Millennials Are Misunderstood And Undervalued

And that's a shame.

It’s become vogue and common to generalize the Millennial generation, labeling them all as having certain deficiencies in things like small talk, cooking, balancing a checkbook, and/or writing resumes. If this is the case, it’s not exclusively because of any deficiency; it could be because of the changing times.

But I have other responses to some misled claims about Millennials.

Millennials do work hard.

Via giphy.com

Remember that the founders of Facebook, Lyft, Airbnb, Spotify, Pinterest and Groupon are all Millennials. They not only have entrepreneurial spirit, but they work in meaningful arenas, such as nonprofit or charity organizations.

In 2025, when 75 percent of the workforce is made up of Millennials, the marriage of purpose and the focus on the use of technology to improve efficiency will be unleashed in full force, and what writers will be writing about is perhaps the greatest generation in the history of the world for the economy.

Millennials aren’t the only ones who couldn’t adult yet.

Via giphy.com

I think the data out there assumes that Millennials should know how to cook, balance a checkbook, and network already, when other generations didn’t have these skills until later, either. When I was 25, I couldn’t cook (not much better now either); my resume was hideous; l struggled with my checkbook; I was not great at interviewing; and I was socially awkward. I had to learn as I grew up the skills needed for success, but again, that didn’t happen until later.

Millennials do care about relationships.

Via giphy.com

Whether it's with their pets, smaller and more close knit groups of friends, family, or relationships in general, Millennials care, and they believe in genuine connection. They just develop relationships differently than we did and use technology as a driving force in building them. And that’s okay. A lot of the reason Millennials struggle with small talk is because they value meaningful interactions and experiences over casual, short-lived correspondences.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Every generation has their flaws, but it’s important that we all realize the ways we are similar and different (and how that can be a good thing). Meaning, we all have something to offer the other generations. We should respect Millennials, instead of devaluing them. After all, they’ll be taking care of us, this nation, and this world in the years to come.