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What’s Up with Millennials?

Kids in their twenties think they deserve good pay. Are they greedy, unreasonable, or on the right track? Scrolling through my Twitter feed the other day, I came across this article about Generation Y on the Forbes.com. Titled "Millennials seek work's benefits: leisure, money," it got me thinking about the generational differences I've observed and discussed with other business owners.

By Emira Mears /

Kids in their twenties think they deserve good pay. Are they greedy, unreasonable, or on the right track?

Scrolling through my Twitter feed the other day, I came across this article about Generation Y on the Forbes.com. Titled “Millennials seek work’s benefits: leisure, money,” it got me thinking about the generational differences I’ve observed and discussed with other business owners.

The generalizations run something like this: young kids these days – Millennials or, if you prefer, Gen Y – want it all but don’t want to work for it, whereas we haggard old folks (I say with a 34-year-old tongue planted firmly in my cheek) know the value of a hard day’s work and are willing to earn our rewards.

I’ll admit, I’ve been on the lead end of this discussion more than once. That said, what exactly is wrong with wanting more vacation time and decent compensation?

Lauren and I started our company 10 years ago, wanting more autonomy, money, and job satisfaction. (And we belong to Gen X, not Gen Y, so my suspicion is that the desire for these things isn’t specific to youngsters, however oversized their expectations.)

Is it wrong to expect some time off and a decent wage, even in the early stages of your career – or are these things you earn only after putting in your time? Are Gen Ys too entitled? Thoughts?

Emira Mears

Emira Mears