Having experienced the devastation of the Great Recession, millennials are au fait with the value of job security. Worried for our futures, our parents urged us to excel in every academia and be sensible when making career choices, which meant choosing a college concentration that will land a job right after graduation with a nice salary. Having stressfully excelled in every subject, some millennials are left unable to distinguish which one of those exhaustive nights studying was spent on a subject they truly enjoyed. The pressure they faced blurred their school years—a time that should have been spent on discovering personal interests and getting a glimpse of independence. They become overachievers with no sense of purpose or goal.
Millennials are dependent on their parents until a much older age than previous generations, because education is crucial for success now more than ever. With the skyrocketing cost of higher education, the idea of a student paying for his or her tuition with a part-time job has declined to fiction. Students have difficulty choosing their majors because they are unsure of their interests and concerned with whether the major will lead to a stable salary. Those whose interests align with a subject with high-earning potentials have the envy of those struggling to enjoy their majors that were chosen only for the job prospects.
Our generation values individualism, creativity, and meaningful work. In this culture of nonconformity, being unique and pursuing our passion is the ideal. It becomes a paradox to pursue individuality while seeking stability; we want to be different, but are we not the same when we go into a field only for the reason that a lot of money can be made? The juxtaposed value of “unique stability” of contemporary students can breed overachievers who ambitiously move forward with creative ideas as well as dilettantes who are interested in an array of subjects but cannot decide which to settle on.
When I was little, I loved drawing and painting. I wanted to be an artist, but that dream was quickly discarded when my parents told me that most artists struggle to earn a stable income. Throughout most of high school, I wanted to be a doctor because I was enticed by the career’s six-figure potential. In the last year of high school, I applied to colleges with my mind set on business. Now, as a dilettante, I’m a business student with some artwork and some laboratory research experience but an amateur in all three focuses.
Older adults often mention how most people go through career changes and to not stress over what major to choose. However, millennials are entering a job market that has poor potentials and fierce competition. It is advantageous to have a pre-planned career path to obtain the relevant coursework and experience needed without wasting money on unrelated classes. Troubled with funding their education, finding their passion, and contemplating earning potentials, dilettantes feel like they’re moving in circles—directionless and lost yet sheltered at the same time.
Not all millennials are dilettantes. When one has their interests figured out and their career paths planned, he or she becomes a bright innovator. Start-ups are founded, technology is advanced, and scientific discoveries are made by millennials, making the generation known for its creativity and innovation. However, a group is often forgotten in this fast-paced race. Dilettantes are still trying to find themselves. They feel detached as their peers move ahead but retain the hope that one of their many endeavors will transform into a passion and that the passion can lead to a prosperous future.