Alright, so lets set some things straight: I am currently 21 years old, which puts me in the “millennial” generation, also known as generation Y. For those of you who are already confused, millennials are those of us who were born between 1980 and 2000. I honestly cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard older generations talk crap about us and say how useless we are and how we’re going to run the world into the ground, but I’m here to tell you that the exact opposite is true.
First off, I’m a millennial, but I’m not lazy. I’m in my fifth year of college with a full class load (15 hours) and I work two jobs to support myself. I pay my own rent, car payment, insurance, credit card bill, and whatever else pops up unexpectedly. Maybe this doesn’t sound like a lot to older generations, but for those of you who are in the same boat as me, you understand how difficult it is to juggle attendance, grades, homework, studying and work all at the same time.
No, I don’t know what its like to live in a world without technology. Honestly though, it doesn’t make our life any less “difficult” than the older generations. With the rise in technology came the rise of time crunches and deadlines. I can very easily get an email that says I need to have A, B or C assignment done by tomorrow morning, and get the outline for it while I’m working one of my two jobs the night before. That means I have to finish out my shift, come home and do an assignment and still be in class the next morning at 9 a.m. Call me lazy, but I’ll call you a liar.
Yes, I’m a millennial, but I’m not “the downfall of society.” Our generation is more understanding and accepting of all cultures, sexualities and religions than any generation before us. We love all people and look past silly things like tattoos and clothing style to see the person underneath all of that. We realize that everyone is created equally, and no one should be held above the other.
Yes, I’m a millennial, but I’m not stupid. In fact I’m the exact opposite. In 10 years, my entire generation will be the leaders of this nation. We’ll be in Congress and the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Yes, there will be those who still work at McDonald’s because they dropped out of college, but every generation has those and will continue to have those for generations to come. Don’t judge us for what you also have.
My generation is neither lazy nor incompetent. We are more educated and more independent and, quite frankly, more badass. I’m proud to be a part of generation Y, and I can’t wait to see us take over in the next few years. Welcome to the millennials, previous generations. I hope you’re ready for one hell of a ride.
