By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
pearljammer on 09 February 2010
Edit Thread
mrstickball said:

I know where I live, the hourly wages for manual labor jobs is incredible. Plumbers, carpenters, construction workers, electricians, ect make $20-$40 an hour with only 6 months of trade school experience. Comparatively, I know college graduates that don't make that much because they chose crappy degrees in things that they wanted, not what the world needed.

As an educator, comments like these makes me sad. So very sad.

On-topic: I don't think that's true at all. The same thing, I'm sure, is said generation after generation. Sure, in many facets of life, it's true and is measurable (obesiety, etc). However, that is to be expected as technology progressively makes life easier. Claiming that they are any less hard-working, though, is ridiculous without any actual data. Does productivity drop in companies whose workforce is primarily from Generation Y when compared to similar companies predominantly consisting of workers from Generation X?

If not, I'd remain skeptical. And this is besides the point that the workforce has changed dramatically in the last 30+ years. Simply because one does not work hard, physical labour does not mean that they aren't working hard. Many different types of stresses come from all types of jobs. I wouldn't even begin to try and compare which one is 'harder'.

To me, this is analogous to saying generation X is stupid because such a low percentage of them went to college. This, of course, is absurd and completely untrue. They didn't because in many situations, it was financially viable nor was it seen as imperative. Today, however, many of us witnessed the hardships our parents had to endure (so that we wouldn't) and simply wish to follow a different route... then we get called lazy for it...

I, like Montana, get a bit worked up about this too. I teach these so-called lazy Generation Y kids everyday. From my experience, they seem just as driven as my parents' generation, only in different directions. Hell, many of my co-workers, who have been teaching 25+ years, say the same thing.