Gen Z’rs. Wow, just Wow….
Yahoo news just painted a bleak picture about our newest line of workers fresh out of college. The article made me cringe, pause, think about it, then give a good laugh! The poorly educated, wide eyes to the future, short list of hopefuls, just got shorter. Yes, cell phones are to blame. So are participation trophies, and a sadly ran indoctrination…. sorry (not sorry) excuse for education. The lack of face-to-face interaction is prevalent and so is work dress code (of lack on their part), communication skills (or lacking again). Most don’t want to show up by 7 am (neither do I, but I want a paycheck). Two parts that I can’t relate to are rent (I own my home) and having an auto (electric doesn’t count its merely transportation). My 3 vehicles are paid off, my “newest” ride is a 2004 and the oldest is a 1986. I can do most repairs myself, and if I “miss a payment”, that means something didn’t get fixed.
With all that being stated, let’s dive into some of the root issues (most articles you read won’t do this).
Let’s discuss gen Z. WTF are these kids thinking? (No, I didn’t write this to make them feel better), although this writing may slightly “unintentionally” hurt their feelings. First off, we can’t put the blame upon their shoulders only. The parents, social media, schools, politics and a poor attitude from society in general mark the main culprits on that list of finger pointing. Where are their parents? Um, working, I hope. Some parents live off the taxpayer (people who are working), and that explains their lack of ethics. As a parent, your main focus should be raising your child to be proficient in a society that shares a common goal or ideology (America used to have that). This ain’t no fast food slogan, we are all in this country together. If you don’t like this country, find one you do and move! So simple! Have it your way.
Social media, a long 4 letter word. Introducing people to social media was supposed to be a good thing when first concepted. So where did things go woefully wrong? Well, the short answer, news outlets use it for their “research” and the story goes to s#!t since no one has any real idea of what is truly happening since nobody dared to visit the actual event to find out “firsthand” what really happened! It’s kind of like a round of “telephone” once it gets back to the public, it is unrecognizable from its true origins (even though no one really knows what actually happened, if anything). Social media is best suited for people who can’t visit with friends, either because of distance, or work schedules (don’t just sit on FB and get all your life’s “realities” and news from there).
Cell phones (insert dramatic music). We all have learned to live with phones, but why on earth do we need to be in constant contact with it? If I’m busy doing something, I don’t care who calls, I’ll call back when I can! Once upon a time we could go on vacation, not be heard from for 3 weeks, and nobody thought much about it. Now, omg, if you don’t answer on the second ring all hell breaks loose and the person not answering has probably been abducted by aliens (extraterrestrial or border jumpers). Being attached to “the cord” (some of you know) wasn’t all that fun, BUT, if you didn’t answer, most callers assumed you were actually out doing something and tried calling back later (not in 5 seconds, more like the next day).
Trophies for everything? Back in my day (old man raspy voice), if you couldn’t run, jump or swim fast, you didn’t get on the team and you damn sure didn’t get rewarded for it! So, take the sideline, add in some boo hoo, and practice until you can get on the team. If you suck at something, practice and learn more about it if it means that much to you!
I will keep this brief (I promise). School systems. These indoctrination camps are turning even the soundest minds into blobs of useless goo. The scores have been lowered to make them look “smarter”, the courses have been dumbed down and practical hands-on classes have been removed to make sure these bright hopefuls are unable to take care of themselves and thus require assistance from the gub ment to provide for them. Once this aspiring group of able bodies are shoved though the “system” their delicate minds have been manipulated to envision a future that is bleak and dismal even to the most enthusiastic among them.
What about “hanging out” with friends? Is that even an option anymore? We all have jobs to do (but is it a life), that take up most of our time. What ever happened to getting together to enjoy an evening out? We are so caught up in “the next paycheck” that we seldom slow down to enjoy the life around us. Why is it that there are always “bills to pay” and no time to spend with loved ones? Are we so dependent on the bank that we can no longer “make it” with having the bare necessities? Maslow had a theory that is not being followed today. So many get caught up in wanting more, that the second and third tier are skipped to gain the top tiers that cannot be sustained once there. Face to face interaction is primal to the survival of a species, and we are failing miserably at that.
Well, we have reached the tipping point. How to dress in the workplace. Most can agree we prefer someone who is dressed nicely and has good presentation, not to mention verbal skills that reflect those around them and not just central to the person speaking. Communication is vital to the conveyance of ideas and interactions on a daily basis. Those who lack speaking skills and cannot communicate without emojis find it hard to interact with real people. Thus, finding work has been difficult for those (not just some) who are covered in tattoos and metal stuck everywhere. I don’t mean having ink or earrings, I’m talking about those who have so much it is distracting to speak to them because you are constantly thinking “why or what is the purpose for this”. If you feel the need to express yourself that way, don’t apply for a job serving the public and wonder why you can’t find steady work. If this is the case, your best option is to start your own business and enjoy the “fruits of your own labor”.
In conclusion to this all over the map rant, I have a hopeful outlook on these up and commers. In the near future, we will see a shift in the societal norms that look more like anarchy to some but may have a familiar outcome (think roaring 20’s). If you read that article, change some of the words to reflect current society and you will see that “History can repeat itself” and we didn’t even realize it.
