I have read several articles as of late trying to describe the millennial demographic. I find many of these articles rather informative, but still lacking on at least how I understand my generation. The millennial generation is a tough one to figure out because it is ripened for change. The apples are falling off and rolling a long way before coming to rest and roots.
Millennials are labeled as wanting more out of life than just a 9 to 5 grind. They want more from a company or they will leave. It is not just about loving their work or about pay or benefits or company culture. It is more than having a job. Millennials are about freedom – freedom from structure built by others, freedom to act and think and do in their own way. As a millennial myself I think it is not the way that we were raised per se, but more about the opportunities that now abound with ease through global communication. Back in the day to start a business meant to have a brick and mortar store and to basically only be able to access local markets. This changed a bit with mail order catalogs, but it was still clunky and tiresome – there is lots of hard (busy) work associated with doing a mail order business and getting word out. This has changed drastically with the advent of the computer and the internet. Now there are modern ecommerce solutions that are basically plug and play, drag and drop. The opportunity to reach a target global market is accessible to individuals on a minimal budget. Millennials are at the forefront of this technology and as such they recognize the opportunity to make a change of lifestyle. Millennials recognize they can build their own structure to operate and excel within. It is a microcosm of independently owned and operated self-businesses or business selfs. Building a brand has turned inward to find meaning and to define the why. This is necessary to differentiate from all the noise that is bombarding devices worldwide. Millennials have a tendency to focus on self more than community because that is how their community interacts – with self profiles. That is how you get to know your customer on a more personal yet removed level. You can know someone without knowing them. That is the world we live in and we need to embrace it – not fear it.
Living has never been so visible and public. Life is mobile. With an increasingly mobile society, everything is becoming more mobile. Many millennials are looking to make their lives more and more mobile as well. This includes ditching a day job where they can feel stuck or suffocated and finding work that is meaningful to them and others. Not because the work may be unimportant to them, or the company culture is disagreeable, but more because it lacks the freedom to move and experience the world like the Internet offers.
When we have computers and other electronics available that make a business on the move possible, why are we still required to be at a desk job from 9 to 5? I mean seriously, this doesn’t make sense. The only reason I can think of is employers want to basically babysit their employees. My goal as a millennial has been to separate my time from my money. I think this is a worthwhile effort and goal because it allows for more and more freedom. Freedom to spend quality time with the family, freedom to pursue hobbies, freedom to have more open time to help others in need. I feel that being a millennial is not some stuck up self righteous, arrogant ideal, but a chance to start realizing the potential to do good that is within us. That change is good and we should welcome it. So many millennials quit.
I quit.
I quit that job. I quit that rut. I quit that cul de sac. I quit that turning in circles. I quit that insanity of doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. I quit working entirely for money. I quit things that aren’t progressing my life to where I want it to be. I quit to progress. I quit early and I quit with obtained knowledge to guide my road ahead. Without ruts to keep you in a certain path the world is open – freedom at last.
And that’s a good thing.