Are millennials actually lazier than previous generations?

1. 80

   M. T. Dremerposted 7 years ago

   Are millennials actually lazier than previous generations?
   
   Or is the previous generation just being curmudgeonly?

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2. 69

   Michaela Osieckiposted 7 years ago

   The previous generations and the baby boomers especially had it a lot easier - the economy was stable, wages were high, tuition costs were ridiculously low, etc. There were jobs for everyone and you didn't need a BA to get an entry level job.
   
   Us 'snake people' are definitely not lazy. We have to work twice as hard to land a good paying job, padding our resumes with volunteer experience and a handful of powerful networking references, because job experience in the field just isn't enough anymore. We pay/borrow tens of thousands of dollars so we can go to school to apply for that entry level job we need that fancy resume for and how much does that job even pay? Usually just above minimum wage.
   
   Not enough to survive. Barely enough to make rent in the suburbs, which is too far from all the good jobs. Not enough to afford car insurance, especially if you're under 25 and a "liability" - a card that never seems to be pulled on the aging population who really DO have troubles following the rules of the road.
   
   Society is collapsing, the political sphere is in utter chaos, we're under a mountain of debt working for low wages - isn't it only natural that some of us would turn to a coping mechanism or find ourselves crippled by some form of mental illness or another? And that is when we're suddenly labeled "lazy" because we decided to actually try and take care of ourselves.

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3. 87

   MizBejabbersposted 7 years ago

   There are really two sides to this question. To a certain extent I have to agree with the millennial who provided the first answer, but then she doesn't know the whole story of the boomers and the children of WWII. First, I have two grandchildren who are working their way through college, one as a hostess at a popular barbecue restaurant and the other as a busboy at the same restaurant. My busboy will get his associates degree this spring and plans to join the Navy on some kind of plan that Uncle Sam will finish his degree (financially). My hostess is taking it slow and easy and has married and is expecting her first child at 25, but is planning to graduate with online classes. My point is, both are using some creative financing ideas to finish their degrees.
   Tuition was not "ridiculously low" in my day. Instead, tuition is "ridiculously high" today. There is no reason for the price to keep going up, up, up and away. My tuition was $200 a semester, however, the government did not require students to be paid minimum wage, so I was paid 50 cents an hour, exactly 1/2 of minimum wage. Millennial college students are demanding $15 per hour today, and she says "wages were high then, huh!]. I thought my boyfriend was rich because he made minimum wage at a printing shop.
   Students weren't allowed to wear jeans, shorts or tee shirts, nor could girls wear pants of any kind, so we had to pay more for our clothes for school instead of showing up in a pair of $2.98 Levis. I got fired from my (50 cent an hour) job at a fast food joint because I was in the college choir and we went on a two-week tour during spring break. Fortunately the college let me work off the rest of my tuition not covered by my scholarship at the same "generous" salary. However, that meant that I didn't have any money for personal use or to buy books or clothing.
   Jobs for young women graduates were limited. Our choices were limited to a teacher, nurse, librarian, secretary or store clerk. One brilliant woman was hired by NASA, but she was the exception. Starting salary for a teacher was about $3500 or less in my state, and secretaries started at minimum wage $1.00 an hour. Most women wanting to become secretaries truncated their training to secretarial schools instead of college. My mother and her sister were exceptions and got associate degrees.
   I don't think the millennials are lazy, but I think they watch too many episodes of Happy Days.

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4. 94

   Faceless39posted 7 years ago

   I feel like the advent of the Internet has allowed for a much easier access to information. Instead of running around in the rat race, many now opt to work from home and/or become entrepreneurs. I wouldn't call that lazy exactly, but more awakened.

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      Highvoltagewriterposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Nothing easy about running a business from home. But I do see the kids of the upcoming generation not having a very good work ethic. Which is not good in this economy.

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