A tech entrepreneur named Jason Calacanis has written an interesting piece directed at today’s 20-something hyper-entitlement generation. Well worth a read!
Here’s a snippet:
Many millennials not only don’t want jobs, they simply don’t deserve them. They can’t take even a tiny amount of criticism and they need constant adulation for amazing efforts like, ummmm, showing up for work.
A frequent refrain I hear from these folks is, “I’ve been working here for almost six months and you haven’t recognized the work I’ve put in!” Of course my reaction to this is “Oh, I’m sorry, please tell me what you’ve accomplished.”
That is usually a short conversation which includes that the person came in and worked for the hours in which they were paid to work. In other words, they want the participation trophy. They want credit for coming to work for the hours they’ve been paid. That’s not how it works in my mind, but I decided to relent.
Related: Speaking of the entitlement generation, it turns out that Kai Nagata hasn’t yet found an employer who appreciates him. Reading through his latest blog posting, it’s revealed that he still hates conservatives and is actively doing his part to destroy the Alberta oil industry. But he’s looking for you to pay for his lifestyle. Perhaps he can get the Alberta government to support him?!
Is anyone really surprised by this? For the past couple of decades, young people have been told, over and over again, that they are “special” and every little effort they put in is deserving of the most effusive praise. They’ve never received any kind of negative feedback because it might lower their self-esteem.
My husband hired a young woman straight out of university as his assistant. When he pointed out that her first memo to him was riddled with grammar and spelling mistakes, her reply was, “Well, that’s just your opinion”.
The last I heard, she was working at the food court of our local mall.