calgary, but he didn't even want to work in it. It was a gift in his lap and he wasn't interested in it. He has two kids that his ex takes care of exclusively and grew up without him. He eventually moved back to Vancouver and I heard he was sleeping in his car for awhile. Not sure if he went back to dealing, but I know he was struggling out there still. He had every opportunity to do well for himself but did not want to work for it. A number of friends gave him jobs in Vancouver but just ended up squandering those too by not wanting to work. Unbelievable ! 

As a result I wonder if it is way more wide spread than just Gen Y. I don't know. I think most of my high school friends all have successful professions and have worked hard to become established. Not sure what happened to these odd people in between that just fell between the cracks.

Funny thing, I had an employee that had started with me when she was 17 - born in 1990 and she's now 33. She was one of the hardest workers. I sponsored her to go back to get more training and certification. When she finished, she worked with me till I sold that office. An incredible work ethic. Her husband has a fairly good job and they have a nice house and two kids now. How do people turn out so differently ???


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## am1 (Sep 18, 2013)

klpca said:


> Not sure what's up with the boys though. I have a friend who has both boys and girls. She thinks that when we made opportunities available to girls, we took them away from the boys. (I don't agree).



Title IX has forced a lot of colleges to cut mens sports teams.


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## vacationhopeful (Sep 18, 2013)

am1 said:


> Title IX has forced a lot of colleges to cut mens sports teams.



REALLY?

I find it hard to see where there is EQAUL expenditures of college funds for FOOTBALL and women's filed hockey -- oh, wait! The Football team sells tickets and has sponsors providing "loot" to certain team members or team events or for team coaches.

Now, maybe Men's FENCING got CUT or was it WATER POLO? To pay for women's basketball? Want to bet, the women's basketball team does not play in the same arena as the MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM? Oh, wait, the men's team sells tickets (or is it TV revenue) to pay for that venue. 

Opportunity is ALL in the accounting ledgers. Creative accounting and private donations bends the equality requirements - only just slightly. Really! :ignore:


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## am1 (Sep 18, 2013)

vacationhopeful said:


> REALLY?



Mens non revenue sports are being cut while womens sports are added and cannot field rosters.  Full rides are given out to people just willing to join the team.  

I am not saying this is at all schools.  But Title IX is doing more to hurt mens athletics than it is helping womens athletics (at this time).


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## DaveNV (Sep 18, 2013)

Quadmaniac said:


> his attitude was that I make so much more money and it is so easy for me. I was livid - I said to him while he was not going to school, screwing around, living in Mexico for a while, dealing drugs, getting into trouble, I was in school working my ass off to graduate and then working hard to build my business. I didn't get what I have by sitting on my butt. I worked hard for everything.



I completely relate to that statement.  I left home two days after high school graduation in 1971, and busted my rear to get as far ahead as I could.  When things didn't go so well, I ended up joining the Navy, so I'd at least have a roof over my head, and food on the table.  I worked very hard, and ended up spending 20 years there.  I never moved back home, or asked anyone for a handout.  I retired from Active Duty 20 years ago next month, and continued working as hard as I could to get ahead.  I have a great IT career with a very busy hospital, and I have a reasonably good life.  I am not wealthy, by my own definition of the word, but I'm comfortable. And I earned every penny of it.

People who have "less" than me claim I had an easy ride, that I was given things, opportunities, or whatever, that I didn't earn.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  My older brother is one of those people.  He claims I received all these perks from our parents, which is just not the case.  They didn't have anything to give me, which is why I left home when I did.  Like you describe with your friend, while my brother was ALSO out being a drug dealer and accomplishing nothing, I was working hard to achieve what success I did manage.  While he was living on Welfare and getting high every day, I was deployed overseas to some serious places several times, putting myself in harm's way, to protect his lazy butt.  Needless to say, I don't have a lot of sympathy for his complaints.  I had ambition, he had none.

Go figure.  

Dave


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## Quadmaniac (Sep 18, 2013)

Very well said!


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## DaveNV (Sep 18, 2013)

Quadmaniac said:


> Very well said!



Thanks.  Even though I know his claims aren't true, it seriously grates on me that he'd even have the nerve to think it.  He was the older one - if there were such perks laying around our house, then why didn't HE take advantage of them?  If anything, I think he's jealous of me, so needs to denigrate what I've managed to achieve.  Unfair and untrue, but still annoying as hell.  

Dave


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## Ken555 (Sep 19, 2013)

I think there is a big, big difference between the two examples just posted (which are also sad, and a commentary on our society) and the point of the article itself. The article doesn't refer to criminal behavior or living on the street. It refers to setting high expectations and failing to meet them, which results in depression and unhappiness. The impact of this is pervasive, I see it at my firm and at my clients every day with work performance, and I've spoken to a number of people who fit this description over recent years and believe this article is correct (I've also mentioned it to a few mental health professionals who all agree as well). 

Unlike previous generations, gen x and y will likely not have "better financial" lives than their parents. This impact is only now starting to be felt throughout society, but I believe it has affected politics (not to start a tangent...), entitlement, and perception of the future for many years already.

Ok...I'm going back to work now. Time to be productive! 


Sent from my iPad


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## Quadmaniac (Sep 19, 2013)

Ken555 said:


> I think there is a big, big difference between the two examples just posted (which are also sad, and a commentary on our society) and the point of the article itself. The article doesn't refer to criminal behavior or living on the street. It refers to setting high expectations and failing to meet them, which results in depression and unhappiness.



No the article does not address it directly but it is the same attitude of entitlement without working for it or being prepared to put in the elbow grease to get there. Whether it is our generation or our parents, the common theme is that we all have to work for it to become successful and be able to enjoy the fruits of our labour in the future. Nothing comes without sacrifice. 

Criminal activity occurs by those who are looking for a short cut to get ahead and not being prepared to work at a "regular job" to get there. They want it now!


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## DaveNV (Sep 19, 2013)

Quadmaniac said:


> Criminal activity occurs by those who are looking for a short cut to get ahead and not being prepared to work at a "regular job" to get there. They want it now!



What is the term for that?  Something like "Instant Gratification?"

Dave


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## BocaBum99 (Sep 19, 2013)

am1 said:


> Title IX has forced a lot of colleges to cut mens sports teams.



Yes.  A good example of the impact of Title IX is Cal Berkeley.  They had to cancel their Rugby program the year after they won the national championship due to Title IX.   Rugby takes a lot of players and there isn't a girls equivalent.

There are some sports at Universities where they simply don't have enough girls to field a team.  However, they don't want to cancel the sport because then it would impact the number of boys scholarships they could offer.

The interesting unintended consequence of Title IX is that there are top Universities that have open scholarships available to beginners just to fill out rosters.    One of my friends at USC told me that USC Women's Rowing is a good example.   If you want a full ride to USC and you are a girl, try out for the Rowing team.


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## Ken555 (Sep 19, 2013)

Quadmaniac said:


> No the article does not address it directly but it is the same attitude of entitlement without working for it or being prepared to put in the elbow grease to get there. Whether it is our generation or our parents, the common theme is that we all have to work for it to become successful and be able to enjoy the fruits of our labour in the future. Nothing comes without sacrifice.



No one is disputing this - quite the opposite. However, it still detracts from the point of the article which I found summarizes current issues addressing gen y directly. Expectations vs reality have always been an issue, but it seems apparent that it has never been as prevalent as it is now. The reasons given in the article may be simplistic, but gets the point across well. 


Sent from my iPad


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## Quadmaniac (Sep 19, 2013)

Ken555 said:


> No one is disputing this - quite the opposite. However, it still detracts from the point of the article which I found summarizes current issues addressing gen y directly. Expectations vs reality have always been an issue, but it seems apparent that it has never been as prevalent as it is now. The reasons given in the article may be simplistic, but gets the point across well.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



Yep sure does


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## MOXJO7282 (Sep 19, 2013)

So whose to blame? I'm afraid it us parents who spoiled our kids and did way too much for them as they grew up.

I have two well adjusted, respectful loving kids but they do have a sense of entitlement because even though we were giving the right message and leading by example about working hard we still gave them everything they ever wanted even if they didn't earn it. In some cases not only did we award something without them earning it we awarded bad behavior.  I know we've all done that.


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## bogey21 (Sep 19, 2013)

Wait until this group reaches the age where they are too old to work.  It will be a social disaster as many will not have saved toward retirement.

George


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## M. Henley (Sep 20, 2013)

Bottom line:  They do not subscribe to deferred gratification.


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## amycurl (Sep 21, 2013)

What I try to keep in mind is that everyone is the hero of their own story. No one tells themselves, "I am the bad guy here."

Not saying that there aren't bad guys in scenarios--and they are often easily seen by outside observers--but for that person--they are the hero in their own heads.  

The point about being unwilling to hear negative feedback is huge. Not taking negative feedback constructively means that you're not growing. That can easily derail a working career of whatever stripe. 

And I'd like those who are dissing Title IX to provide links to peer-reviewed research on the outcomes of Title IX to support their arguments, rather than a few stories told through personal prisms.


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## heathpack (Sep 21, 2013)

In the defense of Gen Ys, I work with Gen Y veterinary students on a daily basis.  When I first meet them, I usually ask what they intend to do with their career.  75% of them tell me they want to become specialist of some sort.  In order to do that, they will need to pursue an internship and residency, which is another 4 years after 4 years of vet school.  In some fields residencies are so competitive that only 10-25% of applicants are accepted into programs each year.  There are a number of determining factors into being accepted into a residency, but without excellent grades and a high class rank, the odds are almost nil.  There are some work arounds that add a few years to the process or sometimes a kid will had a freakish bit of good luck and obtain a residency despite mediocre grades. But generally speaking the grades and class rank are your foot in the door to get your application considered.

So when these students state they want to become a specialist, I ask them next if that's realistic, do they have good grades?  I'm shocked sometimes to hear the abysmal GPA or the fact that they failed their neurology course but want to become a neurologist.  When I explain to them the reality of the process, many of them have never heard it before.  All kinds of responsible adults (including their professors in vet school who know the score as well as I do) have encouraged them to want to become a specialist but no one has ever told them about the process and what it takes and how competitive it is.  So the kid has unrealistic expectations but no one has ever explained things to them.  I don't know, I feel bad for them, it seems to me that people who should have been advising (their professors) them based on that student's abilities/inclinations were instead focused on simply encouraging them regardless of reality.  It strikes me that sometimes gen x is maybe not looking out totally for gen y.

Maybe gen y has been advised and simply does not listen.  But the shock is so common and genuine that I think most of them have honestly never heard the facts.

H


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## DaveNV (Sep 21, 2013)

heathpack said:


> Maybe gen y has been advised and simply does not listen.  But the shock is so common and genuine that I think most of them have honestly never heard the facts.
> 
> H



That is an excellent observation, and you're providing them with a reality check they certainly need. I find a similar thing at the hospital where I work. We're a teaching hospital, and I meet a number of the med students and Residents in the course of their time with us. They always seem rushed, tired, and overwhelmed.  Whenever I ask one how they're getting along, and what their plans are, I hear similar things to what you're finding.  Everyone wants to specialize. When I ask them if the experience is what they expected it would be, most reply with something like, "I had no idea it was going to be this hard."  

Those that work the hardest usually achieve something in the range of what they wanted.  Those that don't try as hard seem to quietly disappear from the building at some point. 

As Alan Cole says, "So it goes."

Dave


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## pgnewarkboy (Sep 22, 2013)

First, Gen x, Gen Y, blah blah blah are just MARKETING tools.  The labeling  corporations use to sell stuff.  These corporate labeled generations don't actually exist in reality.  

Every generation faces the same challenges the biggest of which is finding a place in society.  Every generation faces the problems of living in a changing world.  Older, younger, weaker, stronger, the smart ones, the average ones - must deal with the changes wrought by technology, science, scarcity, shrinking world and on and on.

Time to drop these STUPID labels imposed by the world of marketing.  Time to stop looking for these largely superficial and  imaginary differences between generations and people and to start looking at the reality of our similarities.  Calling someone is a Gen X, or a Gen y - is just another way of saying a group of people is SPECIAL - and separating them from everyone else.  Its just not true.  It is BS.


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## siesta (Sep 22, 2013)

pgnewarkboy said:


> First, Gen x, Gen Y, blah blah blah are just MARKETING tools.  The labeling  corporations use to sell stuff.  These corporate labeled generations don't actually exist in reality.
> 
> Every generation faces the same challenges the biggest of which is finding a place in society.  Every generation faces the problems of living in a changing world.  Older, younger, weaker, stronger, the smart ones, the average ones - must deal with the changes wrought by technology, science, scarcity, shrinking world and on and on.
> 
> Time to drop these STUPID labels imposed by the world of marketing.  Time to stop looking for these largely superficial and  imaginary differences between generations and people and to start looking at the reality of our similarities.  Calling someone is a Gen X, or a Gen y - is just another way of saying a group of people is SPECIAL - and separating them from everyone else.  Its just not true.  It is BS.


i dont think anyone was hung up on the labels, its just used to indicated what decade/generation one was born. Rather, what the discussion was about was the difference in levels of happiness between generations, which isconnected to factors such as self-entitlement, expectations, and the reality of the opportunities available. 

You must not have read any of the thread and just posted on a whim.


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## pgnewarkboy (Sep 22, 2013)

siesta said:


> i dont think anyone was hung up on the labels, its just used to indicated what decade/generation one was born. Rather, what the discussion was about was the difference in levels of happiness between generations, which isconnected to factors such as self-entitlement, expectations, and the reality of the opportunities available.
> 
> You must not have read any of the thread and just posted on a whim.



Read it all. No whim. The labels signify something that is untrue - an entire generation feels self entitled, lost, or are hard workers, or heroes, or some other nonsense. What brats -not like us. Labels are good for canned vegetables not people.


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## amycurl (Sep 22, 2013)

pgnewarkboy said:


> Read it all. No whim. The labels signify something that is untrue - an entire generation feels self entitled, lost, or are hard workers, or heroes, or some other nonsense. What brats -not like us. Labels are good for canned vegetables not people.



Actually, sociologists tend to name these generations, to place them in their unique historical and economic context within a given society. Do marketers use them, and data about them? Absolutely. But that doesn't mean that they exist solely as marketing constructs as you've previously stated. And the descriptions that sociologists make about generations, based on research, are generalities, like all such descriptions of phenomena described by social scientists of any stripe. There are always individual, idiosyncratic differences, but those differences don't necessarily undermine the value of the research findings.


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## kwindham (Sep 23, 2013)

pgnewarkboy said:


> Read it all. No whim. The labels signify something that is untrue - an entire generation feels self entitled, lost, or are hard workers, or heroes, or some other nonsense. What brats -not like us. Labels are good for canned vegetables not people.



I will say this, labels or not, my children are definitely much different and grew up in a seemingly different world than what I did.  And I had my boys at a relatively young age, 20 and 23.  This world is changing faster than we can blink our eyes.  I don't consider myself old (37) but I am constantly having to ask "what does that mean?" to one or the other of the boys.  And yes, they totally have a different mindset than I did at their ages, the oldest more so than the younger one.  So while I am not sure of what the pc term would be to call it is, there are huge differences.


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## BocaBum99 (Sep 23, 2013)

amycurl said:


> Actually, sociologists tend to name these generations, to place them in their unique historical and economic context within a given society. Do marketers use them, and data about them? Absolutely. But that doesn't mean that they exist solely as marketing constructs as you've previously stated. And the descriptions that sociologists make about generations, based on research, are generalities, like all such descriptions of phenomena described by social scientists of any stripe. There are always individual, idiosyncratic differences, but those differences don't necessarily undermine the value of the research findings.



excellent answer!   I wish there were up and down votes.  +1 for you.


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## Janette (Sep 23, 2013)

Values! Recognizing beauty. Ability to know how to spend time without being entertained. Appreciation of the worth of a human being. I was fortunate to be an educator and have the same hours as my children, and I know it is hard when both parents work. It is still the responsibility of the home to teach theses things and I know from experience that it is easier to let the kids watch tv, use technology and be entertained rather than spending quality time showing them how to be successful.


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## geekette (Sep 23, 2013)

heathpack said:


> When I explain to them the reality of the process, many of them have never heard it before.  All kinds of responsible adults (including their professors in vet school who know the score as well as I do) have encouraged them to want to become a specialist but no one has ever told them about the process and what it takes and how competitive it is.  So the kid has unrealistic expectations but no one has ever explained things to them.  I don't know, I feel bad for them, it seems to me that *people who should have been advising* (their professors) them based on that student's abilities/inclinations were instead focused on simply encouraging them regardless of reality.  It strikes me that sometimes gen x is maybe not looking out totally for gen y.
> 
> Maybe gen y has been advised and simply does not listen.  But the shock is so common and genuine that I think most of them have honestly never heard the facts.
> 
> H



Bad Advisors are not unique to this group.  I had bad to nonexistent "guidance counsellors" who simply wanted to push me into what THEY LIKED (quickly dropped an anthropology course that A Counsellor decided I should have but held zero appeal to me, I picked up the science that I was interested in vs filling a slot in a low enrollment course).  Do Not Assume they have the student's best interests in mind.

HS "counsellors" were a joke; and I think counsellors have zero clue how to deal with someone like me, that had no idea what they wanted to be, so decided For Me what I should do or spout vague "College Prep" horse hockey to try to get me out of their office.  bullcrap on that, luckily I knew to reject their "advice" and forge my own path.  Not one of them ever advised me towards the path I eventually took.  

Absolutely better to talk to someone Working In That Field to get the straight scoop.


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## pgnewarkboy (Sep 23, 2013)

http://m.theage.com.au/federal-poli...ts-before-libelling-gen-y-20110309-1bnxz.html


amycurl said:


> Actually, sociologists tend to name these generations, to place them in their unique historical and economic context within a given society. Do marketers use them, and data about them? Absolutely. But that doesn't mean that they exist solely as marketing constructs as you've previously stated. And the descriptions that sociologists make about generations, based on research, are generalities, like all such descriptions of phenomena described by social scientists of any stripe. There are always individual, idiosyncratic differences, but those differences don't necessarily undermine the value of the research findings.



Sorry,  gen x,  and geny , were not created by sociologists as standard sociological categories.  They are several of many media labels bandied about as labels.   It would take years of research and consensus in the sociologists community before any term or categorisation becomes accepted as valid.   Read the article in in this link written by a sociologist about the article thatsstarted this discussion.  He specifically warns of the dangers of labeling.


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## geekette (Sep 24, 2013)

pgnewarkboy said:


> http://m.theage.com.au/federal-poli...ts-before-libelling-gen-y-20110309-1bnxz.html
> 
> Sorry,  gen x,  and geny , were not created by sociologists as standard sociological categories.  They are several of many media labels bandied about as labels.   It would take years of research and consensus in the sociologists community before any term or categorisation becomes accepted as valid.   Read the article in in this link written by a sociologist about the article thatsstarted this discussion.  He specifically warns of the dangers of labeling.



Like calling me A Slacker.  grrrr


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## BocaBum99 (Sep 24, 2013)

pgnewarkboy said:


> Read it all. No whim. The labels signify something that is untrue - an entire generation feels self entitled, lost, or are hard workers, or heroes, or some other nonsense. What brats -not like us. Labels are good for canned vegetables not people.



Labels are sometimes helpful and sometimes not.   They are intended to give a general picture of an era, not the specifics of every individual who participated in the era.

The Magic Johnson - Larry Bird era in the NBA or the Michael Jordan years are good examples.   Certainly more was happening in the NBA than the games these 3 players played, but these 3 players defined their eras.   

We have the Baby Boomers and the Greatest Generation.   These depict populations of people and their general characteristics relative to other sized populations.   To deny their existence would be missing a very important characteristic of the time in which these people lived.    It would make history extremely boring.


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