Heather Fuhrman Dr.

Gayle Intro to Academic Discourse Paper #1 In Christine Zhaos article she says, Your generation is often used condescendingly, as a way of scoffing at the naivety and many problems of Generation [Y ](Zhao) Generation Y, also known as the millennials has a hard time getting a high paying job due to the stereotypes that have been placed on it. Generation Y has been stereotypes as lazy, selfcentered, and disloyal. With these qualities tied to the generation it is hard to find a job that will support a healthy lifestyle. The media has made many articles about this generation using the stereotypes as a weapon against them, using headlines such as Generation Y Bother. There is even a book about Generation Y titled The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future.(Osbourne) As with everything, there is some truth to these stereotypes, but they shouldnt be placed on everyone . Generation Y isnt the only generation with stereotypes placed on them. This happens with every generation. The Baby Boomers are known as hardworking and serious and financially responsible. This is because they were born after the Great Depression and had to work to get by. Generation X is seen as self-absorbed but still hardworking and financially responsible. They were brought up by Baby Boomers and the ideals carried through to this generation. But it seems that when the youngest of the Baby Boomers and when Generation X

starting having babies they wanted to change the way they raised their children. They decided to become more present in the childrens lives and basically over-protective. So when Generation Y was raised they were taught that anything was possible and you could be whatever you wanted, and that its okay to fail because there is a family to support them.(Settle) This background is important especially in the aspect of being lazy. Its stereotyped that Generation Y will just quit their job if they dont like it or if they want something they expect it handed to them. Some people believe that Generation Y expects to have the life their parents gave to them, or better without working as hard as their parents worked to give them the life they had.(Settle) The stereotypes include a millennial having an apartment that was paid for by a parent. This can make employers think that a millennial doesnt need a high paying job because they dont have real world bills, like rent. This stereotype branches out and says that if they dont live in an apartment paid for by their parents that they live at home into an older age than what is considered acceptable. Generation Y is known to be informal, with the way they speak and dress.(Osbourne) Employers in a high class community will want a formal employee, and if they think a millennial is too informal due to this stereotype they make look for an employee from a different age group. Some people believe that Generation Y wastes their time trying to find their passion.(Drake) In different ways like taking a year off before going to college, or waiting to find jobs because they want to find one that they will enjoy. This is seen as being lazy. Employers believe that if a millennial gets the job and its not something that they want to do that they wont do well. Ben Drake says in his article that if

they arent passionate about it that they will be late, or produce something that isnt that great, that they could do better but they dont want to. Along with not wanting to do the work, most people believe that milennials dont want to work as many hours as required. Because of this millenials dont want to work harder for a promise of a promotion in a year or two but are more likely to respond to being told that to get the paycheck at the end of the week they are expected to do so much work. With the Baby Boomers who believed in investing time in work to get ahead, this is what an employer expects. But Generation Y seems to see time as valuable and not to be wasted at work. A common excuse Generation Yers use is that Bill Gates became rich and he didnt even go to college. He says that they dont understand that he didnt just become rich, that he actually worked to make his fortune.(Drake) The trait of being self-centered is one that has been placed on Generation Y. This can be true in some cases. But being self-centered in the work place might not be all that bad. This can cause dedication to completing the task at hand. But some see this as a millennial just using the job as something to do between weekends, and not trying their best or trying to move up in the job. The employers see this as the employee taking on the task and working on it until the employee feels they are done, without trying to improve on it where they can. They believe that they have to motivate their employees with something they will want to do or they wont get the best result out of them. If an employer thinks they are going to have to motivate someone for them to get their job done they are going to be less likely to hire them.(Marston) As another part of being self-centered employers believe that millenials

arent okay with hearing no. This belief is from the stereotype that their parents want to be more of friends with their children and want to be less strict. So when the millennial gets to a job they dont expect to have their ideas turned down or be told that they cant do what they want when they want to.(Settle) The stereotype of being disloyal has to be the one that really hurts Generation Ys chances of getting a job. The stereotype includes having no respect for authority. When starting a job you normally start from the bottom, with many people above you and with that in mind a lack of respect for authority is horrible, there are many people the employee will have to answer to. But it has been proven that when in a job a millennial is very loyal to their bosses. Millenials can be very loyal in the workplace, but this is usually only when they are close with the person they are answering to. This also comes from having parents who act like friends. But so many people believe that Generation Y is quick to quit, so if a boss believes they will not be close with the employee they believe that they will quit very easily.(Marston) These stereotypes are caused by some truth but in most cases dont apply to a large amount of the generation. The way they were raised is one of the main causes of these stereotypes. Their parents like to be more of a friend than an authority figure. The generation is called lazy, and seen as having no work ethic. They are also seen as self-centered and picky as to the type of work that they will actually work hard on. The last stereotype is being disloyal, or only having loyalty to a boss who will act as a friend. These stereotypes ruin the first impression an employer will have of someone of this generation trying to find a job to

support them. The generation has to work hard to push through the stereotypes they have been raised into.

Work Cited Drake, Ben. "Why The Old Guy Is Right About Gen Y." Brazen Life. Disqus, 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. Kane, Sally. "Generation Y." About.com Legal Careers. N.p., 2013. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. Marston, Cam. "Myths About Millennials." About.com Human Resources. N.p., 2013. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. Osbourne, Jeff. "Bad Reputation: Exploring Millennial Stereotypes - Wetfeet." Wetfeet. N.p., 18 Sept. 2011. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. Settle, Elizabeth. "How You Can Overcome the Gen Y Stereotype." Ragan.com. Ragan Communications, 21 May 2013. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. Zhao, Christine. "Opinion: The Top 10 Stereotypes of Generation Y." The Gavel. Gavel Media Inc., 14 Aug. 2013. Web. 18 Sept. 2013.