Are millennials' confused expectations contributing to their job hunting woes? | Fox News

I'm going to try and phrase this correctly. There's a generational difference here, which is exacerbated by some "systemic pressures."

When I joined the workforce, I joined as "Unskilled Labor." (aka Fast Food or Day Labor) I was compensated as such until I developed a "skill." I personally PAID for said skill. That came out of MY pocket. Not anyone else's. The way it came out of my pocket was through "discomfort." It sucks working in "Unskilled Labor" (at low wages) so you develop skills (as quickly as possible) so you don't have to do that anymore.

Unfortunately, as society gets better, "things" are more available. Everyone has a car now. Everyone has a TV. Everyone has a Phone. Everyone has a computer. The need to "share" resources, makes the "suck" (discomfort) of Unskilled Labor not as painful, therefore the need to develop skills on a personal level not as pressing for a vast majority of people.

People don't STRIVE to THRIVE. (Trademark Pending). They're content to be, because they have all their basic needs met, and it's damn near impossible to starve to death in America.

Add in factors like Education for WANT as opposed to Education for NEED. When someone ENTERING the workforce gets a "Non-Production" based Education, they are hurting themselves. Yes, we need History Majors, and Liberal Arts Majors (I have a BS Lib Arts), but we don't need YOUNG History or LA Majors flooding the Work Force. We need X% because that is what the market will bear. Choosing a "non-competitive" degree (education et al) path will result in poor work placement, and bad compensation.

Additionally, what happens is that when the market is "flooded" it hurts everyone, "across the board." We begin to see Job Requirements for "Entry Level Positions" with 5+ years of Experience, and Advanced Degree Requirements, which runs counter to "Entry Level." (How is this possible?) The goal of course being to narrow the field to "most qualified" over simply "qualified."

Of course, it's disheartening, and expectations seem off. However, it is not all the Millennials' fault. The previous generations create the systemic pressures, and the Millennials are reacting to the system as they see it. In turn, this creates a negative feedback loop like Ouroboros feeding on itself.

My children a bit behind. My oldest daughter of 3 years old is still in pre-school. I will ensure she takes her education seriously and seeks additional skills to diversify herself in the beginning of her career. I will not let her be a part of any sport or organization that does not teach one how to earn their rewards. Participation ribbons do not allow one to reach their full potential, so most will get the ribbon and stop trying harder.

More so companies have come to the realization that millennials are bad employees. They have shot themselves in both feet - wanting more and worse performance - there isn't a "job" or "do work" app.

http://www.cheatsheet.com/business/american-millennials-are-surprisingly-unprepared-for-the-workforce.html/?a=viewall