Visit this: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/08/60minutes/main3475200.shtml
60 Minutes had a special a while back about how my generation, the 'millenials,' are hitting the workforce and forcing employers to act more like psychologists than businessmen. The problem, they claim, is that we have been told how special we are since we were young. We're so used to being unique that we have nowhere to grow from or to. And the majority of my generation has invested more in visiting places than working wage-based jobs. Additionally, our priorities now lie equally between friends and work. Therefore, big companies have had to invest money in changing the way they deal with these new employees.
I personally think 60 Minutes has shown things to be a bit worse than it actually is. After all, they do tend to gloss everything over with a bit of a conservative veneer. They do have some good points, though. I have many friends here at PSU that have never worked a summer job (It's okay, I choke on that a bit, too). I have met few people here with a truly professional approach to their classes or lifestyle, although many seem to feign it.
Maybe I've come from a more conservative family. Yes, my parents take me on vacations, and they do help me out with loans, but I've been working almost straight since the 9th grade, my employers are always surprised at how hard I work (with the exception of that one overnight shift *shudder*), and I keep myself booked solid throughout my semester. I never listen to an MP3 player in a business situation or wear flip-flops, and yes, after receiving a meager 2 responses after applying for 23 jobs last summer, I do feel lucky just to be able to work.
Does this make me better than other students? My recent viewpoint is one of 'I Don't Know or Care.' I have met straight A students who just want a 9 to 5 and straight C students who are constantly working toward something much more unique and greater. So I don't see how I can compare myself to anybody at all. My only goal is to make life better for myself.
Many things on this campus have helped this viewpoint, be it performance ensembles or even participation in Schreyer's. When I entered the SHC, I was told I had the ability and drive to breeze through everything. That was a bit of a lie. I still have to work to get through the paper work and the honors thesis research and writing and etc. It really is a lot of work. But the benefits are endless. I have access to some impactful classes, and I'm learning how to manage my own life for myself. Thanks to the many things I've discovered at PSU, including the SHC, I've definitely learned how to be independently responsible for myself.
I think 60 Minutes is concentrating on way too small a niche of the "millenial" demographic (that is quite a bland label), and I'm sure there are a lot of upcoming additions to the US workforce that are much brighter and driven than the bleak image 60 Minutes has procured. At least, this is what I hope and expect from many of the people I've met. As for me, I'm going to keep working my tail off.
Additionally, I find it odd that businesses have had to reengineer their approach toward new employees. Businesses such as Google and Pixar changed their approach to business altogether only to find much greater productivity. Then again, Google and Pixar are companies almost wholly dependent on creativity. So this makes sense. Fostering creativity and creating a bit of breathing room would undoubtedly cause a bit more productivity and a better product, so I highly doubt that these businesses have changed merely for the sake of new employees. By creating a more flexible work schdule, workers are able to find their own rhythm of productivity. This is an advancement.
But I am unsure of the priority shift. I have friends, but my work tends to take precedence. And I know that often, the same occurs with many of them. Perhaps, as a composer, my niche is also a bit too small to match the scenario 60 Minutes has proposed. Although I haven't done exstensive research on this quite yet, I would like to see a more conclusive study to be performed on this scenario. I still think 60 Minutes is not taking enough of the workforce into consideration.
Oh, and a quick recommendation: Pattee Library carries a recording of an opera by Jack Beeson entitled Dr. Heidegger and the Fountain of Youth. The opera is actually an adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment." Yes, that's right, the same guy Nathaniel Hawthorne that wrote about Hester Prynne's tragedy also penned a great little science fiction story. The opera has a few rough spots, but is an enjoyable listen overall if you have the patience.
And if you want something more visual, check out Benjamin Britten's Turn of the Screw. It's amazing, and BBC created an amazing film adaptation of it, which they played on public television throughout Britain. Despite PBS' attempts, we don't have anything quite like this here in the states, and that's quite disappointing. But if you're a fan of Victorian literature or modern opera or surreally creepy... Just check it out.
60 Minutes had a special a while back about how my generation, the 'millenials,' are hitting the workforce and forcing employers to act more like psychologists than businessmen. The problem, they claim, is that we have been told how special we are since we were young. We're so used to being unique that we have nowhere to grow from or to. And the majority of my generation has invested more in visiting places than working wage-based jobs. Additionally, our priorities now lie equally between friends and work. Therefore, big companies have had to invest money in changing the way they deal with these new employees.
I personally think 60 Minutes has shown things to be a bit worse than it actually is. After all, they do tend to gloss everything over with a bit of a conservative veneer. They do have some good points, though. I have many friends here at PSU that have never worked a summer job (It's okay, I choke on that a bit, too). I have met few people here with a truly professional approach to their classes or lifestyle, although many seem to feign it.
Maybe I've come from a more conservative family. Yes, my parents take me on vacations, and they do help me out with loans, but I've been working almost straight since the 9th grade, my employers are always surprised at how hard I work (with the exception of that one overnight shift *shudder*), and I keep myself booked solid throughout my semester. I never listen to an MP3 player in a business situation or wear flip-flops, and yes, after receiving a meager 2 responses after applying for 23 jobs last summer, I do feel lucky just to be able to work.
Does this make me better than other students? My recent viewpoint is one of 'I Don't Know or Care.' I have met straight A students who just want a 9 to 5 and straight C students who are constantly working toward something much more unique and greater. So I don't see how I can compare myself to anybody at all. My only goal is to make life better for myself.
Many things on this campus have helped this viewpoint, be it performance ensembles or even participation in Schreyer's. When I entered the SHC, I was told I had the ability and drive to breeze through everything. That was a bit of a lie. I still have to work to get through the paper work and the honors thesis research and writing and etc. It really is a lot of work. But the benefits are endless. I have access to some impactful classes, and I'm learning how to manage my own life for myself. Thanks to the many things I've discovered at PSU, including the SHC, I've definitely learned how to be independently responsible for myself.
I think 60 Minutes is concentrating on way too small a niche of the "millenial" demographic (that is quite a bland label), and I'm sure there are a lot of upcoming additions to the US workforce that are much brighter and driven than the bleak image 60 Minutes has procured. At least, this is what I hope and expect from many of the people I've met. As for me, I'm going to keep working my tail off.
Additionally, I find it odd that businesses have had to reengineer their approach toward new employees. Businesses such as Google and Pixar changed their approach to business altogether only to find much greater productivity. Then again, Google and Pixar are companies almost wholly dependent on creativity. So this makes sense. Fostering creativity and creating a bit of breathing room would undoubtedly cause a bit more productivity and a better product, so I highly doubt that these businesses have changed merely for the sake of new employees. By creating a more flexible work schdule, workers are able to find their own rhythm of productivity. This is an advancement.
But I am unsure of the priority shift. I have friends, but my work tends to take precedence. And I know that often, the same occurs with many of them. Perhaps, as a composer, my niche is also a bit too small to match the scenario 60 Minutes has proposed. Although I haven't done exstensive research on this quite yet, I would like to see a more conclusive study to be performed on this scenario. I still think 60 Minutes is not taking enough of the workforce into consideration.
Oh, and a quick recommendation: Pattee Library carries a recording of an opera by Jack Beeson entitled Dr. Heidegger and the Fountain of Youth. The opera is actually an adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment." Yes, that's right, the same guy Nathaniel Hawthorne that wrote about Hester Prynne's tragedy also penned a great little science fiction story. The opera has a few rough spots, but is an enjoyable listen overall if you have the patience.
And if you want something more visual, check out Benjamin Britten's Turn of the Screw. It's amazing, and BBC created an amazing film adaptation of it, which they played on public television throughout Britain. Despite PBS' attempts, we don't have anything quite like this here in the states, and that's quite disappointing. But if you're a fan of Victorian literature or modern opera or surreally creepy... Just check it out.
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