Gen Y: Lean, mean and unclean?

As someone who has frequent doings with the so-called ‘Generation Y’ I would like to add my thoughts to the on-going debate about these kind of university students. I have heard everything from ‘one mile long, one inch deep’ to the opposite view which suggests that the older group making the statements are out of touch. Here’s what I think:

Gen Y people grew up with computers

In my day *coughs* I went to a school where I didn’t see a computer until I hit grade 6 (I think). The computer was a commodore 64 with the standard tape player. Wow, I hear you say. Now, there was only a handful who did IT in my senior year. Compare that with my 6 year old who has been using a computer since she was two. Technology is a way of life for her whilst it really wasn’t for me or my (30 something) companions.

Gen Y has the benefit of loads of information

When I was doing high school projects with had the library and the regular old-fashioned encyclopedia. That was it. Now, compare that with the vast amount of information that’s available today. Wikipedia has gained cult status for example. Why is this? Who knows?

Gen Y know how to ’sift’

Sifting is when we sort bits of information and determine relevance based on what we think is useful and what is not. When I was doing an assignment on Hitler in Grade 10 I found that I didn’t have to do much sifting. There wasn’t a Google search engine to distract me… only copious amounts of television. Gen Y have had to learn how to sift, scan and assimilate unrelated bits of information into relevant ‘packets’. This is because of the technology of the web and many things which I won’t go into here. This ability to sift needs to be switched off at University where we force our victims students to sit through boring long winded lectures. Imagine your whole life being exposed to ‘packets’ of information then being told, ‘no wait focus on this one thing for two hours… oh and it’s not a movie.’ You can’t have one and then expect the other.

Gen Y grew up with a ‘disposable’ society

Most Gen Y’ers grew up in a society with two predominant attitudes. If it feels good ‘do it’ and ‘if it doesn’t work throw it away’. My generation was different. I kept hearing, ‘if you want to make it you have to work hard.’ What a horrible lie that was. I work as hard as the next bloke and most people are doing better than me! These ‘disposable’ universal relativist values were based on to the Gen Yers by a societal structure that created them.

Gen Y are not lean mean and unclean: They are the result of what we made them

People are like mushrooms. Why? Because most of them are fed on crap and kept in the dark (hat tip to Mum for that one). Most common knowledge is rubbish and nothing more than fodder for the next generation to stomp on. Of course as we get older we like to place the blame for the shortcomings of any generation on them but who were their mentors?

I see a lot of Gen Y people on a regular basis and personally I think this article from news.com.au says it best: they learn fast but can be a little intolerable at times. Surely, this current rhetoric has to end with positive steps towards the future?

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