I as born in 1982, which means I am 34 years old. By definition, a millennial is "a person reaching young adulthood around the year 2000; a Generation Y." So yes that puts me (and you) right there with Mark Zuckerberg and Michael Phelps.
We are the generation born in the 1980s and 1990s, comprising primarily the children of the baby boomers and typically perceived as increasingly familiar with digital and electronic technology. We grew up with Internet, computers, video games, chat rooms, arcades. We lived in a transitional world ruled by old school and technology. We saw the invention and the death of the walkman, the VHS, and the early game consoles (Think Atari). We understand what both a landline and a smartphone is and how to use it. And we witnessed (and created) social media, reality TV and digital consumption of music.
We were the last generation of an era and the new generation of another. In a constant limbo, between two worlds, some of us clinging to the past while others embracing the future.
As a result, we created social movements such as hipsters, we made manly facial hair cool again, and we welcomed vintage clothing. We often reminisce the 80s as a golden era of junk plastic food and loose parenting. More than any other generation we live between two worlds without never letting go of our wifi connection.
However, as young adults trying to figure out our place in the real world, we were greatly impacted by the 2007-2008 financial crisis. Many of us were received by adulthood with a "No vacancies" sign and the prospects of financial insecurity riddled with college loan debt, and a bruised labor market. According to the US Census Data, 40% of unemployed workers in the US are millennials. Jobs were scarce, and no one wants to hire you without at least "3-5 years of experience". We had to become entrepreneurs, creatives, inventors. We had to find ways to thrive in an old crumbling market.
On the other hand, an according to PEW Research and USA Today college, the national college debt is now at 1.3 trillion dollars and college tuition has seen a 1,140% increase since the late 70s. That coupled with the longest stretch of income stagnation in the modern era, has left many twentysomethings (around 35% highest ever reported) with no other choice but living back with their parents.
We seem to be a generation struggling to be adults, constantly seeing adulthood as an impossible chore of perfection. We are proud of failing at adulthood as a result of an educational system that encouraged us to participate and win even when we weren't winning. The consolation price "you can do this regardless of losing". We proudly use trending hashtags such as #adulting and #SorryNotSorry. We are struggling.
But we are also #winning, right? (there goes my "we always win" millennial attitude) We can't deny this generation has made some wonderful technological contributions to society. Some of us are doers, some of us are fine with failure, either way, we are the last of a generation and the first of another, and no other generation will ever take that away from us.
