We've all been there. Helping our parents turn the channel to HDMI, teaching our neighbor how to work Netflix, or helping out great aunt figure out how to configure FaceTime. Some of us immediately know what to do when out computer gets a virus, computer lagging that causes us to do a Restart, and even the difference between Windows and Mac systems. The flip side to this is younger adults not having much experience in a career, but being discriminated against because of lack of experience within a certain field of study.
Age discrimination in the workplace is a lot more common than you think. It is a connotation that "old people aren't able to catch up with young people" but in fact many younger adult suffer from ageism, especially in corporate America. A lot of managers and people in higher positions tend to turn away from "younger applicants" because of lack experience. Twenty years ago, the push for higher education wasn't nearly as prevalent as it is now. The managers that started during that time either networked or worked their way up, but rarely had a degree in the field. As the job market became competitive, the requirement for college degrees were on the rise. Since then, it's been a challenge for younger adults to even get their foot in the door. Once apart of the workplace, many of them experience ageism from older employees because:
They are "lazy"
They are always on their phone.
They never want to learn.
The truth is, everyone has different learning styles, and we live in a world where technology is at our fingertips and many young adults have taken advantage of it and it shows through their work ethics. There is a disconnect between young adult and middle to older aged adults. It is often expressed that older applicants/ employees face issues, but it is just as common with young adults.
How can we change this disconnect?
