10 Myths About Young Professionals That Need To Stop

Young pros are smart and connected. Thanks to IBM, there's plenty more information on millennials in the workplace.

1. They just work to live.

Thinkstock / Jake Russel Tapleshay

A common misconception about twentysomethings is that their jobs are just jobs to them, and therefore they make unreliable employees. In reality, they're staying put in their early-career jobs longer than Gen Xers did.

2. They're all single.

Buzzfeed

Although they get married later in their 20s than they used to, the average age men get married is 29, and for women it's 26.6. That means that twentysomethings are often still starting to build their families before their 30s!

3. They don't respect their parents.

Tyler Naugle / BuzzFeed

In fact, this couldn't be further from the truth. 61% of millennials list their parents as their biggest influence when it comes to views on politics and social issues. Compare that to only 19% for public leaders and 12% for media figures.

4. They're all selfish and don't give back.

Buzzfeed

87% of employed millennials donated to a nonprofit in 2013. That's a ton!

5. They don't care about work ethic; they just want to be famous.

Via intermezzo.typepad.com

False! In fact, only 1% of them named "becoming famous" as a priority for themselves.

6. They don't value family.

Via gifbay.com

On the contrary, 50% of millennials say living near their family is very important to them.

7. They rarely have insurance, unless they're still on their parents'.

Via challenger23.com

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, the uninsured rate among 19–25-year-olds fell by 40% by the beginning of 2014.

8. They're not willing to do the work to get ahead.

Via gifbay.com

Definitely not true. Right now, 15% of twentysomethings are in managerial positions, and 60% recognize their current position as a steppingstone to something greater.

9. They only care about salary and don't care about benefits or job security.

Faye Kahn / BuzzFeed

Actually, 63% of millennials say that benefits are an important reason to stay with an employer! Many millennials value a stable job.

10. They're not quite ready to really enter the workplace.

Buzzfeed

Definitely false. In fact, these young pros are the most educated group in history, with 23% having a bachelor's degree or higher.

There's a new way to work, and it's made with IBM.

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