Lost in the Generation Gap

I am a proud member of Generation Y. Some of the Gen Y characteristics presented in class describe me perfectly. I do like to figure things out as I go. At work I try to figure things out for myself before going to others for help. I like to think I have strong financial smarts and am also comfortable with technology. When I was a kid we had this “portable” PC that had a tiny orange and black screen. Really it just had a handle on one end, and that’s what made it “portable”. I remember I figured out how to make it play La Cucaracha (an orange and black picture of a sombrero would display as well) and practicing my typing at the DOS prompt. I grasp new concepts quickly and enjoy learning. I admit to having multiple piercings; no tattoos though.


The suggestion that I was nurtured and overprotected describes me to some extent. In my younger years this was true. When I was a bit older both of my parents worked, and my younger brother and I would take care of ourselves after school. We were like the latch-key kids from Gen X. I also have no desire to live at home. Home is a great place, but it's nice to have one of my own.


The team I’m on at work consists of one manager with five employees under him. My manager is a Baby Boomer. My four teammates are all Gen X’ers, and I’m the only Gen Y’er. In fact, I think I’m the only Gen Y’er under my director. Looking across other director groups I can only think of a handful of folks from Gen Y. On my floor alone I’d say about 1/3 are Baby Boomers.


This creates a generation gap that has made me feel alienated since starting at this company at age 22. For example: my sense of accomplishment in my education versus their lack of college education. Some of the older employees have worked at the company for 30 years, started at the bottom, and worked their way up. I started at their current level. My Baby Boomer manager has often declared that he hates technology. (Probably not the best thing to say since our company and team are both involved in technology.) This usually happens when he can’t figure out how to use his Blackberry or a new program on his PC. I’m comfortable enough to try to figure out new technologies on my own and afterward ask for help if needed. The Baby Boomers seem to enjoy spending a lot of time standing at the printer killing trees. Generation X and Y are good with electronic copies, and helping save the environment.


Unfortunately this generation gap will most likely continue in these organizations since no recent college grads have been hired since I started… six years ago.