Dear Generation Y,

First of all I am going to say that this, like most things, does not apply to all of you. It may not even apply to the vast majority of you, but, Generation Y, you need to pull yourselves together.

I am a teacher and I love teaching. When one is a teacher one must make rules in the classroom. I have a major rule that I make my students follow in every class. The words “it’s not fair” shalt not be uttered in my presence. Want to know why? Because LIFE IS NOT FAIR. Period. It never has been and it never will be. I can’t emphasize that enough.

Where did your sense of entitlement come from? What happened to your work ethic? There has been a rapid decline from generation to generation and now it has gone too far.

One of the problems is that you were raised to believe all your dreams would come true. Your parents told you that you could have what you wanted and when you wanted it and provided too much for you. “Fair” was something you learned from the two people (or one or three or four) who are supposed to guide you through the early part of your life. They taught you to raise the bar for yourselves and that you would, in fact, one day reach that bar. They were coming from a place of love but also from a place where they found that all their hopes and dreams came true. The generation that they came from was a generation that trickled down from post WWII era and the “Americana” ideals of that time.

Your parents set a bar from themselves and not only reached it, but went beyond the bar and found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Fuck yeah!! Now they think “Hell, if we did it, our kids can do it too!” Sorry to put a damper on these plans, but I am afraid the economy had other plans for you. As the country declines, so shalt you. Time to stop chasing unicorns, time to grow up and make your way in the world as best you can. Its what we do, all of us. It’s what we have to do to get through and pay bills. Where did this lazy attitude come from, Generation Y? Your parents are doing and have done you a disservice. They were and are enablers.

So, you are a generation of dreamers. Not a completely bad thing, but a completely unrealistic thing. I think we should all have hopes and dreams and should do what we can to make them come true no matter what generation we come from. The thing is, folks, you have to muck through some crap to get to where you want to go. Generation Y, you have a hard time grasping this concept.

Observations I have made about Generation Y:

1. Technology rules their lives.

2. If a job is stifling them in any way, they quit and move back home (same to be said for seeking higher education)

3. See number 1

Number 1 on the list above is a no brain-er. I was at a party recently where one of the party goers, a good friend of mine, was texting the entire time and didn’t stop to enjoy the party. I was in the same room as my friend (a Gen Y-er) and I was actually missing their company WE WERE IN THE SAME ROOM TOGETHER.

Lets talk about number 2, shall we?

I have seen this. I happen to have younger friends because I went to college later and I feel for them, I really do. The job dilemma. Yes, the thought of taking a shit job or a “for now” job. You don’t want to, I know. The job is not ideal or even if it is close to ideal you still don’t want it. What are you to do? You need money to keep up with your technology habits and you are finally starting to feel the pressure of always asking your parents to help you out. You sigh and take the job. Some of you hold on and good on you! You muck through it but keep working toward your real goal in life! Power to you! You are growing!! It sucks but, go, go, go!!

Some of you, and shame on you, quit at the drop of a hat. You are the ones I shake my head at, but I also shake my head at your parents or whoever may be the enabler in this situation. You obviously don’t HAVE to muck through. You obviously believe that everything in life SHOULD be fair. You are going to keep chasing the unicorn until you find it, catch it and make it worth your precious time. Where is your work ethic? You, my friends, are in a state of arrested development.

Its time for you to grow and set realistic goals. Key word REALISTIC. On the road of life, you will want all roads to be smooth and lead downhill. Sometimes you have to take the bumpy roads that lead uphill in order to reach the smooth roads. Don’t shrug things off so easily just because it is not what you envisioned for your life. Those visions may take more time, in fact, they will. Gratification of the instant variety is not a part of growing up and getting what you want.

You can’t always get what you want, in fact, nine times out of ten you probably wont. Make your own path and cut out the enablers. Remember that sometimes life really isn’t fair and it was never written in stone that it would be. Generation Y, make the next generation and future a better place for us all, sans the unicorns.

What advice would you give to Generation Y? Comment below! Check back Friday for Skippy’s advice.