Excerpt:
In recent years, a growing number of 30-, 40-, and 50-something authors have written books detailing how, exactly, my traits will transform your workplace. They've read the research, talked to some token teens, and branded their findings with sensational titles, such as The Trophy Kids Grow Up: How the Millennial Generation Is Shaking Up the Workplace, and Generation Me: Why Today's Young American's Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before. By and large, these books are long, boring and peppered with irritating half-truths. In Trophy Kids, for example, there's a whole page dedicated to deciphering text-message lingo, replete with acronyms like "CRBT" (crying really big tears) and "FOMC" (falling off my chair)--none of which I have ever sent, received, or heard anyone say. And in Generation Me, Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D., posits that the 1994 movie Clerks is "a pretty accurate illustration of how young people talk, with about two swear words in every line." Gimme a f***ing break.
At my editor's request, however, I set aside my preconditions--which, according to Twenge, is a very un-millennial-like thing to do--and prodded through four of these so-called "youth culture" guides, hoping to discover something new about my peers (and maybe even myself). Here's what I learned:
At my editor's request, however, I set aside my preconditions--which, according to Twenge, is a very un-millennial-like thing to do--and prodded through four of these so-called "youth culture" guides, hoping to discover something new about my peers (and maybe even myself). Here's what I learned:
Click to read the rest of A Millennial's Guide to Millennial Guides (Fast Company blog)
Comments